Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar on Thursday filed papers as an NCP candidate for Rajya Sabha elections.
The tea industry's cup of woes brimmeth - scanty rainfall and pest attacks have dragged down production in May, prices are lower than last year, and demand from some export markets is muted. Production in North Bengal - comprising the Dooars, Terai, and Darjeeling - is majorly affected; parts of Assam are also hit. Arijit Raha, secretary general, Indian Tea Association (ITA), said that the Tea Board numbers for April show a crop loss of about 9 per cent for North Bengal, compared to last year.
The 84-year old veteran Congressman, who died from post-COVID complications on Monday, was a Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist.
The explosive, probably a crude bomb, went off at around 5 PM behind the old Railway station in the busy Amolapatty area below an electric pole, district Superintendent of Police Rana Bhuyan said
From April 1 next year, over 600 state-run Madrassas will be converted into upper primary, high and higher secondary schools with no change of status, pay, allowances and service conditions of the teaching and non-teaching staff.
Suspected United Liberation Front of Asominsurgents lobbed a grenade at Assam Rifles personnel escorting a school bus in upper Assam's Sibsagar district on Tuesday morning. All school children and security personnel are safe, police said.
The nomination is an indication that the veteran Congress leader is not sure of victory from Raebareli, the Lok Sabha constituency she has represented for five terms.
"The voting percentage is likely to go upwards when reports from all polling stations are obtained as polling is scheduled till 6 pm in many constituencies. Final figures will be known on Saturday after the scrutiny of form 17A," the EC said.
The encounter took place when the troops of Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group of J&K Police launched a joint cordon and search operation at Dhari Gote Urarbagi in Desa forest belt, some 55 km from Doda town, late Monday evening, the officials said.
The 'World Heritage' site Kaziranga National Park and the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park in Assam will re-open on Thursday, while Manas National Park will welcome visitors from November 4.
The Indian Army is effecting a major "reorientation" and "rebalancing" of its troops in the strategically sensitive areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh, with a top general saying its overall combat readiness in the region is of a "very high order."
An oil pipeline at Makum in upper Assam's Tinsukia district was on Tuesday damaged in an explosion, for which the United Liberation Front of Asom claimed responsibility. The explosion in the pipeline of the IOC-Assam Oil Division created a 4-ft crater in Pachim Mamarani area, AOD sources said, adding that there was no report of any casualty.
On the Islamic State-style video sent by the ULFA-I to TV news channels, the DGP said it was the first time that such a video has been received.
Modi can abandon the path of Hindutva only at risk to his position within his own fraternity. But if he pursues a hard line, he faces the risk of being hauled up by his coalition-partners. For the first time in a decade, Modi is not in enviable situation, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The 53-year-old, whose real name is Rajib Rajkonwar, was one of the founder leaders of the ULFA along with commander in chief Paresh Baruah. The ULFA was formed on April 7, 1979 to lead armed struggle to 'free Assam from the clutches of colonial Indian rule'.
High voter turnout was recorded in the assembly polls in Assam and West Bengal where an estimated 82.02 per cent and 79.51 per cent of the voters cast their ballots till 5 pm.
A security source said it was part of ULFA's strategy to mount pressure on the Army, which has put ULFA strongholds in Tinsukia district and areas adjoining the Arunachal Pradesh border under strict surveillance.
Jagat had joined the militant organisation in 1999 and was involved in several extremist operations in Upper Assam, besides receiving training as a paramedic.
'One reason given for the failure of the Congress in Assam was due to the alliance with the AIUDF.'
'They know everyone and have everyone's horoscope. If they feel Himanta Biswa Sarma is the right man for Assam, they will give it to me, if they feel Sarbananda Sonowal is the right man, they will give it to him, or if they feel both of them are not good, let's bring another person'
A voter turnout of 60.19 per cent was recorded till 5 pm in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in 93 constituencies spread over 11 states and Union Territories on Tuesday with sporadic incidents of violence in West Bengal.
The Assam cabinet had on December 13 approved a proposal to close down all Madrassas and Sanskrit Tols (schools) however, the legislation brought in the assembly during the day did not contain anything related to the Sanskrit tols and the education minister also did not mention anything about it.
"There will be no let up in vigil against the banned ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) now onwards under any circumstances," vowed Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi
This year the army have maintained constant vigil over the two vital supply lines to ULFA bases in Myanmar putting the outfit cadres holed up in Myanmar in a spot.
'The prime minister expressed concern and assured all possible help to the state,' CMO said.
Scheduled to be completed in 2016, the 4.94 km rail-cum-road bridge, India's longest bridge, will come up across the mighty Brahmaputra at Bogibeel in Assam. It is not only expected to be a lifeline for the Northeast, but will also strengthen the country's security.
The Assam Rifles said the drive against ULFA militants would continue in Nagaland in the coming days even though the ceasefire was in force in the state.
The banned United Liberation Front of Asom militants shot dead three persons late on Sunday night while eight ULFA militants surrendered before the army in Assam on Monday.
Road and rail links between lower and upper Assam remained disrupted for the fourth day on Tuesday.
The slain person, who was shot dead at his residence, was a former member of the banned outfit and was working closely with security forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations.
The AGP, an ally of the BJP, voted for the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha, after Amit Shah's assurance. However, the scale, intensity and, persistence of the anti-CAA protests since then have taken it by surprise.
'Unfortunately, there is no movement towards peace in Manipur.'
Though the run-up to the ULFA raising day this year was violence-free unlike in previous years, the outfit targetted the Kolkata-bound Kamrup Express by planting an improvised explosive devise on a bicycle in Namrup railway station in Dibrugarh district on Monday morning. The IED was detected by the 44 Field Regiment and defused, the sources said.
Borsaikia, commander of a company of the 28th battalion of the outfit, was one of the most-wanted ULFA leaders.
The ULFA leader, arrested on September 17 in Tezpur, also claimed that 'internal differences' among the outfit's leaders were plaguing it.
Sonowal, a law graduate, is considered to be a rarity -- an honest politician who also worked to unite different communities with his oft-repeated lines 'Barak-Brahmaputra-plains-hills'.
Over 95 lakh voters will decide the fate of 539 candidates, including 43 females, in 65 constituencies spread across the state.
China violates agreement, didn't share Brahmaputra hydrological data.
At least 15 people have died in heavy floods and landslides triggered by continuous rain for the last three days in Assam, where airforce helicopters, army, National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been pressed into service for rescue work, officials said.
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