The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is set to hold informal discussions across five states between September 26 and October 1, engaging various stakeholders in an effort to refine the proposed changes to the Waqf Act.

This Act governs the management of registered Waqf properties throughout the country.

The first consultation will take place in Mumbai on September 26, bringing together representatives from the Maharashtra Government, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Maharashtra Waqf Board.

In a surprise visit to election-bound Haryana, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday reached a nondescript village in Karnal district to meet the family of an injured man who has been hospitalised in the US for the last one year.

In the just-concluded visit to the US, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi met the man, Amit Kumar, who belongs to Ghogripur village of Karnal.

During his meeting the Congress MP promised Amit Kumar that he would go to his home in Haryana and meet his family.

Fulfilling his promise, LoP Rahul Gandhi landed at Amit Kumar's home at 6 A.M. on Friday, and met his mother, Birmati, and father Bir Singh.

Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah on Thursday announced that if the opposition party comes to power in the state, they will give monthly assistance of Rs 3000 to all eligible women irrespective of caste, creed and political affiliation.

Borah criticised the BJP government’s ambitious scheme “Orunodoi” program - where women are given cash benefits of Rs 1250 per month as the third instalment of this initiative was launched on Thursday by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Sarma has been giving Orunodoi to a particular group of women who have joined the BJP. Nowadays, people do not come to attend BJP ministers’ program and that is why the ruling party leaders do the form fill up kind of things for getting Orunodoi scheme during their public meeting to attract some audience,” Borah said.

Borah further said that when Congress comes to power, the Orunodoi program will be discontinued.

Bihar's SC and ST Welfare Minister Janak Ram has alleged that the Nawada incident might be a political conspiracy orchestrated by leaders of the Grand Alliance, a coalition that includes parties like the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), led by Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Janak Ram on Thursday said this while reacting to the burning down of the houses in Nawada district.

“The Grand Alliance could be targeting the weaker sections of society to destabilize Nitish Kumar's government. This incident is part of a larger political strategy aimed at creating unrest,” Janak Ram said.

Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday said that Rajya Sabha MP Atishi will take oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi on September 21. "Atishi will take oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi on September 21, other ministers will also take their oaths alongside her," the Aam Aadmi Party said in a statement.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi, who has staked claim to become the next Delhi Chief Minister, said on Tuesday that she is happy about the trust posed in her by the outgoing CM Arvind Kejriwal but also sad that he has resigned from his post.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will vacate his official residence within a few weeks and give up all the facilities provided to him, said AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday.

Singh also informed that suitable accommodation for AAP convenor is being searched and once it is finalised, he and his family will move out of the official residence.

"Kejriwal will vacate the Chief Minister's residence in the next few weeks and will go to the public's court," said Singh on social media platform X

He claimed that the people of Delhi would make Kejriwal win again with a thumping majority.

"The people of Delhi will answer the conspiracies of BJP by again giving an honest leader like Kejriwal a certificate of honesty and making him the CM with a huge majority," he stated on X.

According to the figures released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), 11.11 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first two hours of voting in J&K.

Inderwal Assembly constituency in Kishtwar district recorded the highest of 16 per cent so far.

Anantnag constituency recorded 6 per cent, Anantnag West 8.55 per cent, Banihal 11 per cent, Bhaderwah 12.52, D.H.Pora 11.10, Devsar 10.25, Doda 12.80, Doda West 13.56, Dooru 10.42, Inderwal 16.01, Kishtwar 15.02, Kokernag (ST) 12, Kulgam 10.98, Paddar-Nagseni 12.62, Pahalgam 12.56, Pampore 8.81, Pulwama 10.60, Rajpora 9.97, Ramban 13.08, Shangus-Anantnag East 10.28, Shopian 13, Srigufwara-Bijbehara 11.60, Tral 7.33 and Zainpora 10 per cent.

A notable 20 per cent of the candidates in the second phase of the J&K Assembly elections have criminal cases pending against them, including murder, rape and other changes, as per the affidavits filed by them before the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The self-sworn affidavits were filed by the candidates along with the nomination papers as per the set rules of the Commission.

These candidates are in the electoral fray since the law on this clearly states that unless charged and proven guilty in a court of law, every citizen is to be deemed innocent.

The AAP's National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal resigned as the Chief Minister of Delhi on Tuesday, just hours after selecting Atishi as his successor for the post.

Accompanied by other AAP leaders, including Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kejriwal arrived at the Delhi LG's residence around 4:30 P.M. and submitted his resignation to LG Saxena.

With Kejriwal stepping down, the AAP will now stake a claim for government formation under Atishi's leadership.

Soon after the Aam Aadmi Party named Atishi for the post of Chief Minister of Delhi, Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal expressed strong disapproval saying that this was a sad day for Delhi, and also termed her as the 'dummy CM’.

Maliwal took to X and wrote in Hindi (translated), “Today is a very sad day for Delhi. Today, a woman whose family fought a long battle to save terrorist Afzal Guru from being hanged is being made the Chief Minister of Delhi. Her parents wrote mercy petitions to the Honorable President to save terrorist Afzal Guru. According to them, Afzal Guru was innocent and was framed as part of a political conspiracy. Although Atishi Marlena is just a 'dummy CM', still this issue is related to the security of the country. May God protect Delhi!”