Despite claims from Congress general secretary Bhupesh Baghel that there are no objections to Amrinder Singh Raja Warring's continuation as Punjab unit president, a significant faction of leaders, including Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, are actively pushing for his replacement, citing the need for an 'uncompromised' leader.
Aam Aadmi Party leader and Ludhiana West MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi has died of gunshot injuries, with police saying on Saturday it could be a case of 'accidental fire' from his own licensed pistol.
Channi made the remark after his brother said he will contest as an independent from the Bassi Pathana assembly seat against the sitting Congress MLA.
In its first list of 86 candidates, the Congress on Saturday gave the ticket to party MLA Gurpreet Singh GP from Bassi Pathana (SC) seat.
The Punjab Assembly has unanimously passed a bill proposing stricter punishment, including life imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 25 lakh, for any act of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib.
A local Aam Aadmi Party leader was shot at in Punjab's Fazilka district with the ruling party and MLA Jagdeep Kamboj accusing a leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal of opening the fire.
Aam Aadmi Party's Gopal Italia on Monday won from Gujarat's Visavadar assembly constituency and his party also retained Punjab's Ludhiana West seat while the Congress-led United Democratic Front wrested Nilambur from the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala, according to results of assembly bypolls in four states.
Moderate turnout was recorded in the first four hours of polling across five assembly constituencies across Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat and Kerala where bypolls are underway on Thursday.
Arora will have to resign from the Rajya Sabha if he wins the bypoll, the date for which is yet to be announced.
Congress described the move as a 'betrayal' of the voters' mandate.
Former Congress MLA from Barnala, Kewal Dhillon, and former Shiormani Akali Dal MLAs Sarup Chand Singla and Mohinder Kaur Josh also joined the BJP.
Pargat Singh, Raj Kumar Verka, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Kuljit Nagra and Rana Gurjit Singh are likely to be included in the cabinet, according to the sources.
A few people held a protest against the Punjab Police in Mansa for allegedly stopping them from entering the Moosa village by deploying heavy security ahead of Mann's visit.
Three of the 23 MLAs are cabinet ministers. Another minister who had tested positive earlier has recovered. The chief minister gave the number during a video conference with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had held a virtual meeting with CMs of opposition-ruled states to discuss a range of issues faced by them.
The explosion took place in the wash room of the second floor of the court complex, said police.
Jagdish Kaur and Narpreet Kaur, whose families were devastated in the riots which claimed over 3,000 lives, said although 34 years is a long time, they were determined to "unmask the accused" and their fight for justice will go on.
The chief minister pointed out that prompt action had been taken by the Punjab Police and the accused had been caught without delay, unlike in the Hathras incident. "That was why Rahul Gandhi had to rush to Hathras, to secure justice for the victim's family, and did not need to visit Hoshiarpur," he said.
Four of the injured are personnel of UP police, two of them with gunshot wounds, the police said.
Mann said there was no use in finding fault with EVMs and the party should introspect on the reasons behind its defeat.
A bench of justices G S Sistani and G P Mittal also asked Kumar to appear before the Registrar General of the high court to furnish bail bonds on September 2 in the case.
The appeal filed by Jagdish Kaur and Nirpreet Kaur, who had lost their close relatives in the carnage following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, has sought setting aside of the trial court's April 30 judgment. They have in their plea filed through advocate Kamna Vohra contended that the verdict was "erroneous" as the trial court had failed to appreciate that there was ample legally admissible evidence against Kumar to show he had allegedly "engineered" the murders of five Sikh persons in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment
The AAP bagged 20 seats in Punjab while losing all seats in Goa
The Delhi high court on Monday sought the response of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the two persons, who were sentenced to three years in jail for rioting in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, on the plea of victims' families challenging the trial court verdict acquitting them of murder charges.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was defeated by Aam Aadmi Party's first-timer and an eye surgeon from Bhadaur and Chamkaur Sahib seats, respectively.
The Aam Aadmi Party alleged that the chief minister was manhandled during the "pre-planned" protest.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday morning apologised at the Golden Temple for mistakes made by that party that included equating a manifesto with the Guru Granth Sahib and printing its symbol, the broom, on the cover of the document alongside a picture of the holiest Sikh shrine.
