LIVE BLOG: Chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat crashes
An Indian army helicopter carrying Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawait and his family members along with other senior officials has crashed near an army training camp at the Wellington Army Centre in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on Wednesday afternoon. According to sources in the Indian Army, 14 people, including Major General Bipin Rawat and his family members, were on board the Mi-series (Mi-17V5) chopper that crashed in Nilgiris.
LIVE: PM Modi repeals three farm laws
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced the repeal of three controversial farm laws that had triggered massive protests by the peasants. The new laws, which was controversially enacted amid COVID-19 pandemic, would have facilitated the farmers to sell their produce beyond the regulated wholesale market. However, farmers mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, who camped in and around Delhi for almost a year as a protest, fear they would be left at the mercy of the private players once the laws are enforced.
Byelections results in 13 states, 1 UT: All updates
The counting of votes are underway in 13 states and one union territory, where byelections were held on Oct 30. Three Lok Sabha and 29 assembly constituencies went to bypolls last Saturday. The three Lok Sabha seats are Mandi (Himachal Pradesh), Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh) and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Five assembly seats in Assam, four in West Bengal, three each in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya, two each in Bihar, Karnataka, Rajasthan and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Mizoram and Telangana went to bypolls.
Live: Results of West Bengal's Bhabanipur bypolls 2021
The results for the high voltage bypoll in West Bengal's Bhabanipur assembly constituency, where state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is a candidate, are coming out on Sunday. The elctoral battle is a must win for Mamata Banerjee in order to remain the West Bengal Chief Minister. The bypoll was necessitated following the resignation of West Bengal Minister and TMC veteran Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay. Chattopadhyay resigned to pave the way for Banerjee to contest and get elected to the assembly after she was defeated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram.To challenge Banerjee, the BJP has fielded lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal, the Left has nominated young advocate Srijib Biswas while the Congress decided not to contest in a gesture to the ruling party in a changed political scenario. Follow all update here:
Bhabanipur bypoll: All updates
All eyes are on West Bengal's Bhabanipur assembly constituency, where elections are held Thursday, as Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Mamata Banerjee will have to win the electoral battle to remain the West Bengal Chief Minister. To challenge Banerjee, the BJP has fielded lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal, the Left has nominated young advocate Srijib Biswas while the Congress decided not to contest in a gesture to the ruling party in a changed political scenario. For all updates, follow India Blooms blog
Afghanistan conflict LIVE: Blasts rock Kabul
Over 103 people were killed in the blasts near the Kabul airport on Thursday, days after Taliban overran Afghanistan and seized its capital on Aug 15. As many as 1,338 people have been injured and more people are likely to succumb to their injuries, a source in the Afghan Ministry of Health told Sputnik Friday. At least two blasts targeted Kabul airport and its outskirts. The Islamic State-Khorasan terrorist group reportedly claimed responsibility for the bombings. Thousands of people have been gathering outside the Kabul airport in recent days with western troops racing to evacuate foreigners and Afghans from the war-torn country by the Aug 31 deadline set by US President Joe Biden.
Afghanistan Updates: As Kabul falls and Taliban rule begins, people rush to flee the country
As the Taliban entered Kabul and took over control of Afghanistan, an unprecedented situation is unfolding in the war-torn nation. We bring you the developments in Afghanistan where there is a mad scramble in the airports to flee the nation amid fear, despair and panic.
Calcutta HC hearing on Narada case: LIVE Updates
A five-judge larger bench of the Calcutta High Court is hearing the bail plea of three Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmakers including two West Bengal Ministers and a former Kolkata Mayor in the Narada case. The CBI had arrested the four accused on May 17. Earlier, the Division Bench of the high court had ordered the house arrest of the four veteran politicians. Though the CBI had filed a petition against the house arrests in the Supreme Court, the top court had passed a scathing remark on the probe agency forcing it to withdraw the plea.
The landfall process of Cyclone Yaas has started north of Dhamra and south of Balasore in Odisha, the India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday. The cyclone is also set to affect West Bengal. Since Wednesday morning, the coastal areas of Digha, Mandarmani in West Bengal were flooded by the high tides ahead of the cyclone landfall in the state.
LIVE: Calcutta HC hearing on Narada case
The Calcutta High Court is on Wednesday hearing four arrested West Bengal politicians' plea seeking a review of the stay order put on their bail granted by a lower court. West Bengal Ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra, all belonging to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), and former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Narada sting operation on Monday morning. Though a special CBI court granted bail to all four, in a dramatic turnaround, the high court put a stay on the bail on Monday night.
LIVE: Results of Bengal Assembly Elections 2021
West Bengal, the eastern state of India, witnessed high-octane, high-pitched, often violent elections over the last one month. The elections to 292 of 294 seats were held in eight phases between Mar 27 and Apr 29. Elections have been postponed in two seats- Samergunj and Jangipur- due to the death of two candidates. Primarily, the ruling TMC and its Opposition BJP have locked horns while the Left-Congress-ISF have stitched an alliance, named Sanjukta Morcha- to capture power in the state. For all updates, follow our LIVE Blog
LIVE: Results of Assembly Elections 2021
The results for assembly elections in four states- Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu- and union territory Puducherry are coming out on Sunday. Over the last one month, elections were held in the five regions of the country between Mar 27 and Apr 29. While in Assam, the BJP is aiming to retain power, Mamata Banerjee's regional satrap TMC is fighting to return to power for the third consecutive term in West Bengal. In the southern state of Kerala, the Left has locked horns with its arch-rival Congress while the DMK is aiming to oust AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. Puducherry is witnessing a fight between the BJP and Congress. For all updates, follow our LIVE Blog
LIVE Blog: Final phase of Bengal polls underway
The eighth and final phase of prolonged West Bengal assembly elections is underway on Thursday. The final phase covers 35 assembly constituencies spread across four districts, Malda (06), Murshidabad (11), Birbhum (11) and Kolkata (07). 753 coys of Central paramilitary forces have been deployed out of which 641 coys of CAPF will be involved in protecting polling stations. Remaining forces will be used as QRT & some will be kept in reserve. State armed and unarmed police forces will also be used. Presently, 753 coys of CAPF are in WB as 318 companies have already been released from election duties. For Birbhum, ECI has appointed six additional police observers. Meanwhile, a repoll is conducted at polling booth no. 126 in Cooch Behar's Sitalkuchi. While the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its prime challenger Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are fighting to capture power in the state, the Left-Congress-ISF-led alliance Sanjukta Morcha are striving to stay relevant in the Bengal politics.
ASSEMBLY POLL LIVE BLOG: Seventh phase of voting begins in West Bengal
Amidst unprecedented security arrangements, voting for the seventh phase of the eight-phase assembly election in West Bengal began on Monday morning in 34 of the state’s 294 constituencies. Polling for the seventh phase is held across five districts and 34 assembly seats on Monday. The districts include Malda Part I, Kolkata South, Murshidabad Part I, West Bardhaman Part and Dakshin Dinajpur.
LIVE: West Bengal votes in sixth phase
The sixth phase of West Bengal assembly polls is covering 43 Assembly constituencies and 4 districts, including North Dinajpur (09), North 24 Parganas (17), Nadia (09) and East Burdwan (08). 779 coys of Central paramilitary forces have been deployed. State armed and unarmed police forces will also be used. Presently, 1071 coys of CAPF personnel are in West Bengal. 306 candidates, including 27 women, are contesting. 1 cr 3 lakh electorates will cast their votes. The number of polling booths are 14,480.