Results for assembly polls in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir were declared on Tuesday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party scoring a hat-trick in Haryana while the National Conference-Congress alliance emerged victorious in J-K. Here's how some big names fared.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over phone and briefed him on the law and order situation in the Valley.
Jammu and Kashmir is facing a severe water crisis this year due to a massive rainfall deficit. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed concern about the situation and called for a proactive approach towards water management and conservation. The state has witnessed an 80% deficit in rainfall this year, raising the possibility of drought in the valley this summer. Several water bodies are flowing below the zero level mark, and some springs in south Kashmir have dried up completely. The water level in Jhelum and other major streams is alarmingly low.
Heavy rains across India have led to widespread flooding, causing damage to infrastructure, displacement of residents, and disruption of normal life. Rescue efforts are underway in affected areas.
In the backdrop of an attack on a top separatist leader, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and reviewed the ongoing peace process and security situation in the state.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday hit out at the Central Industrial Security Force over the killing of a youth during firing on protesters, calling it a "murder" and alleged that the "excessive" force used was "unwarranted and inexcusable".
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday said the name of Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah never figured in the 2006 sex scandal case in which two ministers of the then Peoples Democratic Party regime were arrested.
For the second time in a week, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday asserted that he would complete the full six-year term.
"Our handshake with Indian Union was subject to certain conditions," he said.
'Dr Abdullah is the oldest and tallest leader in our current political landscape and it was very kind of him to come and see us.'
Terming the flood situation in the flood-ravaged KashmirValley as "very serious", Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said he understood the anger of the people affected by the "unprecedented" catastrophe.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah made a fresh appeal to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party to attend the all party meet on Monday to discuss the present situation in the Kashmir valley.
Dikshit, 81, passed away on Saturday afternoon at the Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi due to cardiac arrest.
Briefing reporters after the nearly two-hour meeting, Abdullah said the leaders decided to formalise the alliance, that has been named 'Peoples' Alliance for Gupkar Declaration'.
Abdullah, the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, is the first Jammu and Kashmir chief minister to be booked under the PSA.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday reiterated that he will not resign over the present crisis engulfing his state. "I know most of the media has been running stories about my resignation. I have no intention to resign," he told a TV channel during an interview. Abdullah refused to answer when asked if he enjoyed the confidence of the people and his coalition partner Congress.
Normal life was thrown out of gear in Kashmir on Saturday as most areas of the valley received snowfall, disrupting flight and railway operations and also leading to the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, officials said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday clinched a stunning hat-trick win in Haryana overcoming anti-incumbency and dashing Congress' hopes of a comeback while the National Conference-Congress combine pulled off a spectacular victory in maiden elections in Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
With political stalemate continuing in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference's working president Omar Abdullah on Monday held a meeting with top party leaders where it was decided that it will have no tie-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party but was ready to support the Peoples Democratic Party in the government-formation.
After the Congress' shock defeat in Haryana, the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties flexed their muscles on Wednesday, accusing the grand old party of ignoring them.
Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has demanded the resignations of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father, union minister Dr Farooq Abdullah.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday deplored the attacks on moderate Huriryat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq saying it was against the democratic traditions of the country.
The National Conference leader suggested that the CM should take responsibility for the prevailing situation and lead the recovery process from the front.
His father Somappa Rayappa Bommai was the state chief minister during 1988-1989.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said "some people" will never find the time appropriate for withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from the state as they have a "liking" for these laws. "It is an ongoing discussion with the Centre. First, it was with the United Progressive Alliance now the National Democratic Alliance government.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had reservations against the holding of assembly polls in the state soon, on Saturday said there was no question of not contesting the elections and "we will put our best foot forward."
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said such efforts have lost credibility as there has hardly been any follow-up after similar visits in the past.
Mehbooba lashed out Omar for his tweets but the former CM hit back, saying it was to make her accountable and he won't back down from speaking on issues of public interest.
The former CM of the state also lashed out at the state government saying the Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party ruling alliance was a failure.
Inaugurating five bridges on the Animating-Simthen-Kishtwar road, Omar underscored the need for a better road infrastructure, terming it necessary for the socio-economic well being of the people by connecting the far-flung areas.
The plan to relieve NSG from VIP security tasks has been in the making since 2012 when NSG commanders foresaw an event where simultaneous terror attacks could be witnessed at one time on multiple centres in the country and the commandos will have to be rushed in different directions.
Former Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Thursday asserted that Article 370 of the Constitution cannot be scrapped and the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir cannot be eroded further.
Pakistan military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry told a hurriedly called press conference in Islamabad at around 4 am that th Pakistan air force's Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal) and Rafiqui (Shorkot in Jhang district) airbases were targeted.
"The response to the rehabilitation policy (for militants in PoK) has been better than expected. We have received 600 to 700 applications," Omar told media persons in Srinagar.
As India inches closer towards the general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has emerged as the most searched chief minister on search giant Google.
After they met in New Delhi on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, INDIA bloc leaders decided to sit in the Opposition for now...
As far as security situation is concerned, there has been improvement in past two years and the state saw a 30 per cent decline in terrorists-related incidents, he said.
Ruling out cold as the reason behind children's death in relief camps in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) AK Gupta had shocked many by saying that if people could die of cold then nobody would have survived in Siberia.
Justifying his demand for the policy during the CMs' meet in New Delhi, Abdullah said: "A pragmatic policy to this effect is the need of the hour. The state government had proposed it after taking into consideration all pros and cons so that it is not misused at any level". He said the Centre and the state governments should work out the policy in a manner without hampering the national interests at any level but pave way for the militants to return to normal life.
The chief minister, an avid cricket follower, had expressed disappointment that the Jammu and Kashmir cricketer was not given a chance to make his debut in international cricket even though India went into the final match with an unassailable 4-0 lead.
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