70 per cent voting was recorded across 18 constituencies of Bastar and Rajnandgaon till 3 pm in the first phase of assembly election in Chhattisgarh, where violence by Naxals who have called for a poll boycott left a Central Reserve Police Force jawan dead.
Estimates of what the Maoists extract from their nationwide extortion vary from Rs 1,200 crore a year to Rs 2,000 crore.
Kaur continued with the bulletin and broke down once the cameras were off.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Chhattisgarh government of trying to "cover-up" after he met the victims of botched sterilisation surgeries that have left 13 women dead and said corruption had a "role" in the tragedy.
As the hostage crisis involving abducted Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon entered the eighth day on Saturday, mediators from the rebel side left for Tadmetla forests apparently to brief Maoists on talks they had with the Chhattisgarh government on their demands for releasing the IAS officer. N Baijendra Kumar, principal secretary to Chief Minister Raman Singh, told PTI that the mediators, who have held two rounds of talks with the government-appointed interlocutors.
After opposing Narendra Modi's anointment as Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, a mellowed L K Advani on Monday praised him for development in Gujarat and hoped that all good tasks undertaken by party governments in states will be rolled out across the country.
Seven Pakistani companies on Sunday signed memoranda of understanding worth $102 million with two Chhattisgarh-based steel companies.
Making a strong emotional pitch over the Maoist ambush on Congress leaders in May, Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that former Pradesh Congress Committee chief Nand Kumar Patel was killed to stop him from becoming the chief minister and to silence the voice of the poor and the tribals.
Our policies on hostage crises have been marked by significant tentativeness and not surprisingly, these have been exploited by the extremists, points out Bibhu Prasad Routray
Mediators on Friday failed to achieve any breakthrough to secure the release of abducted Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon after the second round of talks even as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh asserted that the demands of the Maoists would be considered only "within the legal framework".
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Saturday kicked up a controversy when he blamed "girlfriends, bikes and mobile phones" for the rising cases of road accidents in the state. Speaking at a seminar on road safety at a medical institute, he expressed concern over the rising number of youth dying in road mishaps.
An office bearer of the Chhattisgarh Youth Congress has alleged the local police had beaten him up for asking a question to Chief Minister Raman Singh at a farmers' meeting held in Raipur on October 7.
Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram said on Friday that the progress of the on-going operation against the Maoists in the Naxal-hit states was "satisfactory"."The joint operation against the Naxalites is few weeks old and the progress has been satisfactory," Chidambaram told media-persons after a high-level meeting convened in Raipur to review the operation.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Monday said that there was some progress in the talks with Maoists for the release of abducted Sukma collector Alex Paul Menon, with both sides agreeing on some points.
The Congress hit back at Modi and accused him of indulging in his 'trademark petty politics' and seeking to hide his 'abject failure and weak-kneed' approach to fighting Naxalism.
Dantewada recorded lowest turnout with 49 per cent voting.
As the five states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram -- go to the polls, here is how the big names are faring.
A roundup of the matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy One-Day tournament, on Saturday.
At least 31 people were crushed to death when an under-construction chimney at a new power plant being constructed at Bharat Aluminium Company (Balco) in Korba, 230 km from Raipur, collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. Another 40 people are feared trapped in the debris.
A guard of honour was on Wednesday given to the 26 Central Reserve Police Force jawans who were killed in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Naryanpur district.
The meeting is being held purportedly to discuss ways and means of raising the issues of Hinduism and the Ram Temple at Ayodhya in the coming weeks.
Security to controversial politician Matang Sinh, who was arrested by CBI in connection with Saradha scam, has been finally withdrawn.
The 'Atal-Advani era' in the BJP is truly over, believes Karuna Shukla, the niece of party stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Saradha scam accused Matang Sinh, who was recently arrested by the CBI, too will continue to enjoy Z-plus security.
He challenged the Congress to select someone 'capable' as its president, who did not belong to 'that one family'.
In the wake of Saturday's attack on security forces, the state considers a ban on naxal outfits
Congress had won won in the assembly polls barely five months ago in the same three states -- Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
'In Chhattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan, he is far more popular than the defeated chief ministers,' notes Karan Thapar.
Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd on Monday signed a MoU with the Chhattisgarh government to set up a Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion), 1,200 MW coal-based power project in the state.
The bodies of four police officials, who were abducted on Monday by Naxals, were found in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bijapur district on Wednesday.
Minister Rajesh Munat has filed a complaint against state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel and senior journalist Vinod Verma for allegedly tarnishing his image through a "fake" sex CD.
The first prime minister to visit this Maoist hotbed in three decades, Narendra Modi on Saturday asked Naxals to abjure gun and allow peace so that the macabre drama of death will end to pave the way for development.
Top Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have been engaged in consultations with each other over the post-poll situation in the wake of exit polls projections that the party-led National Democratic Alliance may form the government.
The final rites of late Congress leader and founder of controversial anti-Maoist Salwa Judum movement Mahendra Karma were performed with state honours at his native village in Dantewada district on Monday.
IAS officer Jagdish Sonkar, a 2013 batch officer went to Ramanujgank hospital on Monday for an inspection where he spoke to a patient. Many other patients and other hospital staff allegedly were furious over his behaviour. A source then clicked a photo, and posted it on social media, where it went viral.
In a veiled retaliatory attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for his 'khooni panja' (killer paw) remarks, Congress leader Beni Prasad Verma today said the country has to be saved from a 'khooni insaan' (murderous person).
He said the government was committed to protecting their rights. It was committed to working on the path of development and asked them to educate their children.
In one state, the BJP sweeps in Modi's name -- and only because of Modi's name. In the other state, Modi's name did not work. Himachal underlines the limitations of Modi's magic, observes Shekhar Gupta.
Modi kept away from the media during his visit to the party headquarters in New Delhi. Though he was welcomed with bursting of crackers, beating of drums and slogan shouting, Modi chose to wave from inside his bullet-proof SUV. He did not speak to the media and left after attending the parliamentary board meeting which analysed the BJP's performance in the four states and decided the future course of action.
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