The Election Commission has completed its two-day visit to Jharkhand to review preparations for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

The team, led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and comprising Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr S.S. Sandhu, emphasised the commitment to ensuring free and fair elections in Jharkhand.

Poll officials have asked the state government, administration, and law enforcement agencies to maintain strict law and order without any bias.

Following consultations with various stakeholders, the Election Commission is expected to announce the poll dates soon, possibly starting the process after November 15.

As Jammu and Kashmir will undergo the second phase of assembly polls on September 25, the security has been tightened in the Rajouri district of the territory. As safety measures, security personnel have been deployed in the several areas and vehicles are being checked.

Elections in the second phase of assembly polls will be conducted on 26 assembly seats in six districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The seats on which elections will be conducted are Kangan (ST), Ganderbal, Hazratbal, Khanyar, Habbakadal, Lal Chowk, Channapora, Zadibal, Eidgah, Central Shalteng, Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahib, Chrar-i-Sharief, Chadoora and Gulabgarh (ST) It will also be conducted on Reasi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Kalakote - Sunderbani, Nowshera, Rajouri (ST), Budhal (ST), Thannamandi (ST), Surankote (ST), Poonch Haveli and Mendhar (ST). Notably, the second phase of elections will decide the fate of former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and NC leader Omar Abdullah, from both Budgam and Ganderbal seatS.

A court here on Monday extended judicial custody of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan till October 7 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi Waqf Board scam.

The Rouse Avenue Court allowed the AAP legislator from Delhi’s Okhla to carry his medical record in judicial custody.

Further, it sought a response from jail authorities on Amanatullah Khan’s application seeking permission to carry an electric kettle and a glucose monitoring device in Tihar Jail. The next hearing on Khan's application will be held on September 25.

Last week, the Delhi High Court issued a notice on Amanatullah Khan’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the money laundering case. Fixing the matter for hearing on October 18, a Bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna asked the federal anti-money laundering agency to file its reply to Khan's petition within two weeks.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi took charge as the Delhi Chief Minister on Monday while drawing Lord Ram and Bharat's analogy and also her 'personal agony' over the transition.

Addressing a press conference, she pointed to the empty chair and said that this will remain vacant till Kejriwal returns to power.

The symbolism draws inspiration from the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Bharat refused to sit on the throne vacated by Lord Ram to demonstrate his deep love and affection.

"I have the same pain as Ramayana's Bharat had. Just as Bharat ruled by keeping Lord Ram's wooden sandals, I will take charge as the Chief Minister with an empty chair for the next four months," Atishi said after assuming charge as Chief Minister at the Secretariat.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi took oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi on Saturday.

The oath of office and secrecy was administered to Atishi and her cabinet ministers by Lt Governor (LG) Vinay Kumar Saxena at the Raj Niwas.

Before the swearing-in ceremony, all the ministers met AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.

Atishi is the third woman to become Chief Minister of Delhi and also the youngest to hold the top post.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday extended condolences to the families of four Border Security Force (BSF) jawans who lost their lives in a tragic accident that occurred in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Budgam district while they were returning from election duty.

Taking to his social media handle on X, the Congress chief remarked, "Extremely pained to hear about the terrible tragedy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam, where 4 BSF Jawans have lost their lives and around 28 Jawans have been injured, as the bus carrying them for election duty, fell into a gorge."

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.