THE HEADLINES ::
- Counting of votes for Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand along with by-polls in 46 Assembly seats and two parliamentary constituencies begins.
- Reform, perform and transform mantra makes India a key global player says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- In US a judge in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case postpones sentencing indefinitely.
- And in Sports, India’s ace duo Shuttler Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy to take on South Korean pair in men’s doubles semifinal event at China Masters 2024 in Shenzhen today.
- In the opening Cricket Test match of Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, Australia were 76 for 8 against India when reports last came in.
<><><>
Counting of votes for Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly polls has begun. Counting began at 8 AM with postal ballots in both the states, followed by votes cast on EVMs.
In Maharashtra, Counting is taking place for all 288 Assembly seats. Polling for all 288 seats was held on 20th of this month in single phase. Counting is also taking place for by-election to Nanded Lok Sabha seat in the state. A total of 288 counting centres have been set up across the state, with a separate centre established for the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency. Additionally, 288 observers have been deployed to oversee the assembly vote counting, while two observers will supervise the counting process for the Nanded Lok Sabha seat. Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure a smooth and orderly counting process. Central, state, and local security forces are stationed at the counting centres. All necessary measures have been taken as Maharashtra’s election season nears its conclusion with the announcement of the results.
Now we go over live to our correspondent Kunal Shinde in Mumbai.
In Jharkhand, elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure peaceful counting for all 81 assembly seats. Three-tier security arrangements have been made at each counting center. Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said 24 counting centers have been set up across district headquarters of the state.
Now, we go over live to our correspondent Bhupendra Singh who is at Jamshedpur counting centre in Jharkhand.
<><><>
Early trends are available for Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly Elections.
In Maharashtra, out of 288 seats, trends are available for 27 seats.
Among Mahayuti alliance, BJP is leading at 17 seats while Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena is leading in 2 seats. Ajit Pawar led NCP is leading in 2 seats.
Among the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Congress is leading 3 seats, while NCP Sharad Pawar group is leading 1 seats. Shiv Sena UBT is leading 1 seats.
Others are ahead in 1 seats.
In Jharkhand, trends are available for 9 seats out of a total of 81 seats. BJP is leading in 5 seats, while NDA ally AJSU is leading in 1 seats.
Ruling JMM is leading in 3 seats.
<><><>
Counting also begins for bypoll to two Lok Sabha constituencies and 46 Assembly seats constituencies of 13 states today. The Lok Sabha seats are Wayanad in Kerala and Nanded in Maharashtra. Counting is being held for nine Assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh, Seven seats of Rajasthan, Six seats of West Bengal, Five seats of Assam, Four seats each of Bihar and Punjab, three seats of Karnataka, two seats each of Madhya Pradesh and Kerala and one seat each in Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya and Uttarakhand.
In Sikkim the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha had won the two assembly seats, Soreng-Chakhung and Namchi-Singhithang unopposed.
<><><>
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the world is now acknowledging India’s strategic importance due to the mantra of reform, perform and transform being implemented by his government over the last 10 years. The Prime Minister said this while addressing an event through video conferencing which was organised by a media House in Germany’s Stuttgart. The theme of the event was India-Germany: A Roadmap for Sustainable Growth. Mr Modi said that India is the fastest growing economy in the world and every country wants to collaborate with India for development.
Mr Modi said that his government has brought to an end red tapism to promote ease of doing business. He said, India has strengthened the banking system in the country to make available affordable capital for development. The Prime Minister highlighted that a strong foundation has been laid on which the grand edifice of Viksit Bharat will be built. He added that Germany will be a dependable partner of India in its development journey.
Mr Modi said that over the past few years, the mutual partnership between India and Germany has continuously strengthened.
<><><>
At the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), today promises to be another exciting day with several events lined up. After the successful and crowd-pulling premiere of over 70 films yesterday, today will feature the screening of another 70 films. Apart from this, three films will be shown as part of an open-air screening. The major highlight of the day, however, is the Creative Minds of Tomorrow (CMOT) event, where the 48-hour challenge to create a fresh film will come to an end. This year, 100 promising young talents have been selected from across 13 filmmaking crafts for the CMOT challenge. These participants will be submitting their films within a few hours from now. Speaking to Akashvani, one of the participants, Madhan Kamaraj said It’s been a challenging task to complete a film in 48 hours, but he is grateful for the opportunity.
The primary objective of Creative Minds of Tomorrow is to nurture young talent and provide them with a platform to shine.
“The Creative Minds of Tomorrow section is one of the most exciting events at IFFI. It identifies young Indian cinematic talents and offers them an international platform to showcase their emerging creative voices. This year’s edition has the largest-ever participation, with 100 participants competing across 13 crafts, including Direction, Scripting, Singing, and Music Composition. In addition to the CMOT challenge, screenings of over 70 films will continue to add to the festival’s buzz. Today is also the penultimate day of the Film Bazaar, which has been drawing a large number of filmmakers, producers, and distributors seeking to connect and collaborate. The Masterclass section will feature several film personalities offering insights on a variety of subjects. Notably, renowned actor Anupam Kher will deliver a session titled The Power of Failure in the evening. With Omvesh Upadhay, Durgesh Bhadauria for Akashvani News, Goa.”
<><><>
In the U.S., a judge has postponed sentencing in Donald Trump’s hush money case indefinitely, potentially until 2029, after his second presidential term. Judge Juan Merchan suggested he may dismiss the conviction, allowing Trump to assume office in January without legal complications.
Trump was convicted in May of falsely recording payments to Stormy Daniels as legal expenses, resulting in 34 charges.
<><><>
In Cricket, Australia were 79 for 9 against India on the second day of the opening Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth Stadium, Australia, when reports last came in.
<><><>
In Badminton, India’s ace duo Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will take on the South Korean pair of Jin Yong and Seo Seung jae in the men’s doubles semifinal event at the China Masters 2024 Tournament in Shenzhen, China today.
<><><>
TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Under the headline “Result Day: Winner takes it all”, The Pioneer shows a phtograph of security personnel standing guard outside a strong room in Nagpur, getting ready for the counting of votes today.
- Dalal Street logs best day in nearly 6 months, writes Financial Express, snapping a 2-week long losing streak
- In what The Statesman describes as “whirlwind diplomacy” Prime Minister Modi meets 31 world leaders during his 5-day, 3-nation tour.
- 10 Maoists die in Sukma gunfight, toll 207 this year” headlines The Times of India.
- The headline in Hindustan Times reads, No end to travails as Delhi’s AQI slips into ‘severe’ again.
- And finally, an artificial intelligence powered humanoid named Nova, is redefining the learning experience of primary students in a government school in Punalur in Kerala, reports The Hindu.
<><><>
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- Counting of votes for Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand along with by-polls in 46 Assembly seats and two parliamentary constituencies underway.
- Reform, perform and transform mantra makes India a key global player says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- In US a judge in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case postpones sentencing indefinitely.
- And in Sports, India’s ace duo Shuttler Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy to take on South Korean pair in men’s doubles semifinal event at China Masters 2024 in Shenzhen today.
- In the opening Cricket Test match of Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, Australia were 79 for 9 against India when reports last came in.
<><><>