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Haryana Elections 2024: Congress Fields Vinesh Phogat From Julana In First List Of 31 Candidates, CM Saini Reacts

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Haryana: The Congress on Friday released its first list of 31 candidates for Haryana assembly elections and fielded former wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Julana.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will contest from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi and state Congress chief Udai Bhan from Hodal.

The party has fielded Mewa Singh against Chief Minister and BJP candidate Nayab Singh Saini in Ladwa.

Pradeep Chaudhary is in the fray from Kalka, Neeraj Sharma from Faridabad NIT, Aftab Ahmed from Nuh, Geeta Bhukkal from Jhajjar (SC), Bharat Bhushan Batra from Rohtak, and Surender Panwar from Sonipat.

In a big boost to Congress, Olympian wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat joined the Congress earlier in the day.

Within hours of his joining the party, Bajrang Punia was appointed working president of All India Kisan Congress.

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Saini said every person has his or her own opinion about which ideology they want to associate with.

However, he took a dig at Congress, saying it has opposed decisions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

CM Saini’s Dig At Congress

He said Congress should clarify its intention behind inducting senior players.

“Every person has its own opinion about which ideology they want to associate with. Congress should clarify its intention behind this. PM Modi has always taken decisions in the national interest. And Congress has always opposed all of its decisions. So they should clarify as they do politics in the name of players, soldiers and farmers,” he said.

Punia and Phogat joined the Congress in the presence of Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, party leader Pawan Khera, Udai Bhan, and AICC incharge of Haryana Deepak Babaria.

Phogat recalled women wrestlers’ fight over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. “The fight is continuing, it hasn’t ended yet. It’s in court. We will win that fight as well… With the new platform that we are getting today, we will work for the service of the nation,” she said.

“When we were being dragged on the road, all parties except the BJP were with us. I feel proud that I have joined a party which stands with women and is ready to fight from ‘sadak to sansad’…,” she added.

The two well-known wrestlers joined the Congress almost a month before the Haryana assembly polls.

The wrestlers resigned from their respective positions in Northern Railways earlier in the day.

Punia won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, while Vinesh Phogat became the first woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final.

Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling a short while after she was disqualified from the Paris Olympic Games after being found overweight by about 100 gm in her 50-kg category weigh-in ahead of the gold medal match.

Seat Sharing Talks Between Congress & AAP

Earlier, AICC in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria, talked about seat-sharing talks with AAP for the Haryana polls.

INDIA bloc partners including the Communist Party of India (CPIM) and the Samajwadi Party, have also approached them to fight the assembly elections together in the state.

“Currently we are speaking to the Aam Aadmi Party. One or two other parties have also approached, we will respond in a day or two. CPI (M) and the Samajwadi Party approached us. They are expecting a very small number. They want to make their presence felt in the state,” Babaria stated.

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi sought the opinion of Haryana Congress leaders over the possibility of an alliance for the forthcoming Haryana Assembly elections during the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting held in the national capital on Monday.

Arvind Kejriwal had earlier stated that his party would contest the Haryana Assembly polls in on its own strength.

The BJP has already released its first list of 67 candidates for Haryana Assembly polls on Thursday.

Voting for the 90-member legislative assembly in Haryana will be held on October 5, with the last date for filing nominations is September 12. Votes will be counted on October 8.

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241 dead, one survivor as Air India Dreamliner crashes after takeoff from Ahmedabad: Air India

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New Delhi, June 13: In what is being described as one of the worst aviation disasters in Indian history, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.

The aircraft, operating as Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, plunged into a residential complex near BJ Medical College, killing 241 people on board.

The ill-fated flight had 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew, and two pilots. According to officials, only one person, a British national of Indian origin seated in 11A, survived the crash and is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

The aircraft took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.38 p.m. (IST) on Thursday before losing control moments later and crashing into a densely populated area, igniting a massive blaze and triggering emergency response teams across the city.

Air India confirmed the accident in an official statement on X: “UPDATE: Air India confirms that flight AI171, operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on 12 June 2025, was involved in an accident. The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew. The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital.”

The airline also shared the nationality breakdown of passengers: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.

“Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones. A team of caregivers from Air India is now in Ahmedabad to provide additional support,” the statement added.

The national carrier has pledged full cooperation with authorities investigating the cause of the crash and has established dedicated helplines for families seeking information.

Domestic callers can reach the support team at 1800 5691 444, while international callers are advised to dial +91 8062779200.

Regular updates will be provided through Air India’s official website and its X handle.

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Plastic nurdle spill from sunken cargo ship reaches TN’s Dhanushkodi sanctuary, raising alarm

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Chennai, June 10: A plastic nurdle spill from the sunken cargo ship MSC ELSA 3 has spread into the newly declared Dhanushkodi Greater Flamingo Sanctuary in Ramanathapuram district, threatening one of India’s most fragile coastal ecosystems.

The MSC ELSA 3, a Liberian-flagged vessel, sank off the Kochi coast a few weeks ago while carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials, 12 with calcium carbide, 367 tonnes of furnace oil, and 84 tonnes of diesel.

The ship’s cargo manifest remains undisclosed, fuelling speculation about the full extent of environmental risk.

Dhanushkodi Sanctuary, located within the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, supports 128 species of birds — including Greater and Lesser Flamingos — and is home to sea turtles, crustaceans, molluscs, and fish. Its dunes, marshes, and seagrass beds form part of the Central Asian Flyway for migratory birds.

The nurdles — tiny plastic pellets used in industrial manufacturing — resemble fish eggs and can be deadly to marine life. When ingested, they cause internal blockages, starvation, and often death. They also absorb toxins, entering the food chain and posing long-term health hazards.

About 80 bags, each weighing 25 kilograms, have reportedly washed ashore along a 12-km coastal stretch. Affected sites include the Dhanushkodi old church, Irattaithalai, Mugandharayan Chathiram, Gothanda Ramar temple, and Patchappatti village.

Carried by ocean currents from the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanniyakumari coast, the spill now threatens the adjacent Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, home to vital coral reefs and seagrass beds.

Experts warn these habitats could be smothered by plastic debris, blocking sunlight and disrupting photosynthesis.

Ramanathapuram District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon said, “We’ve identified between 15 and 30 nurdle bags along the coast. A special team has been deployed for cleanup, and additional teams are monitoring for further debris.”

He urged the public not to panic, stating that swift action was underway.

The disaster evokes memories of the 2021 X-Press Pearl incident in Sri Lanka, where 1,680 tonnes of nurdles led to mass marine deaths and crippled fisheries.

Studies showed severe impacts on plankton and larval life forms, threatening entire food chains.

Cleanup efforts in Ramanathapuram face challenges due to the nurdles’ buoyancy and small size, worsened by monsoon waves that break them into microplastics.

With the 61-day annual fishing ban nearing its end, fishermen fear reduced fish catches and consumer hesitancy could harm their livelihoods if the spill worsens.

Environmentalists are calling for urgent intervention, cargo transparency, and long-term containment measures to prevent irreversible damage to one of India’s most critical marine ecosystems.

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Eight Punjab and Haryana HC judges take lead to boost Kashmir tourism post Pahalgam terror attack

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Srinagar, June 9: To give a boost to Kashmir tourism post Pahalgam terror attack, eight judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court are visiting the valley along with their families.

The visit of the legal personalities along with their families carries a powerful message for the revival of tourism in Kashmir, which got shattered after the Pahalgam terror attack.

On April 22, Pakistan-backed terrorists of Lashkar-e-Kashmir (LeT) killed 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local pony owner.

The pony owner sacrificed his life while trying to protect the tourists from the bullets of the terrorists.

The terror attack caused outrage in the entire country, and to avenge the killings of innocent civilians, the Indian Armed Forces carried out airstrikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan under Operation Sindoor.

In retaliation for India’s attack on terrorist infrastructure, Pakistan resorted to heavy mortar shelling on civilian facilities in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts.

Eighteen civilians were killed in Pakistan shelling, 13 of them in Poonch district, in addition to the destruction of scores of homes, shops, a temple, a mosque, a church and a Gurudwara.

The itinerary of the visiting high court judges includes visits to the Mughal Gardens of Nishat and Shalimar, Shikara rides on the Dal Lake, a visit to the historic Pari Mahal and buying a few handicrafts at the local market.

There could be no better omen for the revival of tourism in Kashmir than the decision of the honourable justices of the High Court to come here along with their families.

Coinciding with the visit of these dignitaries, local tour and travel operators and hotel owners are reporting a gradual rise in the tourist bookings that had virtually stopped after the Pahalgam terror attack.

Tour and travel operators and others connected with the tourist industry have expressed hope that the visit by the most respected legal dignitaries, like the high court judges, will restore confidence among visitors, both domestic and foreign, that Kashmir is a safe tourist destination.

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