National News
EC announces crucial bypoll for Mamata Banerjee on September 30
After much speculation, the Election Commission of India announced the date for the bye-elections in Bhabanipur and elections in two other assembly constituencies – Samserganj and Jangipur in Murshidabad district on Saturday. The elections in these three constituencies will be held on September 30 and counting will be held on October 3.
The elections in Samserganj and Jangipur were withheld because of the death of the candidates before polls during the recently concluded assembly election in West Bengal. On the other hand, a bye-election in Bhabanipur assembly constituency is scheduled because the existing MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay resigned to make room for chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Banerjee lost to the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhiakri in Nandigram in the recently concluded polls and is still not an elected member of the legislative body.
The commission in its notification quoting chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi said, “under Article 164(4) of the Constitution of India, a Minister who is not a member of the Legislature of the State for a period of six consecutive months shall at the expiration of that period cease to be a Minister and there will be a constitutional crisis and vacuum in the top executive posts in the Government unless elections are held immediately”.
“He has also informed that in view of administrative exigencies and public interest and to avoid vacuum in the state, bye-elections for Bhabanipur, Kolkata from where Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister intends to contest elections may be conducted,” the notification said.
“Taking into consideration the inputs and views of the Chief Secretaries of the concerned States and respective Chief Electoral Officers, while the Commission has decided not to hold bye-elections in other 31 Assembly constituencies and 3 Parliamentary Constituencies and considering the exigency and special request from the State of West Bengal, it has decided to hold bye-election in 159- Bhabanipur AC,” the notification said.
“Further, the Commission has also decided to hold polls in 3 Assembly constituencies namely 56-Samserganj, 58- Jangipur of West Bengal and 1 Assembly Constituency 110-Pipli of Odisha where the adjourned poll was deferred,” the notification said.
The election in these two constituencies of West Bengal was deferred because of the death of the candidates before the election. The commission has allowed a campaign time of seven days from September 20.
However, there are four more assembly constituencies – Khardah in North 24 Parganas, South Dinhata in Cooch Behar, Santipur in Nadia and Gosaba in South 24 Parganas where bye-election is scheduled but the election commission has kept the elections on hold considering the Covid pandemic situation.
The Trinamool Congress has been pressing for the election for quite a long time and recently a five-member delegation of Trinamool MPs including Sougata Roy, Jwahar Sircar, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy Sajda Ahmed and Mohua Moitra met the election commissioner and demanded for the polls. The announcement is a huge relief for the party.
National News
‘34 massacres took place in between 1990-2005’: HM Amit Shah lambasts RJD

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

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

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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