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Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 Schedule: Polls To Be Held In Single Phase On February 5, Results On February 8

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New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday announced the schedule of the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025. The high-octane polls will be held in a single phase on February 5. The results will be declared on February 8

Date of notification is January 10

Delhi will witness a fierce electoral battle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress could also dent the vote share of both the parties.

CEC’s Press Briefing:

The AAP will be trying to retain the power for the third consecutive time, while the saffron party is eyeing to gain control of the national capital territory (NCT).

The AAP has been accusing the BJP of manipulating the voter list to its advantage. On the other side, the saffron party and the Congress levelled corruption allegations against Kejriwal and his party. The BJP alleged that the AAP is supporting Rohingyas to gain electoral advantage. Even the Congress leaders alleged that the Kejriwal-led party was using money to influence voters.

On Monday, the Delhi Election Commission released the voter list ahead of the polls.

In the 2020 polls, the AAP registered a landslide victory for the second consecutive time by winning 62 seats, while the BJP managed to bag only eight. The Congress again failed to open its account in Delhi in 2020.

National News

Anti-terrorist operation continues in J&K’s Kishtwar, no fresh firing

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Jammu, May 23: Joint security forces continued anti-terrorist operations on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, even as no fresh firing exchanges were reported from the area.

The security forces launched the operation against a group of 3 to 4 terrorists reportedly hiding in the Singhpora Chatroo area of Kishtwar district Thursday morning.

One soldier was martyred in the encounter between the joint forces and the terrorists, while two other soldiers were injured.

Army’s Nagrota headquartered White Knight Corps said on X on Friday, “In a solemn ceremony, Chief of Staff @WhiteKnight_IA paid tribute to #Braveheart Sep Gaykar Sandip Pandurang, who made the supreme sacrifice in the finest traditions of the #IndianArmy.

“His courage and #sacrifice will inspire generations of soldiers”.

Officials said on Friday that firing stopped Thursday evening, and there has been no exchange of fire thereafter.

“A massive search operation was launched jointly by the Special Operations Group of J&K Police, the Army and paramilitary forces to track down the terrorists hiding in the dense forest. Additional troops have been inducted, and operations are ongoing to neutralise the terrorists,” officials said.

The J&K Director General of Police (DGP), Nalin Prabhat, also visited the Singhpora-Chatroo area where a major anti-terrorism operation is currently underway.

“The DGP personally visited the dense forests and mountainous terrain, encouraged the deployed personnel, and issued directions to ensure that all terrorists involved are dealt with strictly and brought to justice,” said an official.

He said DGP Prabhat lauded the synergy among all security agencies and reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the Jammu and Kashmir Police to maintaining peace and order in the region through sustained and focused operations.

It must be recalled that Joint forces have been involved in aggressive operations against terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers in Jammu and Kashmir.

These operations were intensified after April 22, when Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists segregated tourists on the basis of religion and killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

The cowardly terrorist act outraged the entire nation. India launched precision-guided targeted attacks on terrorist infrastructure in Muridke near Lahore, Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Pakistan responded by heavy mortar shelling on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in J&K, targeting civilian facilities.

At least 200 houses and shops were destroyed in Pakistani shelling, while hundreds of border residents were forced to abandon their villages to move to safer locations. The border residents have not fully returned to their homes yet as the security forces are still defusing unexploded Pakistan shells in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla and Kupwara districts.

India responded positively to a ceasefire after the DGMOs of the two countries reached an understanding on June 12.

But, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has made it clear that the understanding will be respected only as long as Pakistan does not allow any terrorist activity on its soil against India.

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Crime

Encroachments along Adyar River in TN bulldozed on Madras HC order

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Chennai, May 22: Following stern directives from the Madras High Court, authorities have initiated the removal of encroachments along the Adyar riverbank in Tamil Nadu’s Anakaputhur, with plans to complete the process within a week.

The court had recently issued a three-month deadline to the Tamil Nadu government to eliminate all encroachments obstructing the Adyar River Restoration Project.

Responding to this, the Water Resources Department on Wednesday began demolishing illegal structures, including around 50 houses in Anakaputhur. Officials confirmed that this is the first phase of the eviction drive.

The removal will continue in downstream areas such as Thideer Nagar, Jyothi Ammal Nagar, Surya Nagar, and Malligaipoo Nagar in Saidapet and Kotturpuram in the coming weeks.

An official from the Water Resources Department stated, “We will proceed with the clearance, one neighbourhood at a time, as per the court’s directive. The project had been delayed for years due to the presence of these encroachments.”

The state’s Additional Advocate-General J. Ravindran informed the court that the encroachments had halted progress on the Adyar River Restoration Project — a major initiative worth Rs 1,500 crore announced in three consecutive budgets since 2023.

Due to the obstructions, contractors were unable to prepare a detailed project report, stalling the project indefinitely.

In Anakaputhur alone, 593 families residing in areas such as Quaid-e-Milleth Nagar, Thai Moogambikai Nagar, Santhai Nagar, and MGR Nagar Third Street are being evicted. However, the state government is providing alternative housing to the affected families.

“Each displaced family will be allotted a 390-square-foot house at no cost. These houses, valued at Rs 17 lakh each, are located in Talaivaram, Keerapakkam, Perumbakkam, and Navalur,” the official added.

The Adyar River Restoration Project aims to rejuvenate the heavily polluted waterway and prevent urban flooding — a recurring issue during Chennai’s monsoon seasons. The successful removal of encroachments is expected to pave the way for its long-awaited implementation.

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National News

Gunfight breaks out between security forces and terrorists in J&K’s Kishtwar

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Jammu, May 22: A gunfight erupted on Thursday between the joint security forces and the terrorists during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.

Officials said that on specific information about the presence of a group of three to four terrorists, joint forces launched a CASO in Singhpora, Chatroo area of Kishtwar district.

“The cordon was tightened to engage the terrorists and to ensure that they are unable to escape. As the joint forces came closer, the hiding terrorists opened fire, triggering an encounter which is now going on. Three to four Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists are reported to be holed up,” officials said.

Naming the operation as ‘Op Trashi’, the White Knight Corps of the Indian Army in a post on its X handle said, “Contact has been established with #terrorists during a joint #operation with @JmuKmrPolice at #Chhatru, #Kishtwar today morning. Additional troops have been inducted, and operations are ongoing to neutralize the terrorists.”

Joint forces have started aggressive operations against terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers in J&K. These operations were intensified after April 22, when Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists segregated tourists on the basis of religion and killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

The cowardly terrorist act outraged the entire nation. India launched precision-guided targeted attacks on terrorist infrastructure in Muridke near Lahore, Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Pakistan responded by heavy mortar shelling on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, targeting civilian facilities.

A total of 200 houses and shops were destroyed in Pakistani shelling, while hundreds of border residents were forced to abandon their villages to run to safer locations.

The border residents have not fully returned to their homes yet as the security forces are still defusing unexploded Pakistan shells in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla and Kupwara districts.

India agreed to a ceasefire arrived at by the DGMOs of the two countries on June 12.

But, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has made it clear that the understanding will be respected only as long as Pakistan does not allow any terrorist activity on its soil against India. he said that this was a probation period for Pakistan.

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