THE HEADLINES::
- Campaigning at peak for second phase of General Elections; Political leaders making all out efforts to woo voters.
- President Droupadi Murmu to confer Padma Awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow.
- Net direct tax collection surges to over 19 lakh crore rupees during last fiscal.
- Heat wave spell likely to continue over East-India during next five days, predicts IMD.
- And in IPL Cricket, Kolkata Knight Riders win by one run against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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With three days left for campaigning to end for the second phase of General Elections, leaders of political parties are making all out efforts to woo the voters by holding back to back rallies and road shows in favour of their candidates. Twenty seats in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight each in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, seven in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, three each in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh and one each in Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls in this second phase on 26th of this month.
Senior BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed election rallies at Jalore and Banswara in Rajasthan. He said that the country needs a stable government which can develop basic infrastructure facilities as per the future requirements, can understand the dreams of the youth and make policies according to them and take care of women, farmers, poor, deprived, tribal and backward class people.
He said, he is working with determination to take the country to the heights of development. Mr Modi accused the Congress of forming an opportunistic alliance, and said that the country should not be handed over to such an alliance.
Holding public meetings in Siliguri, Narsinhapur in Murshidabad and at Nalagola of Malda, Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Rajnath Singh said, Sandeshkhali has proved that the women in West Bengal are not safe under the Mamata Banerjee led government. He alledged that Chief Minister is misleading the migrant labourers on the issue of NRC.
On the other hand, Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee said, the Central government led by BJP has neglected the common man, including minority and SC/ST people. Speaking at a public meeting in Balurghat, she alledged that the Centre does not send fund to the State.
Speaking at a public meeting in Katihar, Senior BJP leader Amit Shah alleged that Congress and RJD led Grand Alliance want to push Bihar again in the era of Jungle Raj. He said, only NDA can work for betterment of the state. Mr. Shah said, Congress party has always worked against the interest of the backward classes of the society by protesting against the report of Kaka Saheb Kalelkar and Mandal Commission.
Congress leader P Chidambaram said that on coming to power at the Centre the INDIA bloc would enact a special law to bring into effect the legal principle established by the Supreme Court that bail is the rule, and jail is the exception. Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram he added that INDIA bloc will repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the three criminal laws brought by the BJP government.
In Uttar Pradesh, BSP chief Mayawati, said that there is a big difference between the actions and words of BJP. Addressing election rallies at Amroha and Ghaziabad, she said that BJP’s guarantee will not be of any use in this election.
Senior BJP leader Anurag Singh Thakur has accused the Congress Party of spreading confusion among the people on the issue of changing the Constitution. Addressing a press conference in Jalandhar, he said, the Congress Party itself has changed the Constitution 62 times while in power.
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In Manipur, re-polling will be held at eleven polling stations of Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency tomorrow. The ECI has directed the State Election authority to conduct the voting from 7 AM to 5 PM tomorrow in these polling stations.
These eleven polling stations saw mob violence, riot, destruction of EVM and election machines and proxy voting in the first phase polls of Lok Sabha Election 2024 in Manipur on Friday.
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In Bihar, nomination papers of 54 candidates were found valid for the third phase of parliamentary elections in Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura and Khagaria Lok Sabha constituencies. Total 96 candidates had filed nomination papers out of which 42 were rejected. Tomorrow is the last date of withdrawal of candidature.
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Congress Central Election Committee today held a meeting related to Lok Sabha elections at party headquarters in New Delhi. Party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders were present in the meeting. Senior party leaders from Punjab also attended the meeting.
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President Droupadi Murmu will present the Padma Awards at the Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi tomorrow. President Murmu will confer Padma Vibhushan on former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, and Bharatnatyam dancer Dr Padma Subrahmanyam. Padma Vibhushan award will be given to Bindeshwar Pathak posthumously. Actor Mithun Chakraborty, and singer Usha Uthup will receive the Padma Bhushan award. The other Padma Bhushan awardees include philanthropist Dr Sitaram Jindal, cardiologist Dr Tejas Madhusudan Patel and former Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik.
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The first phase of Lok Sabha election has ended. The second phase of election will be on 26th April. In West Bengal Balurghat, Darjeeling and Raiganj will go to poll on that day. Today we bring a report on Balurghat constituency of West Bengal.
Balurghat parliamentary constituency is consists of seven assembly segments. They are Itahar, Kushmandi, Kumarganj, Balurghat, Tapan, Gangarampur and Harirampur. All the assembly segments except Itahar come under Dakshin Dinajpur district. Itahar falls under Uttar Dinajpur district. Thirteen candidates are in the competition in this Lok Sabha seat. Prominent among them is BJP candidate Dr Sukanta Majumdar, All India Trinamool Congress AITC’s Biplab Mitra and Left front nominated Joydev Kumar Sidhdhanta of RSP. Congress has fielded no candidate from Balurghat constituency. It is supporting the left front candidate here. The sitting MP from BJP Dr Sukanta Majumdar will face tough resistance from Biplab Mitra of AITC. Biplab Mitra is the sitting MLA of Harirampur assembly and is a minister of Mamata Benerjee headed cabinet in the state. Mitra left Trinamool Congress and joined BJP after the 2019 Lok Sabha election, later he came back to TMC and won the assembly election in the state in 2021 from Harirampur assembly. Kalyan Laha, Akashvani News , Kolkata.
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India’s net direct tax collections for FY 2023-24 surged 17.7 percent to 19.58 lakh crore rupees compared to 16.64 lakh crore rupees in the previous financial year and surpassed the Budget estimate for FY24 by 1.35 lakh crore rupees, or 7.4 percent. The budget estimate for direct tax mop-up for the previous fiscal was fixed at 18.23 lakh crore rupees. It was later revised upwards to 19.45 lakh crore rupees and the provisional actual collections even exceeded the revised estimate by 13,000 crore rupees, the finance ministry said in a release.
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In Jammu and Kashmir, a Head Master was arrested along with pistol and grenade in Surankote area of Poonch district today. According to official sources, a joint operation was launched by Police and army and during searches an Over Ground Worker namely Qamaduddin was arrested. Police has started an investigation in this regard and an FIR has been lodged in a local police station.
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The air quality level in Delhi has improved in the recent few weeks. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in the national capital today was categorized in the ‘moderate’ category with the air quality index recorded at 138 points.
Air quality between zero and 50 is considered good, between 51 and 100 is considered satisfactory, between 101 and 200 is considered moderate and between 201 and 300 is considered poor.
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In Odisha, forest fires have broken inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Mayurbhanj district following long dry spell and prevailing intense heatwave conditions. Adequate fire fighting equipment have been engaged to douse the flames and the operation is underway on a war footing. The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force team has also been sent to the fire spots. Intense heatwave conditions continue to prevail in Odisha making normal life miserable.
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The heat wave spell is likely to continue over East India during next five days. Indian Meteorological Department has forecast that heat wave conditions will prevail in many parts of Gangetic West Bengal during next five days, and over Odisha today and tomorrow. Met Department has also said that heat wave conditions are likely in isolated pockets over East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during next five days, and over Jharkhand on 25th of April. Severe Heat Wave conditions are also likely in isolated pockets of Odisha tomorrow and Gangetic West Bengal in the next five days.
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Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has embarked on an official visit to France. The visit is aimed to further reinforce the robust defence ties between the two nations, which have gained considerable momentum in the last few years.
During his visit, General Anil Chauhan is scheduled to interact with the senior civil and military leadership of France, including his counterpart General Thierry Burkhard.
Defence Ministry said in a statement that the Chief of Defence Staff will visit the French Space Command.
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In Southern Gaza, two Israeli airstrikes killed 18 people overnight, including 14 children and three women. According to the Palestinian health officials, the first strike killed all three members of a family, including a three year old child, while the second strike killed another family of 13 children and two women. The attacks come hours after the U.S. House of Representatives passed 26.3 billion Dollars in aid to Israel, which includes nine billion Dollars in humanitarian assistance for the Gaza Strip.
Israel has been conducting airstrikes almost every day on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents sought refuge.
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Counting of votes in Maldives for the Parliamentary elections is underway with the ruling PNC leading in early trends. Polling for the Parliamentary elections in Maldives was held earlier today.
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In IPL Cricket, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru, RCB, by one run in a last ball thriller at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Chasing a target of 223 runs, RCB were bowled out for 221 in the stipulated 20 overs. RCB could score only 19 runs when they needed 21 off the final over.
The other match between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans is underway at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN
- Campaigning at peak for second phase of General Elections; Political leaders making all out efforts to woo voters.
- President Droupadi Murmu to confer Padma Awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow.
- Net direct tax collection surges to over 19 lakh crore rupees during last fiscal.
- Heat wave spell likely to continue over East-India during next five days, predicts IMD.
- And in IPL Cricket, Kolkata Knight Riders win by one run against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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