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Battle for UP: Electoral fate of 9 ministers at stake in 1st phase

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 Fate of several BJP heavyweights, including ministers, will be decided in the first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on Thursday. Polling will be held on 58 seats spread in 11 districts of Western Uttar Pradesh.

Electoral fate of nine ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government will be decided by voters. The ministers are Srikant Sharma from Mathura, Atul Garg from Ghaziabad, Suresh Rana from Thana Bhawan, Kapildev Agarwal from Muzaffar Nagar and Sandeep Singh from Atrauli.

Other ministers whose fate will be decided are Laxminarayan Chaudhary from Chhata, Anil Sharma from Shikarpur, G.S. Dharmesh from Agra Cantt. and Dinesh Khatik from Hastinapur.

Other prominent names are former Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya from Agra Rural, Uttar Pradesh BJP vice president Pankaj Singh from Noida and Mriganka Singh from Kairana.

In the last Assembly polls, the BJP had swept seats in the first phase by winning almost all Assembly constituencies. Five years ago, the BJP won 53 of the 58, while Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) had two seats each and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won one seat.

The ruling BJP is in direct contest with the SP and RLD alliance, while the BSP has its influence in some constituencies.

The high pitch campaign of Western Uttar Pradesh witnessed political parties discussing ‘Ganna’ (sugarcane), Jinnah, 2013 riots, law and order situation in the state along with other issues. The BJP leadership repeatedly raised the issue of mass exodus from Kairana and the region.

These 58 seats are spread in 11 districts of Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Aligarh, Meerut, Shamli, Baghpat, Hapur, Bulandshahr and Agra.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls will be held in seven phases in February-March starting from February 10. Counting of votes will be held on March 10. In the first phase, polling is scheduled in 58 of the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

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‘34 massacres took place in between 1990-2005’: HM Amit Shah lambasts RJD

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Patna, Nov 1: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday lambasted the RJD leadership for the alleged “jungle raj”, accusing them of 34 bloody massacres between 1990 and 2005 during their tenure.

Addressing a virtual rally for NDA candidates in Gopalganj, Shah cited 34 massacres that took place during that period, including Bara, Senari, Bathani Tola, Laxmanpur-Bathe, Shankar Bigha and Miapur.

“This is not an election to elect an MLA or minister, but an election to choose between good governance under Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, or the Jungle Raj of the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan),” Shah said.

The Home Minister said that this election will decide who will control Bihar, those who oversaw years of jungle raj, or the PM Modi-Nitish Kumar combine that has put Bihar on the path of development.

Shah was scheduled to attend the rally in person but said he was unable to fly due to bad weather and addressed the virtual rally from Patna.

“I apologise to the people of Gopalganj who turned out in large numbers. We did not get permission to take off due to weather conditions,” he said, adding that Gopalganj has never elected an RJD MP or MLA since 2002 and expressing confidence that the district would maintain this record.

Shah also highlighted the NDA manifesto and repeated two promises targeting women and farmers.

He said the government had already transferred Rs 10,000 to each of 1.41 crore Jeevika Didis and promised that after government formation, they would be given an additional Rs 2 lakh each.

For farmers, he claimed that the annual PM-Kisan support would be increased from Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000.

Calling these not small commitments, Shah said, “Rs 9,000 a year to 87 lakh farmers and Rs 2.10 lakh each to 1.41 crore Jeevika Didis – this is not a small thing.”

He further claimed the Narendra Modi government had decided to reopen all sugar mills of Bihar, saying several had already restarted, including three in Gopalganj and one rice mill, while Riga Sugar Mill in Sitamarhi was functioning.

Shah also announced new infrastructure commitments, including an expressway from Dumariaghat (Gopalganj) to Patna and the redevelopment of Thave railway station.

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‘Onboard LTTE-ISI Operatives’: IndiGo Flight From Jeddah To Hyderabad Diverted To Mumbai After Receiving ‘Human Bomb’ Threat

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Mumbai: An IndiGo flight 6E 68 traveling from Jeddah to Hyderabad was diverted to Mumbai on November 1, following ‘human bomb’ threat email. The Rajiv Gandhi International (RGIA) Airport in Hyderabad received a threat email early morning which claimed that there was a “human bomb” onboard the flight. However, the plane was diverted and safely landed in Mumbai.

According to the police, the threat mail stated, “…onboard LTTE-ISI operatives have planned a major 1984 Madras Airport Modus operandi style blast,” as quoted by news agency media.

On the incident, IndiGo spokesperson also released a statement and said, “A security threat was received for IndiGo flight 6E 68 operating from Jeddah to Hyderabad on November 1 and the aircraft was diverted to Mumbai.” After the information was received, following the established protocols, the relevant authorities were immediately informed. All the necessary security checks along with the relevant authorities were carried out before the aircraft was cleared for further operations.

In addition to this, the IndiGo Spokesperson also added, “We made all efforts to minimise inconvenience to our customers including offering them refreshments and sharing regular updates,” as quoted by media.

Mumbai has witnessed several instances of bomb threats targeting schools, hospitals, airports, temples, the Bombay High Court, and other public places

On October 9, a threatening email was received at the Bandra Family Court in BKC. Following the email, the BKC police station and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) were informed. In the email, the sender claimed that a bomb had been planted in the BKC Family Court.

In September, an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Delhi received a bomb threat. The flight 6E 762 had around 200 people on board and the security agencies found the threat to be non-specific, the source told media.

On September 28, Mumbai’s Shivaji Park Police Station received a bomb threat where caller claimed that a bomb had been planted at Dadar Railway Station. Prior to that, the Bombay High Court had received a threatening email claiming that a bomb had been planted on its premises.

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Gujarat: Applications for selection of State Haj Inspectors for Haj 2026 open till Nov 3

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Gandhinagar, Nov 1: The Gujarat State Haj Committee under the General Administration Department has invited applications from eligible state government employees interested in serving as State Haj Inspectors for Haj–2026, government officials said on Saturday.

The online application process, which began on October 15, 2025, will remain open for only two more days — until November 3, 2025, while offline submission of applications will be accepted until November 5, 2025.

The role of the State Haj Inspector is crucial in assisting pilgrims during their sacred journey.

Selected officials will be deputed to Saudi Arabia for nearly two months under the supervision of the Consulate General of India in Jeddah through the Haj Committee of India.

The deputation period will be treated as official duty, and regular salary and allowances will be paid by the respective departments.

To be eligible for selection as a State Haj Inspector for Haj–2026, applicants must be Muslim officers or employees currently serving under the Gujarat government, its public sector undertakings, autonomous institutions, or commissions, and must possess a graduate degree from a recognised university.

However, officers belonging to Class I or equivalent cadres, as well as contractual employees or those engaged through outsourcing arrangements, are not eligible to apply.

The applicant’s age must also be below 50 years as of October 15, 2025, ensuring that only physically fit and capable individuals are considered for the demanding nature of the assignment.

Each candidate must also hold a valid Indian passport, with an expiry date extending beyond December 31, 2026, to cover the entire duration of the Haj deputation period and related travel requirements.

Applicants, who have previously served as State Haj Inspectors or Khadim-ul-Hujjaj on three or more occasions will not be considered, as preference will be given to new candidates or those with fewer prior deputations to encourage wider participation among eligible government employees.

In addition, every applicant must upload a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by their respective department, organisation, or competent authority at the time of online submission.

In cases where the NOC is not available at the time of applying, candidates are required to upload a written undertaking or declaration, committing to submit the NOC during the interview stage.

This ensures administrative clearance and accountability for deputation from the parent department.

Interested applicants must first submit their application on the Haj Committee of India website (http://hajcommittee.gov.in) by November 3, 2025.

Later, they must fill out the State Haj Committee online form on https://haj.gujarat.gov.in and upload the required details and documents.

A hard copy of the completed application, forwarded through the head of the respective department or public enterprise, must reach: Secretary, Gujarat State Haj Committee, Block No. 8, 8th Floor, Secretariat, Gandhinagar, by November 5, 2025, during office hours.

Applications that are incomplete, lack required documents, or are received after the deadline will not be considered for the selection process.

As per the guidelines of the Haj Committee of India and the Ministry of Minority Affairs, candidates will be selected through a computer-based test followed by an interview.

For Haj–2026, one State Haj Inspector will be appointed for every 150 pilgrims.

Selected candidates will be required to obtain approval from their parent department or competent authority and bear 50 per cent of the deputation cost (Rs 2,10,000).

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