Gurugram district's four Assembly constituencies -- Gurgaon, Sohna, Badshahpur and Pataudi (SC) -- recorded 3 per cent voter turnout in the first two hours of polling on Saturday.

Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue until 6 p.m.

Former minister and Badshahpur seat candidate Rao Narbir Singh and his family members were the early voters. They cast their vote at a government school in Fazilpur Jharsa village on Saturday and appealed to voters to exercise their franchise.

In four Assembly constituencies of Gurugram district, there are a total of 1,507 booths.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal vacated his official residence on Friday and shifted to a government residence on Feroze Shah Road in Lutyens' Delhi.

Before Kejriwal and his family moved into the new house, a formal prayer ceremony was conducted at the government residence on Ferozeshah Road. This residence is located near the Aam Aadmi Party's headquarters and was allotted to Ashok Mittal, AAP's Rajya Sabha member from Punjab.

The government bungalow in Civil Lines, near the Delhi Assembly, was allotted to Kejriwal when he was the Chief Minister. Kejriwal vacated the Chief Minister's residence on Friday, along with his family and all other belongings and shifted to the new residence.

Kejriwal’s new residence is also close to his constituency in New Delhi. For now, he will reside in this government house, typically allocated to Members of Parliament, until the Delhi Assembly elections conclude.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab leader and Member of Parliament Malvinder Singh Kang expressed strong condemnation of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s latest remarks targeting the Punjabi community. Kang’s statements come in response to Ranaut’s continued controversial commentary, which he believes fosters division and hatred among communities.

Kang highlighted the alarming prevalence of drug-related issues in BJP ruled states, particularly Gujarat, where significant drug busts have been reported over the past few years. He pointed out that despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) being in power in Gujarat for decades, no substantive action has been taken to combat the drug crisis. “Kangana Ranaut chooses to ignore the facts and instead directs her ire towards the Punjabi community, failing to address the larger issue of drug trafficking that is rampant in regions under BJP governance,” Kang stated.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has set a 15 per cent growth rate for the state and directed the officials of various wings to achieve it by bringing all sectors back on track, adopting the latest policies.

Chairing a review meeting on the progress of agriculture, allied sectors, industry and service sectors on Thursday, the Chief Minister felt that almost all the sectors moved in reverse trend following the destructive policies adopted by the previous government, as a result of which the economic sector totally collapsed.

Recalling that the state achieved a growth rate of 13.7 per cent during 2014-19 despite having certain problems post-bifurcation of the state, the Chief Minister regretted that with the reverse decisions taken by the YSRCP that came to power later, the growth rate fell down deeply to 10.59 per cent.

 BJP National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam visited the Vivek Vihar New Friends Colony underpass on Thursday and criticised former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the deteriorating state of Delhi’s roads and rising pollution levels.

Gautam also brought a cutout of Arvind Kejriwal labelled 'Kattar Corrupt.'

During his inspection of the damaged roads along with BJP workers, Gautam said, "The way the roads are broken, pollution and dirt is spreading — Kejriwal is solely responsible for this. He has neither built new schools nor hospitals and has failed to bring development to the national Capital."

Gautam also urged voters to support the BJP in the upcoming elections, stating, "Now, is the time for change. Delhi needs a capable and progressive government, and the BJP is the only party that can ensure the development of the city."

The Government of Haryana has procured over 69,646 metric tons of paddy at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) so far, despite the ongoing strike by rice millers in Haryana and Punjab. The procurement process continues smoothly, with government agencies ensuring that farmers are not affected by the strike.

A spokesperson from the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, while sharing this information, stated that as of today, a total of 2,96,211 metric tons of paddy have arrived in 241 mandis (markets) across the state.

He stated that government agencies have purchased a total of 69,646 metric tons of paddy with up to 17% moisture content, of which 5,267 metric tons have already been lifted.Timely payment to farmers is being ensured, with Rs. 3 crore directly transferred to the bank accounts of over 7,276 farmers.

Prashant Kishor, chief of the Jan Suraaj campaign, is set to launch his political party on October 2, offering a new political option for the people of Bihar.

Sources said that a mega event will be held at the veterinary college ground in Patna, where Kishor will officially announce the party’s name, constitution, and a 25-member leadership team, including the party president.

Kishor has stated that he will not hold any official post within the party and will continue focusing on his ongoing "Padyatra," which is set to conclude in Supaul and move into Araria after October 2.

Controversial Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, serving a 20-year jail sentence for raping two of his disciples, may be out on parole before October 5, the day for the Assembly polls in Haryana, sources said on Tuesday, adding that the final call, however, will be taken by the state government.

If he is granted parole, this will be Ram Rahim Singh's 11th parole or furlough in the last four years.

Ram Rahim was patronised by political leaders and parties in Punjab and Haryana for nearly two decades due to his ability to influence the votes of his followers.

Now Ram Rahim has sought 20-day parole, citing the death anniversary of his father Maghar Singh on October 5, which is observed as Parmarthi Diwas, as the reason for the grant of parole.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha has been admitted to a private hospital in Hyderabad for medical tests.

According to a statement from her office, she was admitted recently, with the tests expected to be completed on Tuesday.

Kavitha suffered from several health issues, including gynaecological problems and high fever, when she was in Tihar Jail in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case.

According to the statement, she had previously undergone medical examinations at AIIMS in Delhi for these concerns.

A member of the Telangana Legislative Council, Kavitha is the daughter of BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday pitched for a sustained campaign to make the farmers aware of the paddy straw management to further reduce incidents of stubble burning.

Chairing a meeting for preparations regarding crop residue management, the Chief Minister said the farmers must be made aware of the hazards of paddy straw burning through a communication campaign, adding they must be made aware of the provisions of subsidy on straw management equipment.

He said farmers must also be informed about the reduction in the cost of managing straw through custom hiring centres. Mann also advocated the establishment of custom hiring centres at panchayats and other common places.

8 rebel leaders, including Sandeep Garg, who ran as an independent candidate against Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini during the Haryana Assembly elections, have been expelled from the party. These leaders have been expelled for 6 years

The party's state president Mohanlal Badoli said that the leaders who have been expelled from the party include Ranjit Chautala, District Ram Sharma, Bachan Singh Arya, Radha Ahlawat, Naveen Goyal, Devinder Kalyan and Kehar Singh Rawat.

Justice Manmohan was on Sunday sworn in as the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court.

Lt. Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena administered the oath of office to Justice Manmohan at a ceremony held at Raj Nivas, attended by Chief Minister Atishi, High Court judges and other dignitaries.

On September 21, the Centre cleared the appointment of Chief Justices of the High Courts of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, and Meghalaya.

In a post on X, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal announced that President Droupadi Murmu had appointed Justice Manmohan, the Acting Chief Justice, as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.

Congress on Saturday released its detailed ‘Haath Badlega Halaat’ manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana, promising a slew of welfare measures for farmers, women, employees and the youth.

The manifesto was released in the presence of former state Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda, ex-Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and the party's state chief Udai Bhan.

The 40-page manifesto promises free treatment up to Rs 25 lakh and Rs 2,000 per month to women, it also promises to get water from the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.

Elections for the 90-member Assembly will be held on October 5 and the results will be declared on October 8.

Punjab Government has served notice to five Ex Ministers to vacate their Government Kothis. Notice has been issued by Civil Secretariat to Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Chetan Singh Joramajra, Brahmshanker Jimpa, Balkar Singh and Anmol Gagan Mann. Notice said that former ministers have to vacate their kothis within 15 days after removal from ministry. They should hand over possession to PWD department so that these kothis could be allocated to new ministers.

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday slammed the state government led by Sukhvinder Sukhu for first ordering the implementation of the street vendor policy and then revoking it.

He said the government has bowed down to the pressure of the Congress high command. “This rule is being opposed because it is the (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Yogi model. It is condemnable that the Sukhu government is withdrawing the action. This rule has been in place since the previous government.

“Under the street vendor policy, provisions were made for verification of all shopkeepers, registration and various types of regulations, which were stopped by the Sukhu government as soon as it came to power. It is the government's job to protect the interests of the state and its people, but the Sukhu government is working to protect the interests of the Congress.”

 The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked wrestler complainants, who had levelled sexual harassment and intimidation charges against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, to file their responses to the latter's plea seeking quashing of FIR and consequent criminal proceedings.

Allowing time for respondents/female complainants to respond to Brij Bhushan Singh's petition to close the case, a bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri decided to fix the next hearing on January 13, 2025.

The court remarked that framing of charges in trial proceedings would not bar an accused from instituting a petition for quashing the criminal proceedings.

In an earlier hearing, the Delhi High Court took a dim view of Brij Bhushan Singh's plea, remarking that such a plea seeking quashing of the criminal case should have been instituted before the trial had commenced.

Punjab’s state Election Commission on Wednesday announced that elections to 13,327 panchayats to be held on October 15.

Announcing the election schedule, Election Commissioner Raj Kamal Chaudhary said the nominations would be filed from September 27 to October 4. There will be 19,110 polling booths. The expenditure limit for the sarpanches is Rs 40,000, while for panches Rs 30,000.

Chaudhuri said with the announcement of the election schedule, the Model Code of Conduct for gram panchayat elections came into force, which will remain in force till the completion of the electoral process.

He said as per the election schedule, the period for filing of nominations by candidates will commence on September 27 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the offices of the Returning Officers.

Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), took a jibe against Bollywood actress and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut during a rally in Haryana’s Rohtak on Wednesday, criticising her remarks advocating the reinstatement of the repealed farm laws.

Addressing the crowd, Kejriwal pointed out the anger among Haryana's people over her statements, emphasizing that the state's residents will not accept the reintroduction of these "three black laws."

“There is widespread anger among the people of Haryana over Kangana’s statement. The implementation of three black laws will not be acceptable to the people of the state,” he said.

As Jammu and Kashmir enters the second phase of its assembly elections, a delegation of diplomats from 16 foreign missions, including the United States, European Union, Russia, and Australia, has arrived in Srinagar to witness the voting process.

The news reported that this marks the first time the central government has extended an invitation to foreign diplomats to observe elections in the Union Territory, following the abrogation of Article 370 and the state's reorganisation into two Union Territories in 2019.

According to sources, the government’s objective behind this visit is to showcase the “peaceful conduct of the electoral process” and the “large-scale participation of people” in the region.

The delegation, consisting of 20 members, also includes four representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs. They are set to visit the districts of Srinagar and Budgam to monitor voting in several constituencies, though they are expected to skip the Jammu region.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday asked the newly inducted Ministers of the state Cabinet to discharge their duty with utmost dedication, sincerity, honesty and commitment to ensure that benefits of pro-people schemes are percolated to people at ground level.

Interacting with the Cabinet Ministers, who called on the Chief Minister at his official residence, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the people of the state have bestowed a huge responsibility on everyone by giving a whopping mandate to them.

The Chief Minister said that it is the bounden duty of every Minister to work hard for the well-being of the people and the progress of the state.He said that it is the need of the hour to restore the pristine glory of the state and make Punjab a frontrunner state in the country.

BJP rebel Naveen Goel is contesting as an Independent candidate from the Gurgaon Assembly constituency.

His entry into the scene has complicated the field for BJP candidate Mukesh Sharma.

Goel is contesting the election in a very planned manner. Also, the induction of former BJP local leaders will help him to boost his election and woo voters.

In the last three days, three former BJP leaders, including Sumer Tanwar, Seema Pahuja and Anuradha Sharma, have given their support to Naveen Goel.

Sumer Tanwar represents the reserve community and was denied a ticket from the Pataudi Assembly constituency. Seema Pahuja a Punjabi and former councillor was also denied a ticket from the Gurgaon seat.

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.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Monday, directed officials to implement poll promises of monthly honorarium to imams and muezzins and Rs 1 lakh for every Haj pilgrims.

While holding a review meeting on minorities' welfare at the State Secretariat here, Chandrababu Naidu directed officials that the promise made to Imams and muezzins for a monthly honorarium of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively should be implemented soon. Those who are going for Haj yatra will be paid Rs 1 lakh each as promised during the elections, Chandrababu Naidu said.

The Chief Minister also directed the officials to complete the survey of Waqf Board lands within a year.

He ordered the restructuring of all the welfare schemes for minorities.

The Cabinet led by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday inducted five new faces after dropping four ministers -- the fourth reshuffle in the two-and-a-half-year-old AAP government.

The newly inducted ministers were administered the oath of office by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria at a simple ceremony in Raj Bhawan here.

Four ministers -- Chetan Singh Jouramajra, who held the Mining and Horticulture portfolios, Bram Shankar Jimpa (Revenue), Balkar Singh (Local Bodies) and Anmol Gagan Mann (Tourism) -- submitted their resignation letters on Sunday.

The inducted were Barinder Goyal, a legislator from Lehra, Hardeep Singh Mundian from Sahnewal, Ravjot Singh from Sham Chaurasi, Tarunpreet Singh Sond from Khanna and Mohinder Bhagat, who got elected from Jalandhar (West) in a bypoll in July.

Weeks ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, the All India Congress Committee has suspended the party's rebel leader Chitra Sarwara for six years for her involvement in "anti-party activities".

This has come to light after Chitra Sarwara filed her candidature as an independent candidate from Ambala Cantonment. Congress has fielded Parvinder Pal Pari from this seat against six-time MLA and senior BJP leader Anil Vij.

Describing Arvind Kejriwal a nephew of Meham in Haryana, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said the AAP convener used to come here during holidays.

“Now he will come with retirement plans for Haryana's bigwigs. Vikas Nehra is a young candidate and has a passion to work. Therefore, send such men to the Assembly who will fight for you. Development is in the name of Vikas Nehra, only this can lead to the development of Maham,” he said after a roadshow in Meham in Rohtak district.

In another roadshow in Rewari, Mann said AAP candidate Satish Yadav “is a local leader and understands the problems of Rewari. This time give a chance to AAP and vote for ‘jhadu’ (broom)”.

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."

"Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the bravehearts. May they get the strength to overcome this irreparable loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, as we wish them a speedy recovery," he added.

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.

This initial meeting will pave the way for subsequent consultations by focussing on addressing critical issues such as transparency, efficiency, and empowerment in the management of Waqf properties.

The elections to 13,241 panchayats across the state will be held before October 20. A notification to this effect was issued by the Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Department late tonight.

“The Governor is pleased to direct that the general election of the members of the gram panchayats, shall be held by October 20, 2024," reads the notification.

The notification has been sent to the State Election Commission by the department, which, in turn, will issue the schedule for the elections. The model code of conduct for the elections is expected to come into force this week itself.

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.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who was admitted to Delhi's Apollo Hospital is under observation and is doing well, according to hospital sources.

The Hospital sources told that CM Mann came for a routine checkup and was doing fine. However, it is unclear when he will be discharged.

There has been no official statement either by the party or the government about CM Mann’s condition.

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.

Atishi told reporters that she will work to bring back Kejriwal as Chief Minister after the assembly polls, which would be held in the next few months.

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.

Those facing criminal cases include four from the BJP, four from the PDP, two from Congress, and one from the National Conference.