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WASHINGTON : Presidential contenders Donald Trump and Nikki Haley will face off in the Washington, D.C., Republican primary on Sunday, a small-stakes contest that could be one of Haley's best shots to score a win over the former president. The United States' capital city only sends 19 out of 2,429 delegates to the Republican National Convention in July, where the nominee is formally selected. Sunday's results are unlikely to change the trajectory of a race that Trump appears to have stitched up, having won all the previous nominating contests.

Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an Israeli official, in a sign of widening cracks in Israel's wartime government nearly five months into its war with Hamas. The trip by Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival who joined Netanyahu’s hard-line government in the early days of the war following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, comes amid deep disagreements between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden over how to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and create a post-war vision for the enclave.

Odisha MLA Arabinda Dhali on Sunday joined the BJP, a day after resigning from the ruling BJD. Dhali went to the BJP office in Bhubaneswar along with his supporters in a procession, and formally joined the party in the presence of its state president Manmohan Samal and MP Aparajita Sarangi, among others. Former MLA Mukunda Sodi, who also resigned from the BJD, joined the BJP along with Dhali. Addressing the press, Dhali alleged that there was no democracy within the BJD and senior leaders were being neglected.

fielding new faces on seven Lok Sabha seats in the first list of 15 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan, the remaining sitting MPs are apprehensive about the feedback the party high command might have regarding their winnability. With winnability being the paramount factor for the party in order to secure all 25 seats in the upcoming elections, the fate of the remaining 10 incumbent MPs hangs in balance. In the first list announced on Saturday, the BJP retained eight sitting MPs and gave tickets to new faces on seven seats. Two of the seven seats were vacant after the sitting MPs won the 2023 assembly elections. Candidates for Bikaner, Churu, Sikar, Alwar, Bharatpur, Nagaur, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran have been declared in the first list while announcement of tickets for Ajmer, Bhilwara, Dausa, Ganganagar, Jaipur, Jaipur Rural, Jhunjhunu, Karauli-Dholpur, Rajsamand and Tonk-Sawai Madhopur is awaited.

By James Oliphant

₹2,000 to the party fund. Sharing a post on microblogging site X (formerly known as Twitter), the prime minister wrote “I am happy to contribute to @BJP4India and strengthen our efforts to build a Viksit Bharat." I also urge everyone to be a part of #DonationForNationBuilding through the NaMoApp! https://nm-4.com/donation" the prime minister posted.

Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday criticised CM Nitish Kumar's frequent flip-flops and asked him to stick to his word. «We wish him (Nitish Kumar) all the best. This time he said that he would remain where he is. At least this time he should stick to his word.» said RJD leader Tejshwi Yadav. Meanwhile, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar assured PM Modi to remain a partner in the BJP-led NDA alliance after switch-over from the INDIA bloc.

BJP announced its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Overseas Friends of BJP in the US has kicked off its 2024 election campaign pledging to volunteer and contribute towards the goal of winning 400 seats in the elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its first list of 195 candidates out of which 51 are from Uttar Pradesh, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi. «The Indian Diaspora is going to support the BJP in India,» Adapa Prasad, president of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) USA told PTI after the conclusion of the kick-off event on Saturday in a Maryland suburb of Washington DC. The event was attended by about 100 core members of the OFBJP.

Lok Sabha polls, the Overseas Friends of BJP in the US has kicked off its 2024 election campaign pledging to volunteer and contribute towards the goal of winning 400 seats in the elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its first list of 195 candidates out of which 51 are from Uttar Pradesh, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi.

Lok Sabha elections on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to run for the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi once more, as per the first list. Among the 195 candidates, 34 individuals hold ministerial positions at both the Central and State levels.

Trinamool Congress has decided to contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, the Congress on Sunday said doors are still open for an alliance with the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC for the upcoming general polls. Ahead of the opposition's rally in Patna, Congress general secretary and in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh told PTI they are still hopeful and believe that when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says she is in the INDIA alliance, her priority is to defeat the BJP. «We take that as a statement of her priority and intent,» he said in Gwalior. «We have not closed any doors. She has unilaterally announced that she will contest all 42 seats (in West Bengal), well that is her announcement. As far as we are concerned, talks are still continuing, the doors are still open and the final word will not be said till the final word is said,» he said.

Shripad Naik's candidature from North Goa Lok Sabha seat, all eyes are now on who will be the nominees of the BJP and the Congress from South Goa seat. Naik's name figured in the first list of 195 candidates declared by the BJP in Delhi on Saturday for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The coastal state has two Lok Sabha constituencies — North Goa and South Goa. While the North Goa seat has been represented by Naik for five consecutive terms, the South Goa seat has been won by the Congress, BJP and regional parties on different occasions.

Odisha, Arabinda Dhali resigned from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday, ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha. Former state minister Dhali tendered his resignation to BJD Supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. «I tender my resignation on the dated 01.03.2024 from the primary membership of Biju Janata Dal.You're requested to kindly accept my resignation. This is for your information and necessary action,» he wrote in his resignation letter.

BJP) announced his candidature from the Jaunpur constituency, Uttar Pradesh, in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, Kripashankar Singh expressed his confidence in winning the seat. «It is my belief that Jaunpur will be included in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 400-paar slogan» Singh said, referring to PM Modi's clarion call to the BJP cadre to work for the NDA and get 400+ seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Taking a swipe at Congress, he said that while leadership is with the BJP, «dealership» is with Congress.

By James Oliphant and Gram Slattery

By Iryna Nazarchuk

Donald Trump has won Missouri's Republican caucuses, one of three events Saturday that will award delegates for the GOP presidential nomination. The former president, who is especially strong in caucuses, was adding to his delegate lead in Republican caucuses in Missouri as well as at a party convention in Michigan. Idaho was scheduled to hold its caucuses later Saturday. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, meanwhile, is still seeking her first win.

By Costas Pitas

By Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Nidal al-Mughrabi

By Nathan Layne

195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections here in the national capital on March 2. While at least 42 of the candidates who were elected to Parliament in 2019, have been replaced with new names, the party has also fielded at least ministers who are currently Rajya Sabha members. Among the big BJP ministers, who are Rajya Sabha members and will contest elections include Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya who will be contesting from Porbandar in Gujarat and junior IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who will contest from Thiruvananthapuram seat, which is held by the Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.