( ) ! ./0 ! +%#%+#/ *+,-. 0+1- 6. , " "# $"% " &'(' +#(#" "'# # 8' %' %#% " # - *#" ' "' " '" " ) ', & '" -# # ) % ( + ) / / 12 134 5 "60/ !! ! "# $ %&'() * !" Digvijay has been a bitter # critic of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the ideological guide of the BJP, and had allegedly linked it to the 2008 Mumbai terror attack $ R carried out by Pakistani ter- rorists. The BJP also decided to field KP Yadav from Guna, a etting the stage for an epic seat held by senior Congress Sbattle in Bhopal, the BJP on leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who Wednesday fielded Sadhvi is contesting from there. The Pragya Singh Thakur, facing BJP has named Raj Bahadur trial in Malegaon blast case, in Singh and Ramakant Bhargav Lok Sabha elections, against as its nominees from Sagar and Congress heavyweight and for- Vidisha respectively. mer Madhya Pradesh Chief External Affairs Minister Minister Digvijay Singh. Sushma Swaraj had won from Out on bail, Sadhvi joined Vidisha in 2014 but she is not the BJP only hours before the fighting polls this time due to party announced her name as health reasons. its candidate from Bhopal. This Born in Bhind district of is being seen as a clear attempt Madhya Pradesh, Sadhvi has by the BJP to bring the had a long association with the Hindutva plank at the centre Sangh Parivar. stage of polls in the State, A post-graduate in histo- where the BJP had won 27 out ry, she worked with the RSS of 29 seats in 2014 LS polls. student wing Akhil Bharatiya “I will contest the election Vidyarthi Parishad and Durga from Bhopal and win. Former Vahini, women’s wing of the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Chouhan is with me,” Sadhvi Arrested in the 2008 said after emerging out of the Malegaon blast case, she was BJP office at Bhopal. given a clean chit by the In a way, the face-off National Investigation Agency between Digvijay and Sadhvi (NIA), but the trial court sented by the AIADMK, fol- will also be seen as a battle refused to discharge her from lowing recovery of huge between the hardcore Hindutva the case. amount of cash allegedly from represented by the likes of The court dropped the he second phase of Lok an associate of a DMK leader. Sadhvi and equally dyed-in- charges under the TSabha polls for 95 seats will The EC also announced the-wool “secularism” propa- Maharashtra Control of decide the fate of several stal- postponement of polling in gated by the likes of Digvijay. people’s court by fielding several accused, including A senior BJP leader said Hindutva” faces of the Organised Crime Act warts, including Union Tripura (East) Lok Sabha seat At a rally in Odisha, BJP Sadhvi against Digvijay, he Swami Aseemanand, in the party decided to field Congress. (MCOCA) against her, and Ministers Jitendra Singh, Jual to the third phase on April 23, president Amit Shah on said, accusing the Congress of Samjhauta Express blast case, Sadhvi, who joined the party Also being a high-profile she is now being tried under Oram, Sadananda Gowda and saying the prevailing law and Wednesday described Digvijay defaming India by coining Shah attacked the Congress and hours before her candidature seat as the Madhya Pradesh the Unlawful Activities Pon Radhakrishnan, former order situation there is not con- as the “creator” of “saffron ter- terms like “Hindu terror” and said people of Bhopal will pun- was announced, against capital, it can help rally support Prevention Act. She was grant- Prime Minister HD Deve ducive for free and fair polls. ror” phrase. The BJP has decid- “saffron terror”. ish Digvijay and Congress pres- Digvijay as the latter has been for the BJP across the State and ed bail by the Bombay High Gowda and DMK’s Dayanidhi The stake is high for the ed to take the matter to the Referring to the acquittal of ident Rahul Gandhi. one of the most visible “anti- even outside, he added. Court in 2017. Maran, A Raja and Kanimozhi. AIADMK which had swept Altogether 1,600-odd contes- the polls in 2014 and has gone tants are in the fray from 11 from one internal crisis to States and the Union Territory another after the death of its of Puducherry. supreme leader J Jayalalithaa. Thirty eight of the 39 Lok The party has formed a Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu will strong alliance with PMK and Modi took to twitter in the go to polls and bypolls will be DMDK to take on the might of morning to express anguish held in 18 Assembly con- DMK-Cong-Left alliance, s many as 50 people died over the loss of lives in the rain stituencies. The Election which is expected to Aand several others injured in Gujarat and announced Commission cancelled the win at least two third of the 39 due to unseasonal rain, dust relief. Soon afterwards Madhya polling in Vellore Lok Sabha seats, as per various opinion storm and lightning in Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal seat, which is currently repre- polls. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Nath hit out at the Prime Maharashtra and Gujarat. It has Minister, accusing him of being caused damage to property, concerned only about his home wheat crops, mango, and pota- State Gujarat. elhiites woke up to a pleas- toes and vegetables in north, The PMO in a tweet later Dant Wednesday morning, central parts of the country. said, “PM @narendramodi has with the temperature drop- It is estimated that proper- expressed grief at loss of lives ping following overnight rain ties and crops worth several due to unseasonal rain and and gusty winds. The maxi- hundred crores have been dam- storms in MP, Rajasthan, mum temperature settled at aged. Several cattle were also Manipur & various parts of the 29.5 degrees Celsius, seven killed in rain-related incidents. country”. notches below the season’s According to the India $% % “An ex gratia of 2 lakh average, while the minimum Meteorological Department " & % each for the next of kin of those temperature was recorded at (IMD), unseasonal rain, thun- who lost their lives due to 19.0 degrees Celsius, three derstorm, lightning and high Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram unseasonal rain & storms in notches below the normal, a speed wind were caused by Haryana, Punjab and Bihar. An and Tripura, and Odisha are MP, Rajasthan, Manipur & Met department official said. active Western Disturbance amber colour warning indicates likely to get rain and thunder- various parts of the country has The Met office has forecast (WD) over eastern Iran that is that authorities have to remain storm on Friday. been approved from the PM’s overcast skies for Thursday moving towards east-north- alert for any weather-related Several parts of north and National Relief Fund. 50,000 along with the possibility of eastwards across Afghanistan, exigency. The situation is central India have been wit- each for the injured has also light rain and thundershowers. Pakistan and northwest India. expected to remain the same in nessing thunderstorms, dust been approved,” the PMO said. “The maximum and minimum According to IMD, the next two-three days in storms, lightning and heavy Union Home Minister temperatures are likely to hover Uttrakhand, Punjab, Haryana, North-East and southern parts rain since Sunday. Rajnath Singh said the at 33 and 18 degrees Celsius Chandigarh, Bihar, Gangetic of the country. According to reports, Government is closely moni- respectively,” the Met said. ! " $ West Bengal and Delhi-NCR As per IMD, Kerala, Rajasthan witnessed the max- toring the situation in rain-hit The humidity oscillated on Wednesday witnessed squall Telangana, Sikkim, Karnataka, imum casualties with 21 peo- areas and is ready to provide all between 82 and 54 per cent. (wind speed reaching 60-70 Assam, Jharkhand, Meghalya, ple killed in overnight rain- possible assistance to States The Safdarjung observatory, ! #$ kilometres per hour) accom- West Bengal, Arunachal related incidents followed by affected by rain and recording of which is consid- panied with hail and Pradesh and Puducherry may Madhya Pradesh where 15 thunderstorm. ered the official figure for New Delhi: An Indian Crested Porcupine was rescued by Wildlife SOS after it was hit by a vehi- lightning. witness rain, thunderstorm were killed. 10 people were Officials of the Agriculture Delhi, received 1 mm rain till cle in Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi on Tuesday night. The porcupine sustained injuries The IMD has issued an with gusty wind on Thursday, killed in Gujarat, three were Ministry said the assessment of 8.30 am after which it record- on its hind legs and is currently under observation. Wasim Akram, Deputy Director-Special amber-coloured warning for while West Bengal, Andhra killed in Maharashtra. loss of crops is being carried ed traces of rainfall till 5.30 Projects, Wildlife SOS, said, “We are thankful to JNU students for taking quick action that helped parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra out. pm. save the animal’s life.” PNS O( ) P % & He said that in Lohardaga con- eral strong decisions were taken after stituency its incumbent MP 2014 for development of nation. Sudarshan Bhagat’s ‘Sudarshan “People are aware of the matter. They ' Chakra’ will destroy all the evil forces know that schemes for the develop- and make way for development of the ment of villages, poor persons, farm- ' area. ers and labourers have been largely Das further said that in the lead- successful,” he said. ership of Prime Minister Narendra Earlier, holding a meeting with Modi Latehar’s Saryu, West party workers the CM said that the Singhbhum’s Saranda and Lohardaga’s NDA will clinch all 14 seats in the eetering for over four Peshrar area have undergone a sea State to make a powerful government Tmonths due to cash- change.