Breaking News November 4

At least 20 students from villages of Imphal valley on Monday called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi as part of their National Integration Tour, the Indian Army said here.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Monday said the ruling alliance will win at least 170 seats in the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls. The Mahayuti comprises Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, the BJP, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and smaller parties like Athawale's RPI(A).

A total of 4,140 candidates were left in the fray for 288 Maharashtra assembly seats after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended on Monday, a poll official said. Polls will be held on November 20, while results will be declared on November 23.

A total of 303 candidates are in the fray in 21 assembly seats in Pune district after 179 candidates withdrew nominations on the last of the process on Monday, an official said. Maharashtra assembly polls will be held on November 20, while results will be declared on November 23. "A total of 482 candidates had submitted nomination forms. Of these, 179 withdrew, leaving 303 in the fray," a district poll official said.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal announced on Monday that he was making arrangements to soon provide Rs 1,000 as monthly honorarium to women in Delhi. In its 2024-25 budget, the Delhi government had announced the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana for providing Rs 1,000 per month to all women aged above 18. Kejriwal said, "I am doing that work very soon in which Rs 1,000 will be deposited in your bank accounts."

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Monday reviewed the implementation of the three new criminal laws and instructed senior officials to strictly adhere to the timelines prescribed for upgrading and augmenting the infrastructure and manpower required for their smooth execution. Taking to social media platform X, the LG later said the progress till now has been satisfactory in terms of the required revamp of the medico-legal, police, IT and judicial infrastructure. "Chaired the 8th meeting to review the implementation of 03 new Criminal Laws, alongwith Hon’ble CM Ms @AtishiAAP," he said in the post.

Shopkeepers and warehouse owners in west Delhi's Kirti Nagar are training their employees in fire safety and emergency response in the wake of a fire incident that claimed two people's lives. Several businesses are now conducting fire drills, instructing employees on the use of fire extinguishers, and teaching them the importance of rapid evacuation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of making attempts to snatch reservations meant for tribals and hand them over to its "vote bank". Addressing an election rally in Chaibasa in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, the PM said he worships those who have been rejected by the others.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday launched a new initiative to offer space for co-working and learning with all modern facilities including internet at Kolathur Assembly constituency. The "Mudhalvar Padaipagam," which will function under the Greater Chennai Corporation at Jagannathan Street, Zone 6, in the chief minister’s constituency, will serve as a "peaceful hub, designed for the people to be creative and explore new businesses," a GCC official said.

Mumbai police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar was on Monday given the additional charge of Maharashtra Director General of Police by the state government, an official said, hours after incumbent DGP Rashmi Shukla was transferred on Election Commission (EC) orders. Ahead of the November 20 Assembly polls, the EC on Monday directed the state government to transfer Shukla, the first woman DGP of Maharashtra, with immediate effect following complaints from political parties, including the opposition Congress.

A consumer forum has directed a private hospitality group to refund Rs 1 lakh deposit to a man who had booked a wedding hall in June, 2020 but couldn't use the facility owing to the Covid-19 lockdown. Forum president Inder Jeet Singh and member Rashmi Bansal further imposed a Rs 10,000 fine on the group for causing mental agony to the complainant while directing it to pay Rs 5,000 in litigation costs.

Benchmark Sensex tanked nearly 942 points to settle at a three-month low while Nifty tumbled more than 1 per cent to close below 24,000 on Monday dragged down by heavy selling in Reliance Industries and banking shares.

A woman was killed and five others, including a Nepali citizen, were injured on Monday after a roadways bus collided with a stationary truck on Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur-Barhni road, police said.

Members of the 16th Finance Commission arrived in Nagaland on Monday on a three-day visit, an official said. The Finance Commission team comprising chairman Arvind Panagriya and members Ajay Narayan Jha, Annie George Mathew and Manoj Panda was received at Dimapur Airport by Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton and Chief Secretary J Alam. During the three-day stay, the Finance Commission team would hold a closed-door meeting with the chief minister, ministers and senior officers in Kohima on Tuesday.

By-polls in Assembly Constituencies in Kerala, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh rescheduled from November 13 to November 20 due to various festivities

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said the high voter turnout in the assembly polls reflected the enduring faith of the people in the democratic process, but the aspiration for the return to statehood remains strong. In his maiden address to the first-ever legislative assembly of the Union territory of J-K, he said, "we gather here after the successful culmination of elections after a decade".

The Kerala government will examine the incident involving the controversial formation of a WhatsApp group for Hindu IAS officers, State Industries Minister P Rajeeve said on Monday. His statement followed a complaint lodged by an IAS officer with the police, alleging that his personal WhatsApp number was hacked and used to create a religious group.

Former BJP MP Gopal Shetty withdrew his nomination from Borivali seat on Monday. He had filed a nomination against BJP’s official candidate Sanjay Upadhyay.

Acting on the complaints from Congress, Shiv Sena (Thackeray) and other parties, the Election Commission of India ordered the transfer of Rashmi Shukla, DGP Maharashtra with immediate effect. The poll body directed to Chief the Secretary to hand over her charge to the next senior most IPS officer in the cadre.

Veteran National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather was on Monday elected the first Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Instead, he served seven terms as MLA from Charar-i-Sharief, winning the post by voice vote after the opposition parties chose not to contest. The election was conducted by Protem Speaker Mubarak Gul.

PDP MLA Waheed Para moved a resolution in the assembly opposing the abrogation of Article 370, calling for the restoration of special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Veteran India wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha has announced his retirement from cricket, saying that the ongoing Ranji Trophy season will be his last. The 40-year-old Bengal stumper has featured in 40 Tests and nine ODIs since making his international debut in 2014.

A major accident has occurred in Uttarakhand, where a passenger bus has fallen into a deep gorge in the Almora-Salt region. Reports indicate that the bus, carrying 46 passengers, plunged near Marchula in Kupi.

Former US president Donald Trump is 'clearly the better choice,' as compared to his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris, former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has said. Haley urged undecided voters to look at both candidates’ policy proposals, which she said clearly show Trump as the better option in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published two days before Election Day.

Swimmer Pratyasa Ray was awarded the prestigious Ekalabya Puraskar for 2024 in recognition of her outstanding achievements in national and international competitions over the past two years, an official statement said. Ray received a citation, trophy and a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh at a ceremony organised by the Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT), the charitable wing of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Limited (IMFA), held here on Sunday.

Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency said Monday that at least nine people have died as a series of volcanic eruptions widens on the remote island of Flores. Authorities raised the danger level and widened the danger zone for Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki on Monday, following a series of eruption that last week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address two rallies in poll-bound Jharkhand on Monday. He will address the election rallies in Chaibasa and Garhwa. "Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to arrive at Gaya airport in Bihar around 11 am and fly to Garhwa via helicopter to address a rally there," a senior BJP leader said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asserted his government is focusing on welfare schemes like 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' to enrich the lives of women and said he intends to increase the monthly aid under the scheme.

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump grooved to 'YMCA' song, as he concludes his rally in Georgia.

A 17-year-old boy has been detained for allegedly raping a 4-year-old girl in Maharashtra’s Thane district, an official said on Sunday. The alleged crime was committed last month on the premises of a housing complex in the Ulhasnagar area, where the accused and the child’s father work as security guards.

Air quality in Delhi remains dangerous, with AQI crossing 370. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) reported that 56 construction sites were shut down between October 15 and 31, 597 for non-compliance with pollution control norms. Several areas in Delhi recorded AQI levels exceeding 400, indicating extremely poor air quality.

Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump on Sunday expressed frustration over the current voting pattern as he urged his fellow countrymen to vote for him in this final battle and called for a mandatory voter ID. The Democrats are opposing voter ID so that they can cheat, he alleged.