In a major relief to Narendra Modi's close aide Amit Shah, the Election Commission on Thursday lifted its ban on his participation in Lok Sabha poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh after he assured the poll body that he would not disturb the public tranquility and law and order.
Polling was by and large peaceful in the bypolls for three Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats spread across five states and Delhi on Thursday barring an incident of stabbing of a policeman in Tripura, where polling was the highest at 76.62 per cent.
A look at 5 key battles in Sunday's clash at the T20 World Cup in Dubai.
Sarfaraz, Imad Wasim dropped from Pakistan white-ball squad vs Australia.
'I somehow felt that Muzaffar Ali was in Aligarh to feel the pulse of the Muslim youth, especially in the darker and harsher times that India is passing through,' notes Mohammad Sajjad.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan were pick of the bowlers as they scalped two wickets each.
Polling in Phase II of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections consists of 67 constituencies spread across 11 districts.
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam finally found their scoring touch with half centuries in a 105-run stand to lay the foundation for victory.
'Compared to other social groups, managing the Muslim constituency has always been easier for the secularists.' 'Just some symbolic measures and window-dressing would keep the Muslim flock together.' 'Having been betrayed by all the supposedly 'secular' political parties, Muslims should turn into citizens without any ascriptive identity marks,'says Mohammad Sajjad.
Maneka Gandhi will contest from Sultanpur and Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja could do with a break, which will allow India to try out new players in the Caribbean.
India's batters will have to counter a potent Pakistan bowling attack that can make an impact irrespective of the nature of the pitch.
Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Legislative Assembly Sangeet Som, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in connection with the Muzaffarnagar riots, on Wednesday said he was ready for an arrest and demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the entire issue.
Suryakumar (838) is still second ahead of the blockbuster clash
Virat Kohli now has highest fifty-plus scores in T20I history
The BJP campaign highlighted Yogi's persona as a tough-as-nails leader and an incorruptible man with no nest to feather; Modi's charisma which was turned on full blast in the penultimate phases; Amit Shah's ground work; a well-oiled party organisation, and the RSS's back-up.
Here's a recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
With bilateral cricket remaining suspended between the bitter neighbours, India and Pakistan play each other only in multi-team tournaments with their rivalry now a rare but enticing occasion for fans worldwide.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match played between Australia and Pakistan in Bengaluru, on Friday.
If divine intervention in 1992 was the heavens opening up against England in their do-or-die game, even the best bookies couldn't have predicted that the Netherlands would beat South Africa in 2022. A handful of them must have made a killing.
Tea and snacks like samosa and gulab jamun offered to guests by ministers have cost the Uttar Pradesh state exchequer nearly Rs 9 crore during four years of Akhilesh Yadav government.
The visiting bowlers claimed 13 wickets on the final day to win the second Test by an innings and eight runs.
Images from the T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.
IMAGES from the T20 World Cup semi-final match played between New Zealand and Pakistan in Sydney on Wednesday.
Dilip Kumar, India's enduring film legend through the decades, died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, July 7, after a prolonged illness, his family and doctors treating him said.
Images from the Asia Cup T20 match between Pakistan and Hong Kong in Sharjah on Friday
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan reiterated his allegations of a foreign conspiracy behind his ouster and said he knew that the 'match was fixed' when a no-confidence motion was moved against him.
Stokes brought his first half-century in T20I cricket with a four in 47 balls while levelling the scores. He (unbeaten at 52* off 49 balls) then brought up the winning runs, with Liam Livingstone at 1* and England finished the innings at 138/5 in 19 overs.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12 Group 2 match between India and Pakistan, in Dubai, on Sunday.
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar spoke on who has the edge between Pakistan and England, he said, "I will probably back Pakistan because bowlers win tournaments and that is where Pakistan, with the kind of bowling attack that they have, I mean four quality quicks and they have the wrist spin, and if they require they also have the option of a left-arm spinner,"
Babar's injury came a day after top-order batsman Imam-ul-Haq fractured his left thumb, also during a practice session.
Coming off a socio-economic crisis and the worst turmoil in its country's history, the Sri Lankan cricket team would like to provide the island nation with an emotional catharsis by beating fancied Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday.
Images from the Asia Cup Super 4 match between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.
A local court on Wednesday issued arrest warrants against 16 politicians of the the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, besides senior community leaders for allegedly inciting violence through inflammatory speeches in Muzaffarnagar.
Rajneesh Gupta lists interesting records from the first week of the Super 12 competition in the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
100 years of Dev Anand and 10 scenes etched in our memory!
Pakistan players did not find any spot in ICC Team of the Decade across all formats
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12 match between Pakistan and Netherlands, in Perth, on Sunday
Six of the 10 Pakistan cricketers bound for England who tested positive for COVID-19 have now registered negative results on re-testing, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Saturday. Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz, however, must return a second negative result before they can join the main squad of 20 players who will leave for England on Sunday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index after 37 World Cup 2023 games.
