Civic polls in PM, Def Min’s, and CM constituencies today

New Delhi (Agencies): Elaborate security arrangements have been made in 37 districts of Uttar Pradesh for the first phase polling for Urban Local Bodies to be held on Thursday.

Among the constituencies that will go to polls in the first phase are Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Varanasi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s Gorakhpur, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s Lucknow and Prayagraj.

cution’s witnesses was full of contradictions and could not be relied upon.

11 persons were burnt alive in the Naroda Gam area of Ahmedabad district in Gujarat on February 2002, when a bandh call was given by right wing organ-

Dhankhar cautioned those criticising their own country and said that India’s image as vibrant democracy shouldn’t be tarnished

Dibrugarh (PTI): Some people are trying to tarnish India’s democratic image outside the country by spreading a false narrative that people do not enjoy their rights, Dhankhar said while addressing the 21st convocation of the Dibrugarh University.

”When all is going well, why should some isations to protest against the burning of Sabarmati Express train in Godhra a day before. The court on April 20 acquitted all the 67 accused, including former state BJP minister Maya Kodnani, & former Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi.

Rajnath Singh will vote in Lucknow and Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur tomorrow while BSP chief Mayawati could also vote in Lucknow.

Over 2 lakh policemen, along with 35 companies of Central forces and 85 companies of

PAC, have been deployed for the first phase of polling when 2.40 crore voters will elect candi- dates in 7678 posts in the three tier civic polls. There are over 80,000 candidates in this phase. port Asia’s Rebound’, Sitharaman stressed that there is also a need to involve the private sector to step up investment and innovation.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) should look at the issue of farm subsidies with an open mind as it impacts the food security needs of emerging economies in the backdrop of Covid pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Karnataka (Agencies)

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar contesting on a Congress ticket hoping to reclaim his lost ‘selfrespect’still has photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi & Home Minister Amit Shah hanging on a wall in his home-office and says it is not good to remove them. In an interview, Shettar said, immediately after shifting from one party to another, removing photos of earlier leaders is not a good thing. I cannot do that.”

As Sharad Pawar rethinks resignation, NCP leaders endorse Supriya Sule

Mumbai: Veteran political leader Sharad Pawar has said he would rethink his resignation from the top post of the Nationalist Congress Party, which would take “two or three days”.

But a section within the party is already thinking of a successor.

In an interview, a senior party leader Chaggan Bhujbal endorsed Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule as his successor.

“Ajit Pawar should take care of the state and (Supriya) Sule should take care of national politics. She should be the next national president if Sharad Pawar doesn’t want to continue as the president,” Bhujbal told media. Bhujbal said they had gone to reason with Pawar again. The team included Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar & the state presidents & others. “We requested that you should take back this thing, we want you to continue. He was calm but nothing to say. then he asked me to tell the media that there is no meeting... after two three days this committee will sit together and there will be a decision,” he said.

Shah hands over regularization letters to NDMC employees

decry our democracy, talk outside as well as inside the country that we do not have democratic values? I dare say with confidence and without fear of contradictions, India is the most vibrant functional democracy on the planet on this date,” he said without naming anyone. He urged the stu- dents that they must find a way out so that such ”pernicious and sinister narratives are nipped in the bud”.

He appealed to students, youth, intelligentsia and media to act as ”ambassadors of the country. Believe in nationalism and run down this narrative”. This is a narrative with no factual basis and ”we cannot support those who inside and outside the country, tarnish & taint our growth trajectory & democratic values”.

Dhankhar did not take any name, but there were allegations that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the country in London recently.

New Delhi (ANI): Union HM Amit Shah distributed regularization letters to 4400 New Delhi Municipal Committee (NDMC) employees at Talkatora Stadium on Wednesday who have spent 20-25 years of their lives working in the department.

“This is a happy moment for me as Divyangjans, SC, ST employees & oppressed people of the society today received glory, honour & a secure future,” said Shah. “I would like to tell you that PM Modi himself has stressed upon in making necessary timely changes in recruitment policies under all the ministries of GoI and because of that today you people are getting regularization letters,” he added.