Lucknow, Oct 3: Ahead of the upcoming Member of Legislative Council (MLC) elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday announced changes to two of its candidates, replacing the candidates earlier named for the Agra and Gorakhpur-Faizabad teachers’ constituencies.

The SP withdrew the candidature of Ram Prakash Gupta, who had earlier been announced as the party’s candidate from the Agra division. He has now been replaced by Akash Agrawal, the outgoing teachers’ MLC who recently joined the Samajwadi Party.

According to the party, the decision to field Agrawal was influenced by his support among teachers as well as his organisational standing at the local level.

The party has also changed its candidate for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher constituency.

Sanjay Tripathi has emerged as the new SP candidate after the party earlier announced Kamlesh Yadav for the seat.

SP President Akhilesh Yadav said that the changes had been made with the consent of the concerned leaders.

While welcoming the newly selected candidates, he also expressed gratitude to the candidates who had initially been announced by the party for the two constituencies.

Akhilesh Yadav thanked Kamlesh Yadav and Prakash Chandra Gupta, along with their families and supporters, for their cooperation and support for the party’s decision.

He said that he would remain “forever grateful” to them for standing by the party.

The SP Chief also said that both the previously announced candidates would be assigned appropriate responsibilities at the appropriate time.

The party had earlier named Kamlesh Yadav as its candidate for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher constituency and Prakash Chandra Gupta for the Agra teacher constituency. With the latest changes, the SP has replaced both candidates and brought in new faces for the two seats.

Voting for these two constituencies, along with 11 other Legislative Council seats falling under the teacher and graduate quota, is scheduled to take place on October 23. The counting of votes will be conducted on October 27.

“The arrival of these two experienced leaders will strengthen the party in the elections,” Akhilesh Yadav said, while appealing to SP workers to extend their full support to the new candidates and work towards ensuring the victory of all party nominees.

The selection of Sanjay Tripathi for the Gorakhpur-Faizabad seat is particularly significant in the context of the ongoing political contest. Tripathi had reportedly been seeking a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket during the election campaign.

After the BJP nominated Dhruv Tripathi for the constituency, Sanjay Tripathi distanced himself from the party and announced that he would contest the election as an independent candidate.

The Samajwadi Party subsequently fielded him as its candidate, bringing him into the party’s electoral fold for the MLC contest.

Akash Agrawal, meanwhile, has previously served as an Independent MLC from the Agra Teachers’ constituency. His term is also among those coming to an end with the present election, making the SP’s decision to nominate him significant as the party seeks to utilise his previous electoral experience and support base among teachers in the region.

During the announcement of the candidates, Akhilesh Yadav also launched an attack on the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. He alleged that BJP members had fraudulently secured votes and raised questions about the functioning of the state’s governance, administration and policing systems over the past 10 years.

The SP Chief also alleged that action under the Goonda Act would be taken against a person who posted a video on social media showing a flooded road in Gorakhpur.

Referring to the murder of a wrestler in Sant Kabir Nagar, Akhilesh Yadav said that several such incidents had taken place across the state.

Citing comments made by the Supreme Court regarding the police system, the SP Chief added, “The police system in the state has deteriorated.”

He also indicated that education and the examination system would be among the key issues that the party would raise during the upcoming elections.

He alleged that paper leaks had increased during the BJP government’s tenure and claimed that discrimination had taken place in government recruitment and jobs.

Akhilesh Yadav said the Samajwadi Party would include issues concerning ad-hoc teachers, unaided teachers, Shiksha Mitras and the old pension scheme in its manifesto.

He also questioned the condition of the state’s healthcare system and said that the SP would provide free treatment to poor people if it returned to power.

“If the Samajwadi Party forms the government, free treatment will be provided to the poor,” he said.

The SP President also placed the party’s PDA, referring to the alliance of backward, Dalit and minority communities, at the centre of its electoral campaign.

He said the Samajwadi Party, along with the INDIA bloc, had defeated the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and claimed that the BJP would not be able to withstand the strength of the PDA in the upcoming Assembly elections.

“Youth lack adequate jobs and employment opportunities, and unemployment is rising… During the Samajwadi Party government, laptops were provided to youth, and today, these same youth are questioning the government through mobile phones and laptops,” Akhilesh Yadav added.

Abu Dhabi, Oct 3: Captain Smit Machchhar, the brave Indian pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073, is responding well to treatment and continues to receive medical attention, the Indian Embassy in the UAE said on Saturday.

The mission said it was coordinating with his family and local authorities. It also thanked the UAE government for the care being extended to him.

“Indian braveheart Capt. Smit remains under excellent medical care & is recovering well. We are in touch with his family & local authorities, extending support for a speedy recovery. Our thanks to UAE gov. for their care. We join well-wishers in praying for his good health,” the Indian mission posted on X.

Captain Machchhar was injured while preventing a mid-air attack on Wednesday aboard the flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel.

During the incident, another pilot stabbed Captain Machchhar and the aircraft began to plummet.

The Indian pilot fought the assailant bravely and opened the cockpit door, following which passengers rushed to assist, entered the cockpit and overpowered the attacker.

Once the attacker was subdued, the seriously wounded Indian pilot was stabilised until the aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke with Captain Machchhar over a video call, praising his courage, presence of mind and composure during the mid-air incident in which he helped save the lives of passengers and crew members.

During the conversation, PM Modi said the country could proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their own lives to save others.

PM Modi began the conversation by asking about Captain Machchhar’s health and said the entire country was praying for his speedy recovery.

“The whole country is praying for you. Maha Mrityunjaya Jaap is being performed for you and your health. Your courage, presence of mind and composure saved many lives. The country can proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their lives to save others,” PM Modi said.

Captain Machchhar nodded and responded, “Yes, sir.”

The Indian pilot has also received recognition from across the world, with leaders and people lauding his bravery and actions that helped save hundreds of lives during the mid-air attack.

New Delhi, Oct 3: The Rs 3,000-crore drug bust off the Lakshadweep Islands early this week has dealt a major blow to the Haji Salim network, but the bigger challenge for the alleged Inter Services Intelligence-backed syndicate is the shrinking availability of viable maritime routes into India.

Intensified coastal surveillance and heightened security have made traditional landing points increasingly difficult to use, forcing the network to shift routes, take greater risks, and search for new entry points for moving large consignments of narcotics.

Five Pakistani nationals operating the vessel were arrested, and 400 kg of methamphetamine and 126 kg of high-grade drugs worth over Rs 3,000 crore were seized during the operation by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad.

An official said that the investigations show that the consignment was intended to land in Tamil Nadu, following which it was to be smuggled into international markets.

“Haji Salim, a Dawood Ibrahim aide, is in charge of narcotic smuggling into the southern states. From there it is taken to Sri Lanka and to countries such as Thailand,” the official said.

For the Haji Salim, the seizure of such a massive consignment is no doubt a setback, but the bigger worry for the syndicate is that it is running out of routes.

“Earlier, Gujarat was the most preferred route for the Haji Salim network. However, in recent times there have been multiple busts on this route, and the network has incurred massive losses following heightened security,” the official said.

The surveillance has increased manifold along the Gujarat route, and smuggling has become extremely difficult for the gang. This has forced the Haji Salim network to send the consignment of drugs using alternate routes.

Since the network shifted south, the Iranian dhow that was carrying the consignment had to be tracked and intercepted 160 nautical miles northwest of Lakshadweep.

Another official said the Haji Salim network now faces a fresh challenge as the new route has also come under the radar of coastal agencies.

“The network may have spent months planning the alternate route to bypass Gujarat. However, following the latest joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Gujarat ATS, the Salim gang is likely to start looking for another route,” the official said.

The officials say that very soon, the ISI-backed Salim syndicate will run out of routes.

Earlier, the most preferred route prior to Gujarat was Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. However, there were multiple successive actions carried out by the agencies, which led to several consignments being busted.

“Currently the surveillance at this seaport is at an all-time high and smuggling narcotics is next to impossible here,” the official said.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that Haji Salim managed to find new landing points at Kasargod and Malappuram, in north Kerala

“These locations have relatively low levels of coastal surveillance, making them ideal landing points for the network. However, it is only a matter of time before surveillance is stepped up in these areas,” the official said.

The officials say that although the Indian agencies have shut down several routes and conducted successive operations, they cannot become complacent. There is a lot at stake here, and both the ISI and the Haji Salim network are in need of funds. With so many of their contingents being busted in recent times, the losses that they have incurred is huge.

Further, Haji Salim is also under immense pressure from his international buyers to deliver narcotics in huge quantities.

If busts such as these continue to take place, then the international buyers would start looking for other avenues and this would cause a major dent for the Haji Salim network, officials say.

For the ISI too, such busts represent a major setback.

Officials said that under arrangements allegedly struck by the ISI with narcotics operators such as Dawood Ibrahim and Haji Salim, the drug cartels are required to hand over 40 percent of their proceeds from the narcotics trade. In return, the ISI is alleged to provide protection to the networks.

Officials said the money is largely used to finance terror activities in India.

The fact is that the Haji Salim network is running out of routes in India to move its consignments. While Salim plans newer routes, he also has to deal with the pressure from international buyers who are likely to pursue other avenues if this network does not get its act together, another official said.