LIVE: Will defeat Mamata, lotus to bloom in Nandigram, says BJP's Suvendu

West Bengal election 2021 LIVE: There'll be only public and PM Modi, who is the biggest celebrity. We'll welcome those coming in public, including Mithun, says BJP. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

11:58 PM

CBI issues look out circular against TMC leader's brother in coal smuggling case

The Central Investigation Agency (CBI) on Saturday issued a lookout circular (LOC) notice against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Vinay Mishra's brother Vikash Mishra in connection with the coal theft and smuggling scam case.

 

Vikas Mishra has been restricted to travel abroad and is still absconding.

 

Last month, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had conducted search operations at the residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Vinay Mishra in Kolkata in connection with cattle and coal scams.

11:26 PM

Objective of judicial system not merely resolving disputes, but also to uphold justice: President Kovind

The objective of the judicial system is not merely to resolve disputes, but also to uphold justice, which could be implemented by removing obstacles like delay in the delivery of justice, said President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday.

 

He was speaking at the inauguration of the All India State Judicial Academies Directors' Retreat at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh today where Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Governor Anandiben Patel, and Chief Justice of India SA Bobde were also present.

 

The President was happy to note that the use of technology in the judicial system has increased rapidly. More than 18,000 courts have been computerized in the country. Till January 2021 including the lockdown period, around 76 lakh cases were heard in virtual courts across the country.

11:01 PM

Will handsomely defeat 'outsider' Mamata in Nandigram: BJP's Suvendu

Stinging West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for "running away" from her Bhowanipore seat in Kolkata, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday asserted he is "200 per cent" sure of handsomely defeating the TMC supremo, who is an "outsider" in Nandigram seat.

 

The BJP named Adhikari, a former minister in Banerjee's cabinet, as its candidate in the Nandigram seat in Purba Medinipur district, from where the chief minister will also contest the assembly elections.

10:43 PM

Centre keeping farmers interests in mind; news laws to double income: UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday assured farmers of safeguarding their interests and claimed that the Centre's agriculture laws have been implemented in order to double their income.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always made policies keeping the interest of farmers in mind and the new laws have been brought to double their income while ensuring that it continues to rise, the Chief minister said in a meeting with a delegation of farmers from western Uttar Pradesh, who met him at his official residence in the state capital here.

 

According to an official spokesman, the Chief minister said farmers were the priority of the state government and it is continuously making serious efforts for their prosperity.

10:13 PM

PM Modi lauds military's resolute dedication on border despite pandemic

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lauded the "resolute dedication" shown by the Indian armed forces over the past year, in the context of the "challenging situation on the northern border" and while facing the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Addressing the valedictory session of the Combined Commanders Conference at Kevadia in his home state Gujarat, Modi also asked the Indian military to develop as a "future force," an official statement said.

 

"Modi stressed on indigenisation of national security system not just in sourcing weapons but also in the doctrines, procedures and customs," the statement said.

10:03 PM

Congress releases first list of 13 candidates for West Bengal elections

9:55 PM

Can't answer hypothetical questions: Suvendu Adhikari on being asked if he would be CM if BJP wins

Decisions in BJP are not made individually. I am a disciplined and sincere soldier of the party. We all are working as a team. I don't want to answer hypothetical questions: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on being asked if he would be CM if BJP wins in West Bengal Assembly elections.

9:53 PM

Mamata will lose by over 50,000 votes: BJP's Suvendu Adhikari

I thank the national party leadership for the responsibility given to me. I will work to make lotus bloom in Nandigram and across West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee is going to lose this election in Nandigram by over 50,000 votes: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari

9:31 PM

LIVE: Will defeat Mamata and send her to Kolkata, says Suvendu Adhikari

9:25 PM

ED summons to Mehbooba part of Centre's 'vindictive' politics: PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday said the Enforcement Directorate summons to its president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti was part of the Centre's "vindictive" politics, and asserted that such tactics would not dampen the will of people of Jammu and Kashmir to struggle for restoration of their constitutional rights.

 

The party said "the ED summons is yet another ploy to try and arm-twist the people and leadership of Jammu & Kashmir, to kill dissent and disagreement across regions and to silence the genuine demand" for the restoration of statehood and special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

8:43 PM

ED arrests Hitesh Patel, Suresh Patel in Rs 325 cr money laundering probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said that it has arrested Hittesh Patel and Suresh N Patel, directors of Shinago Plantations Pvt Ltd, in connection with its probe into a Rs 325 crore money laundering case.

 

An ED official here said that the two directors were arrested under the sections of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), by using a network of nearly 20 group entities located in Tamil Nadu.

 

The official said that during the probe it was revealed that the accused, in collusion with the valuers, availed loans from the erstwhile Corporation Bank (presently Union Bank of India) on the basis of inflated value of the properties offered as collateral and indulged in willful diversion of funds through various group accounts.

8:18 PM

Vehicle near Ambani's house: Autopsy report reserves opinion on cause of death

The visecra of Mansukh Hiren, who was in possession of the vehicle that was later found with explosives outside the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, has been sent to the forensic lab for analysis, police said on Saturday.

 

The autopsy report of Hiren (46), who was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane on Friday morning, reserved the opinion on the cause of death, officials said.

 

Hiren's body was fished out of the creek along the Mumbra-Reti Bunder road hours after his family registered a complaint about his disapperance with Thane police.

8:07 PM

Govt ready to amend new agri laws

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday said the government is ready to amend three new farm laws to respect the sentiments of protesting farmers, even as he attacked opposition parties for doing politics on this issue at the cost of agriculture economy and by hurting farmers' interest.

 

Addressing the 5th national convention of Agrivision here, the Union minister said the government has held 11 rounds of talks with farmer unions and has even offered to amend these laws.

 

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at Delhi borders for over three months, seeking a repeal of these three legislations and a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP).

7:30 PM

BJP releases first list of 57 candidates for West Bengal assembly polls

The BJP on Saturday released its first list of 57 candidates for the West Bengal assembly polls and fielded Suvendu Adhikari from his home turf of Nandigram, from where Trinamool Congress president and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already announced her candidature.

 

Former Indian cricketer Ashoke Dinda and ex-IPS officer Bharati Ghosh are among the BJP candidates, party general secretary Arun Singh said at a press conference, adding that it has conceded one seat to ally AJSU.

With this the party has announced candidates for all but three of the 60 seats which will go to polls in the first two of the eight-phase elections to be held between March 27 and April 29.

6:50 PM

LIVE: BJP releases its first list of 57 candidates for West Bengal polls

LIVE: BJP releases its first list of 57 candidates for West Bengal elections. The party said Suvendu Adhikari will fight from Nandigram seat, taking on Mamata Banerjee.

6:41 PM

Latest LIVE: BJP's Suvendu Adhikari to fight Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram seat

Suvendu Adhikari to contest West Bengal Assembly election from Nandigram seat, announces BJP General Secretary Arun Singh

6:35 PM

West Bengal Polls: BJP's Central Election Committee approves candidates for 57 seats

6:14 PM

Oppn questions probe into death of 'owner' of vehicle found near Ambani's house

A day after the purported owner of the vehicle with explosives parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house was found dead, the opposition BJP said on Saturday that it appeared to be a murder and questioned the investigation by police.

 

Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said the Sena-led Maharashtra government should not be put in the dock over the death of a prime witness, but finding out the truth was imporant for the coalition government's image.

 

Mansukh Hiren (46), who the police had said was the owner of the stolen Scorpio with gelatin sticks parked near Ambani's residence in south Mumbai on February 25, was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane on Friday morning.

5:51 PM

Senate works through night with virus aid on path to passage

The Senate worked through the night and past sunrise Saturday on Democrats' showpiece $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill after a deal between leaders and moderate Sen. Joe Manchin on emergency jobless benefits broke a logjam that had stalled the package.

 

The compromise, announced by Manchin, D-W.Va., and a Democratic aide late Friday and backed by President Joe Biden, cleared the way for the Senate to begin a marathon series of votes on amendments before eventual approval of the sweeping legislation.

 

The bill then would return to the House, which was expected to give it final congressional approval and send it to Biden to sign.

5:47 PM

Malaysia's AirAsia Group plans air taxi, drone delivery service

Malaysia's AirAsia Group Bhd plans to launch an air taxi service and the country's first drone delivery service as the budget carrier seeks to diversify amid the coronavirus pandemic, the company's CEO said on Saturday.

 

As part of the group's diversification push, it also aims to launch a ride-hailing service next month as COVID-19 continues to hit air travel.

 

"The air taxi will have a pilot and four seats. At the moment, we have our team working on this upcoming service by AirAsia," Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said at the Youth Economic Forum 2021, state news agency Bernama reported on Saturday.

5:37 PM

Latest LIVE: Dinesh Trivedi betrayed people of Bengal, says TMC

He is ungrateful and backstabbed the party; betrayed people of the state: TMC on Dinesh Trivedi joining BJP ahead of West Bengal Polls

5:32 PM

Assam polls: Sushmita Dev annoyed with seat allocation, Congress denies rumours of her resignation

Congress leader and former Member of Parliament Sushmita Dev has been left annoyed with the seat-sharing method employed in the party's alliance with All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam ahead of the assembly polls.

 

According to sources, Sushmita, who is the president of the All India Mahila Congress (AIMC), is upset with the seat allocation to AIUDF in Silchar, her own constituency and also about the selection of candidates in Silchar.

 

She has also expressed her objection regarding the consideration of an ex-MLA from one of the assembly seats. Sushmita also approached Congress state in-charge Bhawar Jitendra Singh over the issue, as per sources.

 

However, the process of candidate finalisation is still underway by the Central Election Committee for the first two phases of the assembly polls to be held from March 27 to April 6.

5:07 PM

Latest LIVE: Mamata Banerjee to protest against rising LPG cylinder prices

5:05 PM

Akhil Gogoi to contest Assam polls from Sibsagar

Jailed activist Akhil Gogoi will contest the upcoming elections in Assam from Sibsagar as a candidate of his newly-floated Raijor Dal.

 

Announcing the list of 17 candidates that the party fielded in the first two phases, Raijor Dal working president Bhasco De Saikia said that Gogoi, the party's president, will contest from the Sibsagar constituency in Upper Assam.

 

In the first phase, the party will contest in 12 seats but is yet to announce the candidate for one seat, and in the second phase, it has put up candidates in six constituencies.

5:05 PM

Myanmar writes to Mizoram govt, seeks handover of 8 cops who fled coup-hit country

Myanmar has requested the administration in Mizoram to send back eight policemen, who have apparently crossed over to the northeastern state to take refuge, following last month's military coup in the neighbouring country, an official here said.

 

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long porous border with Myanmar, where mass demonstrations are being held in protest against the declaration of a year-long emergency by the country's armed forces.

4:37 PM

Shibpur MLA Jatu Lahiri quits TMC after getting dropped from candidate list

Shibpur MLA Jatu Lahiri quits TMC after being dropped from its candidate list for West Bengal Polls, according to PTI

3:54 PM

Ahmedabad Test: India beat England in 4th Test by an innings and 25 runs to clinch series

3:38 PM

Bhopal MP Pragya Singh Thakur taken to Kokilaben hospital after breathing complaints

3:24 PM

IPL 2021 to start on April 9, final on May 30 subject to GC approval

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is likely to be played from April 9 to May 30 subject to the approval of the Governing Council (GC), according to ANI. In another development, while the date of the all-important GC meeting to decide on the venues for the 14th edition of the league is yet to be finalised, it is most likely to be held next week, ANI reported.

Speaking to ANI, a GC member on conditions of anonymity said while the final approval will be given in the GC meeting, the league is expected to start on April 9 and a call on the venues will be taken next week. "We haven't yet decided on the day of the GC to decide on the venues, but the meeting will take place next week. As per the proposal, the IPL will get underway from April 9 and the final will be played on May 30," the GC member said as per ANI.

 

3:16 PM

BJP nominates Pon Radhakrishnan as its candidate for Kanyakumari constituency

BJP nominates Pon Radhakrishnan as its candidate for bypoll to Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency in TamilNadu