More than 40 per cent of the 908 candidates contesting the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are Independents, leading to claims that a large number of them have been propped up by the Bharatiya Janata Party to divide votes.
Here are the 10 key issues likely to be the centre of discussion in the seven-phase general elections that begin on April 19.
A blog linked to TRF, an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, published the list of 56 Kashmiri Pandit employees who were recruited under the Prime Minister's Rehabilitation Package, and warned of mounting attacks on them.
The immediate challenge for the Centre and the home ministry is to ensure the conduct of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and restoration of its statehood.
"We will raise voice for Kashmiris brothers and sisters at every forum, diplomatic efforts will be made, they will be provided diplomatic support, we will give them moral support," he added.
The Shiv Sena on Friday targeted the Centre by questioning the "efficacy" of the 2016 surgical strike and said the perception that it would demoralise Pakistani terrorists remained an "illusion" as Indian soldiers continue to get killed in terror attacks in Kashmir. Accusing the Modi government of boasting about how Pakistan was straightened out after the surgical strike, the Sena sought to know whether it has really happened. It also observed that troubled borders were not good for the country's well-being.
The Supreme Court of India on Friday said it was satisfied with the report of the Juvenile Justice Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir high court which said that no minors were detained in jails in the erstwhile state post the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370. The apex court, after perusing the committee's report, said that four high court judges visited all the jails in J&K and they have clearly stated that no minors have been illegally detained there.
The prime minister's tough talk assumed significance in view of protests against the CAA in various parts of the country.
While Ranaut will contest on a ticket for the BJP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi constituency, her birthplace, Govil has been fielded by the party from the Meerut Lok Sabha seat.
The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 paved the way for outsiders to contest polls in the Union Territory.
Pakistan must be deleted once and for all from the vocabulary of Kashmir-related negotiations with a finality that is irrevocable, asserts Vivek Gumaste.
In a statement, the managing body of the Jamia Masjid said on Wednesday, 'This is to inform the public that authorities have conveyed to Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid that once again, Eid ul Adha prayers will not be allowed at the historic and central Eidgah Srinagar.'
'Hence, Ambedkar was not in favour of the separate provision of Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir. Because of this, BSP had supported its scrapping in the Parliament
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who is visiting Karnataka, on Sunday appreciated the people for voting out a 'fascist' Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, but also cautioned people about the recent developments in Delhi, saying it was a wake-up call for everyone as it can happen anywhere in the country.
Incidentally, 164 of the total 356 candidates in the fray from the 43 assembly seats of Jammu region got less votes than none of the above, which gives an option to voters to reject all candidates in a constituency.
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is poised to form the first elected government in Jammu and Kashmir, having secured a victory in the assembly elections by securing 49 out of 90 seats on which polls were held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 five years ago.
The Election Commission on Monday said the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir this time was the highest in a Lok Sabha election in the last 35 years with the Kashmir Valley witnessing a 'massive' 30 percentage point jump in poll participation compared to 2019.
'The question is not only about abrogating Article 370. It was done in inhuman manner'
All the victims hailed from Murshidabad district of West Bengal, the police said.
Gauba is said to be the key architect of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act under which Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two Union territories following the abrogation of the special status given to the erstwhile state under Article 370 of the Constitution.
Abdullah said they are claiming that terrorism is over but the ground situation shows that it has increased in otherwise peaceful Jammu region.
Addressing party workers, Thackeray claimed Mufti told him that the BJP's alliance with the PDP was on the condition that Article 370, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, won't be abolished.
Terming the opposition parties as "shameless", the PM also slammed them for objecting to the issue of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir being raised during campaigning by BJP leaders for the Maharashtra assembly polls.
"I think it's absolutely essential for the two countries to be able to come together and seriously discuss their problems, and I think it's essential that human rights are fully respected in all territories that you mentioned," Guterres said during his press briefing on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created such an atmosphere in Kashmir that any Indian can hoist the national flag with pride at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Sunday and asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to thank him for the change in the Valley.
While Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli welcomed their second child in February, Namrata Thakker looks at the other celebs getting ready to embrace parenthood for the first time.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday made serious allegations against the Congress and said the grand old party has in its election manifesto expressed its intention to implement the 'Sharia law' in the country and redistribute people's property.
Abrahams was among a group of MPs who issued formal letters following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 in August last year.
Muslim body Anjuman Intezamia Masjid committee on Thursday moved the Supreme Court against the Allahabad high court order permitting an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey at the Gyanvapi mosque.
Jaishankar said that the situation in the region has now stabilised and lots of restrictions have been rolled back including the operationalising of landlines and mobile towers and resumption of economic activity.
Asserting that the Indian security forces have exercised highest degree of restrain in Jammu and Kashmir after August 5, the external affairs minister told a Washington audience that he expects Pakistan to continue what it has been doing for the past several decades.
Industrialist and former MP Naveen Jindal quit the Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday, saying he wants to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda of 'Viksit Bharat'.
People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said on Monday that she will not contest elections until 'both the constitutions' of India and the erstwhile state are made applicable to Jammu and Kashmir.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed anguish over Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge trooping into the Well of the House during an opposition protest, saying it is for the first time that a person occupying the post has engaged in such conduct.
People must have tolerance for each other's opinion at a time when the tolerance level has gone down internationally, Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said on Friday.
The leaders from Jammu and Kashmir's political parties were placed under detention following the abrogation of Article 370 by the Centre on August 5.
Ganderbal's Senior Superintendent of Police Nikhil Borkar accompanied by a team of senior officers inspected the Amarnath Yatra route from Baltal to the Shri Amarnath Cave temple in Ganderbal on Sunday.
A thick security cover has been thrown around the BJP office at Jawahar Nagar in Srinagar where Shah is likely to pay a visit.
Manjhi's son Santosh Suman, who is a minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet, made the statement a day after reports emerged that a seat-sharing formula has been arrived at in the National Democratic Alliance, and the HAM was likely to get only one of the state's 40 constituencies.
'Anybody who speaks up, anybody who reports something that the government feels uncomfortable with, or comments on anything could be charged with criminal cases, could be summoned to police stations, slapped around or grilled for several hours. This has become a new norm.'
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