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Omar Abdullah claimed that Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its 'C team'. Abdullah's statement comes after BJP leader Mushtaq Bukhari notably urged members of the Pahari community to vote for Mehbooba Mufti in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Referring to this, the NC leader said, «If we have to defeat the BJP here, and the powers spreading poison in the whole country, then people should look at INDIA alliance leaders on all five seats of J-K. All others are connected to the BJP in some way. Be it the 'A' or 'B' team that meets Tarun Chugh sahib or PDP. I am assuming that now Mehbooba Mufti will put pressure on the BJP to get Mushtaq Bukhari's statement changed. PDP has joined BJP as its 'C' team.»

Alappuzha, the citadel of the Communists in Kerala and the land of the historic Punnapra-Vayalar uprising and the martyrs column, huge hoardings of KC Venugopal, the influential AICC general secretary (organisation) and a close associate of Rahul Gandhi, are all over. Venugopal is fighting to wrest the CPM seat, the only Lok Sabha constituency that stood by the Left in 2019 when the Congress-led UDF swept 19 of the 20 seats from the state.

Lok Sabha and a surprise defeat in the November 2023 Madhya Pradesh assembly election, BJP MP from Satna Ganesh Singh is in a tough contest yet again. The Congress has fielded Siddarth Kushwaha “Dabbu”, the leader who defeated him in the state polls just four months ago, as its candidate, while a Brahmin candidate from the BSP is also likely to wean away some voters. Singh is among the BJP MPs who were fielded by the party in the Madhya Pradesh assembly election. He lost by 4,041 votes to Kushwaha but has been given the ticket again for the Lok Sabha polls. Both Singh, a Kurmi leader, and Kushwaha are from the backward castes, which have a sizable presence in the constituency. Satna Lok Sabha also has a substantial Brahmin population and the way it votes can prove decisive in this election. While the BJP is hopeful that the Ayodhya Ram temple issue would sway the Brahmin voters to its side, BSP candidate Narayan Tripathi may play the spoiler. In the 2023 assembly election, the BSP fielded Shiv Ratnakar Chaturvedi, making it a triangular fight. Chaturvedi polled 33,567 votes, which ensured Singh’s defeat. Narayan Tripathi is in a similar role in the Lok Sabha polls.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Mike Hussey said praising the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain. "Rahul has been a fantastic player for a long period of time. He's very difficult to bowl to because he plays great shots all around the ground.

Amethi is back in news and buzzing with excitement. Even as the BJP leaders taunt Rahul Gandhi for leaving Amethi constituency for Wayanad in Kerala, videos of massive cleaning and renovation work at his house in the town were shared on social media. This has led to hope among the Uttar Pradesh Congress cadre who were demoralised after signs that Rahul may not fight from Amethi this time. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul contested from Amethi and Wayanad. He lost to BJP's Smriti Irani in Amethi, but won from Wayanad. Rahul Gandhi represented Amethi from 2004 till 2019. The seat is also associated with Rahul’s father Rajiv Gandhi, who represented the seat between 1981 till his death in 1991. Sonia Gandhi contested elections from here in 1999 and passed it on to Rahul in 2004. The workers engaged at Rahul's bungalow at Amethi were not just cleaning but also seen clearing the garden area, TOI has reported. Tent poles and material for a canopy were also seen lying near the house. The workers said that they were hired by the party. “I am told that Rahul Bhaiya will come soon. Therefore, all the cleaning and renovation work is being done,” said one of them. Asked to comment on renovation work underway at Rahul’s home in Amethi’s Gauriganj area, ex-MLC Deepak Singh said, “This is routine. Whether or not he contests elections from here, he is sure to visit Amethi during the campaign time.”

Karnataka High Court has, by a recent order, directed the State Government to protect the operations of bike taxis in Bengaluru. The Court order, dated March 28, came in response to petitions filed by the Bike Taxi Welfare Association.

SYDNEY—Elon Musk criticized an order by Australian authorities to remove a video of the stabbing of a religious leader, with the billionaire owner of social-media platform X arguing it sets a dangerous precedent that effectively allows one country to control the entire internet. The row has intensified in recent days, with Australia’s eSafety commissioner—the official in charge of monitoring social media for harmful content—taking X to court for not doing enough to remove the content after it received a formal notice to take it down. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also weighed in, arguing that Musk is fighting for the right to show violent videos on his platform.

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a Biden administration appeal over the regulation of difficult-to-trace ghost guns that was struck down by lower courts

KS Eshwarappa for six years after he decided to contest independently from Shivamogga constituency. KS Eshwarappa is contesting as an independent from Shivamogga. He will fight against BY Raghvendra, son of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. The party in a statement said that KS Eshwarappa has «embarrassed» the party by going to the polls as an independent candidate.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is making his first official visit to Iraq in more than a decade as Ankara seeks greater cooperation from Baghdad in its fight against a Kurdish militant group that has a foothold in Iraq's north

Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency, one of the 17 Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) constituencies in Telangana state in southern India, will see a tough fight between the BJP's Arvind Dharmapuri and Congress' Tatiparthi Jeevan Reddy in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Currently, the incumbent Member of Parliament from the Nizamabad constituency is the BJP's Dharmapuri Arvind. Voting for all 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, including Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency, will be held in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polling on May 13; the results will be announced on June 4.

‘Conspiracy to kill Arvind Kejriwal in jail’, alleges AAP MP Sanjay Singh The Tihar Jail Administration on Saturday submitted a report to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor regarding the health status of CM Kejriwal, who has been lodged in Tihar jail since April 1 this year. According to the report, CM Kejriwal was on insulin for diabetes control.

Central Election Committee of the Congress party has selected candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Bihar and Punjab. The meeting, chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by leaders like Sonia Gandhi, Salman Khurshid, and Ambika Soni, finalized the candidates for several key constituencies. Bihar Candidates

Premier League table with a 3-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, thanks to goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota. Liverpool trail Arsenal on goal difference with both on 74 points with five games remaining, however holders Manchester City, who are third on 73 points, have a game in hand. A week after Crystal Palace had dealt Liverpool's title hopes a crushing blow with a 1-0 defeat, Sunday's victory infused Juergen Klopp's men with renewed hope.

Modi over his «redistribution of wealth» remark, Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday said he cannot recall that any other PM had made such «outrageous statements» with each sentence outdoing the previous one in its «absolute falsehood and brazen mendacity». Chidambaram's attack came a day after Prime Minister Modi said that if the Congress came to power, it would redistribute the wealth of people to «infiltrators» and «those who have more children», and cited former PM Manmohan Singh's remark that the minority community had the first claim on the country's resources. In a post on X, Chidambaram said, «I cannot recall that any other prime minister had made such outrageous statements like PM Modi did at Jalore & Banswara in Rajasthan yesterday. Each sentence outdid the previous sentence in its absolute falsehood and brazen mendacity.» «Will the BJP tell the world: when and where did the Congress say that we will distribute people's land, gold and other valuables among Muslims? When and where did the Congress say that a survey will be conducted to value the property of individuals, gold held by women and silver owned by tribal families?» the former Union minister said.

Amit Shah said on Sunday Gorkhas in Darjeeling will get their rightful justice and recognition of 11 tribes, which is a long-time demand of Gorkhas is under consideration. Welfare of Gorkhas is of prime importance to Bharatiya Janata Party, Shah said to people assembled in Darjeeling's Lebong at a public rally, through BJP Darjeeling candidate's mobile phone after his chopper could not land in Darjeeling's Lebong due to heavy cloud. «We stand with you in your fight for justice. The recognition of 11 tribes' which is a demand of Gorkhas is under consideration. The sacrifice of Gorkhas for this country is immense and we are aware of it,» Shah said. He also apologized to people for failing to reach Darjeeling. «My helicopter could not land in Darjeeling due to bad weather and heavy clouds. I apologize for that. But rumours are being spread about it. Please vote for Raju Bista who is the son of the soil,» Shah urged people assembled there.

TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday said he cannot describe what YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has done to Andhra Pradesh and alleged that the latter was 'staging dramas'. The opposition leader made the remarks while distributing B-forms to TDP candidates at his Andhra Pradesh residence in Undavalli. The B-form is a nomination document signed by the authorised person of a political party, indicating the name of the candidate fielded by the outfit. It is proof that a particular candidate has been put up by a political party, and it ensures that the candidate is allotted the reserved symbol of that party. «Unable to describe what he (Jagan) has done for the state, Jagan Mohan Reddy has raised (the) curtains to stage dramas and the people are simply detesting it,» said Naidu. The TDP supremo termed the stone pelting attack on Reddy as a 'drama', which miserably failed. «We are fighting devils and demons and you all should move ahead with a determination,» said Naidu, addressing the TDP candidates.

ALSO READ: Andhra Pradesh Assembly Election: TDP, JanaSena announce first joint list of 118 seats — Room left for BJP? She was about to leave to campaign on Thursday when she was informed about a woman who was losing amniotic fluid — which can cause miscarriage — and had been referred to a hospital in Guntur, NDTV reported. According to another report, Lakshmi "was called for a medical emergency when the mother developed complications and there was no Gynae to attend immediately." ALSO READ: Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan to fight Andhra Pradesh elections from Pithapuram after BJP-TDP-JSP pact "The doctors at the private hospital had referred her [woman] to Guntur. I went there and conducted the surgery to save the mother and child," Lakshmi told NDTV.

Modi wave" will help him score a «landslide» victory in the Chandigarh Lok Sabha election, feels BJP candidate Sanjay Tandon. Tandon took a dig at Congress candidate Manish Tewari, who fought the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Ludhiana and Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, saying, «Chandigarh needs a person who is one of them and who has been with them through thick and thin.» The BJP has been calling Tewari an «outsider» in Chandigarh while the Congress leader has hit back, saying he has local roots. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Chandigarh will be held in a single phase on June 1. The votes will be counted on June 4.

Bengaluru, After she was shifted to Bangalore North segment for the coming Lok Sabha elections, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje is determined to prove a point or two and wants to ensure that BJP continues its winning streak here. Bangalore North has remained a BJP stronghold since 2004 and the 57-year-old is banking on the "Modi factor". She is facing Congress candidate and former Rajya Sabha member M V Rajeev Gowda, who is putting up a spirited fight. Both belong to the Vokkaliga community. Karandlaje is a two-time MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur but was moved out after she faced a «Go back Shobha» campaign there from a section of her party. Karandlaje has been telling people how India is on the development path in the past 10 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

Israel demonstrated its military dominance over adversary Iran in its apparent precision strikes that hit near military and nuclear targets deep in the heart of the country, meeting little significant challenge from Iran's defences and providing the world with new insights into both militaries' capabilities. The international community, Israel and Iran all signalled hopes that Friday's airstrikes would end what has been a dangerous 19-day run of strikes and counterstrikes, a highly public test between two deep rivals that had previously stopped short of most direct confrontation. The move into open fighting began April 1 with the suspected Israeli killing of Iranian generals at an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria. That prompted Iran's retaliatory barrage last weekend of more than 300 missiles and drones that the US, Israel and regional and international partners helped bat down without significant damage in Israel. And then came Friday's apparent Israeli strike. As all sides took stock, regional security experts predicted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government and the country's allies would emerge encouraged by the Israeli military's superior performance. In response to international appeals, however, both Israel and Iran had appeared to be holding back their full military force throughout the more than two weeks of hostilities, aiming to send messages rather than escalate to a full-scale war.