Breaking News, November 17 | Live Updates

Poll authorities have seized gold valued at Rs 14.5 crore from Nagpur amid the model code of conduct in place for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, an official said. The gold, in the form of ornaments and biscuits, was being transported by Gujarat-based firm Sequel Logistics when a flying surveillance team apprehended it on Saturday, he said. The shipment arrived in Nagpur by flight on Thursday and was being sent to Amravati. The vehicle was stopped while it was moving from Ambazari Lake to Wadi, the official said.

The Manipur government has requested the Centre to review and withdraw AFSPA from areas falling under the jurisdiction of six police stations in the state, an official said. The Centre has reimposed the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in Manipur's six police station areas, including violence-hit Jiribam. A letter from the Joint Secretary (Home) to the Centre on Saturday, mentioned that "the state cabinet has deliberated upon the same (reimposition of AFSPA) in its meeting held on November 15 and has decided to recommend to the central government to review and withdraw the said declaration of areas falling under the jurisdiction of six police stations in the state as disturbed areas under Section 3 of AFSPA 1958.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has asked if the call for "dharma-yudh of votes" given by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis adheres to the model code of conduct of the Election Commission. Addressing a campaign rally in Dombivli town of Thane district ahead of the November 20 state assembly polls, Thackeray on Saturday said he was asked to remove the words "Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji" from his party's election anthem before the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, but he refused to do so. "Devendra Fadnavis has given a call for "dharma-yudh of votes. I am asking the Election Commission, does dharma-yudh fit in with your model code of conduct?" the former chief minister said.

The Jharkhand Police have registered FIRs against operators of two social media accounts for allegedly running campaigns to malign the image of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and that of the state, a senior officer said. The FIRs were registered after Soren and the ruling JMM accused the BJP of running "shadow" campaigns to malign the image of the CM and the state. "Two FIRs have been registered for campaigns against the CM's and the state's image," the officer said. Soren had alleged that the saffron camp has been "spending crores of rupees on various social media platforms" and "created 95,000 WhatsApp groups" to campaign against the JMM-led coalition in the state.