LIVE news updates: BJP can’t win 1 seat in WB, they are trying to hide behind central forces: Mamata Banerjee

Former Deputy CM of Bihar and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says that all the leaders of the ‘mahagathbandhan’ today came for a meeting, we discussed seat sharing. There isn't any confusion between us, we are all clear. Mahagathbandhan leaders' meeting was held in Delhi

The Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili sect of Shia Muslims, has been named the Global Founding Patron of the Prince of Wales's charitable trust

The Aga Khan, who also heads the Aga Khan Development Network, will now support the delivery of the work of The Prince's Trust in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and through local partners in India, Jordan, Pakistan, Malta, Barbados and Greece, the trust said in a statement.

In a first, the Jawaharlal Nehru University will be conducting its entrance exams online this year, which will be held in May and the registration process will start on March 15, officials said Wednesday.

The entrance exams will comprise of multiple choice questions (MCQs), they said.

The online registration process for JNU Entrance Examination, 2019-20 will begin online from March 15 and Natioinal Testing Agency or NTA will upload the e-prospectus. The registration process will close on April 15, while students will have the option of correcting their application forms from April 17 to April 19, university officials said.

The admit cards will be available for download from the NTA website from April 22 while the entrance exam will be held from May 27 to May 30, they said.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Goa on Wednesday directed the state DGP and the Home department to verify and file responses to a complaint by a lawyer, who alleged malpractice in a mass transfer of police personnel across ranks, days before the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls came into force on Sunday.

In a communication to the State Home Department and the DGP, the CEO's nodal officer Bijesh Manerkar has asked both the departments to "verify the complaint and submit para-wise comments in the matter at the earliest".

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday accused BJP President Amit Shah of using police force to detain call centre workers of Aam Aadmi Party for hours.

"Amit Shah has got down to using his goon-like ways. It is at his behest that the Delhi Police is threatening to shut down our call centres. Names of millions of people have been struck off the voters' list. What wrong did we do in getting their names in the electoral roll? If they have to catch someone, catch us," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said on Twitter.

The party also wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) complaining against the police officers who, it said, harassed its workers.

A screening committee of the Congress on Wednesday vetted the names of former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and Union Minister Vincent H. Pala as the party candidates from two Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya, a Congress official said.

Meghalaya has two parliamentary constituencies -- Shillong and Tura -- that will go to polls on April 11.

A shooting at a school near Sao Paulo on Wednesday left several people dead, police sources said, with initial reports putting the death toll as high as eight.

Sao Paulo's state military police department told the reporters that "several people were shot" when "an individual" entered the institution in Suzano and opened fire.

Slamming the BJP for urging the poll panel to declare West Bengal "super sensitive state", Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged the saffron party was trying to hide behind central forces as it can't win any seat in the state.

The BJP has urged the Election Commission to declare West Bengal "super sensitive state" to ensure fair Lok Sabha polls and demanded that central forces be deployed at all polling stations in the state.

Mockingly advising the BJP to deploy one para-military personnel behind every voter, she said even then the TMC will emerge victorious in all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state

Ending her self-imposed political 'break' after two months, former Mumbai MP Priya Dutt bounced back on Wednesday by announcing she was back in the electoral fray to "save democracy".

"I am in the race and will contest this (2019) elections. I am fighting for the future of my children. It's a fight to save democracy," Dutt told the media

The Tamil Nadu Crime Branch CID Wednesday took over the investigation into the case of sexual harassment of a 19-year old woman in nearby Pollachi, which has drawn public outrage.

CB-CID IGP Sridhar and the special officer Nisha Parthiban held discussions with Superintendent of Police R Pandiarajan and other senior officials and received all documents related to the case.

Indian air force radars detect two Pakistani Air Force jets go in the Poonch sector, loud bangs heard last night in the area. All Indian air defences and radar systems are on high alert

Congress General Secretary for UP (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra meets ailing Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Niranjan Patnaik on Wednesday said the party will give priority to women during distribution of tickets for the upcoming general and Assembly elections in the state.

He said the party high command has asked them to put special emphasis on giving more tickets to women.

Today, government in Tamil Nadu is controlled by Prime Minister's Office, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress General Secretary for UP (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra & Congress General Secretary for UP (West) Jyotiraditya Scindia on their way to Meerut to meet Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar who is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Ministry of Defence in its affidavit before the Supreme Court says the documents attached by the petitioners in the Rafale review case are sensitive to national security which relates to war capacity of combat aircraft.

A landmark UN report published on Wednesday warned the world to drastically scale up environmental protections, or cities and regions in Asia, the Middle East and Africa could see millions of premature deaths by mid-century.

The most comprehensive and rigorous assessment on the state of the environment completed in the last five years warned damage to the planet is so dire that people's health will be increasingly threatened unless urgent action is taken.

The Chief Electoral Officer in Kerala on Wednesday told political parties that under no circumstances should votes be solicited in the name of the Sabarimala temple.

Tikka Ram Meena, who on Monday faced the BJP's ire after he issued a statement to this effect, on Wednesday briefed the media that it had been made clear to all political parties that under no cost should the name of Lord Ayyappa be used in election campaign

EC has called meeting of Chief election officers (CEO) of States & all Observers tomorrow. Meeting is scheduled tomorrow in Delhi. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora along with Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Ashok Lavasa will brief the observers

Suspected militants shot dead a territorial army soldier at Pingleena, Pulwama. Identified as Ashiq Ahmad Nayek (25), he was recently recruited in JAKLI and was posted in Srinagar.Earlier, he was SPO in JKP

Indian and Pakistani armies traded heavy fire on the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, police said.

The firing exchanges started in Chakan Da Bagh area

South Korea and the US will on Thursday hold a first meeting of a bilateral working group weeks after the failed Hanoi summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

According to Yonhap news agency, Rhee Dong-yeol, who heads the South Korean Foreign Ministry's bureau of peace in the peninsula, on Wednesday left for Washington to meet US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for North Korea Alex Wong.

South Korea and the US will on Thursday hold a first meeting of a bilateral working group weeks after the failed Hanoi summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

According to Yonhap news agency, Rhee Dong-yeol, who heads the South Korean Foreign Ministry's bureau of peace in the peninsula, on Wednesday left for Washington to meet US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for North Korea Alex Wong.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Rohinton F Nariman will hear the matter next on April 10. CJI Gogoi says, "All we're concerned with is 31st of July for publication of NRC"

The Royal Thai Embassy is organising a cultural fest - 'Namaste Thailand Festival' - from Friday to Sunday here, to commemorate 72 years of Indo-Thai diplomatic relations.

The festival of Thai food, products, music, performances and culture is all set to offer a unique Thai experience, the organisers of the festival said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi said he harboured no hatred towards the convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and asserted that it was for the courts to decide on their release.

The Congress chief, who is touring Tamil Nadu for a day to launch the United Progressive Alliance's campaign, said the assassination of his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 had two aspects.

A Delhi court fixed March 18 for the framing of charges in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case.

Five people accused in the case had earlier denied allegations levelled against them by the CBI and said there was not enough evidence to prosecute them.

Other accused in the case too had denied allegations against them previously. There are 21 people chargesheeted in the case.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Assam government over inadequacies in the functioning of foreigners tribunals in the state and sought details on it by March 27.

The government told a bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, that 50,000 migrants were declared foreigners by the tribunal in the past 10 years.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Assam government, said around 900 people were kept in six detention centres of the state.

The bench, which also comprised Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, said the state government would have to specify through an affidavit whether the foreigners tribunals functioning in the state were adequate and how they were functioning.

The top court, however, added that it was not insisting on the presence of Assam chief secretary in the court at present.

India will ask Pakistan to insulate Sikh pilgrims visiting the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib through the Kartarpur corridor from Khalistani separatist propaganda, official sources said.

India will raise the issue during the first meeting with Pakistan to finalise the modalities for the Kartarpur corridor on Thursday. The meeting will take place on the Indian side of the Attari-Wagah border, they said.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not giving the people of Jammu and Kashmir the right to choose a state government.

Abdullah was reacting to Modi's appeal to people to vote in large numbers to increase participation in the democratic exercise.

"Dear @narendramodi Sahib, it is good to see you appealing to famous people to increase voter turnout. However, at the same time, your government has consciously disenfranchised people in J&K by not holding Assembly elections on time," the National Conference leader tweeted.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will formally launch the party's poll campaign in Kerala on Thursday when he will address a huge rally of workers at Kozhikode on March 14.

Gandhi will arrive in Kerala this evening after his programmes in Nagercoil and Kanyakumari in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

He has no official programmes in the state on Wednesday and after reaching here, would board a special flight to Kochi and spend the night at a guest house in Thrissur, KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said. The Congress chief would attend a series of programmes on March 14, beginning with the "fishermen's parliament" at Triprayar in Thrissur.

“This country is not going to be ruled from Nagpur. After 2019, there will be nobody in India below the minimum income line. This is a revolutionary idea that we are studying. BJP differentiates between states where they are in power and where they are not. That's anti-national,” said Rahul Gandhi

“The BJP does not see all states similarly. I believe in decentralisation. I don't think the country should be run from the PMO. I also don't believe that a state should be run from the CM's office. I believe in the powers of all offices, including panchayats”

I want you to remember that as women you have every right to the space that you deserve. You will find in life people who will say you can't do this, you can't do that. Never accept that. Always believe in yourself, says Rahul Gandhi

Twenty-five litigants in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case along with their counsels appeared on Wednesday before a Supreme Court-appointed mediation panel, officials said.

The Faizabad administration had issued notices to the 25 litigants on behalf of the panel. The mediation process will take place at a hall at the Faizabad Avadh University, they said, adding that no one has been allowed to enter the area where the mediation is taking place.

Heavy security arrangements have been made at the university premises, Faizabad District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha said.

The Congress on Wednesday slammed the Centre over retail inflation jumping to a four-month high of 2.57 per cent in February and industrial growth slipping to 1.7 per cent, saying that the people will change this "useless government".

Retail inflation inched up to a four-month high of 2.57 per cent in February, though it is still below the RBI's benchmark.The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) expanded by just 1.7 per cent in January, significantly down from 7.5 per cent growth in the year-ago month, according to the data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Tagging a media report on the economic data, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, in a tweet, alleged that there were no jobs and the future of the youth was in the dark.

"Get ready to wrap up, people will change this useless government," he said. The votes will tell that the BJP is responsible, he said.

Rahul Gandhi at Stella Maris college said, “When we came to power in 2004, policies of Vajpayee govt had set fire in Jammu and Kashmir. We decided to fight terrorism strategically. Firstly, we isolated Pakistan all over the world and then we engaged with the population of Jammu and Kashmir.”

CB-CID (Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department) begins an inquiry into the Pollachi sex scandal (more than 50 women lured and sexually harassed by a gang of 4 and the acts videographed case in Tamil Nadu. Investigating team has 1 SP, 1 DSP and 5 Inspectors.

Officials of the Central GST have unearthed an alleged tax fraud of ₹224 crore by a group of eight companies, which generated fake invoices worth ₹1,289 crore.

A key suspect involved in the racket has been arrested and ₹19.75 crore was recovered from him, a press release from the Hyderabad Central GST Commissionerate said Tuesday night.

Several documents were recovered during the simultaneous searches on Tuesday night at the residential and business premises of these companies, which are involved in the trade of iron and steel products.

The companies have been generating fake invoices without actual supply of TMT bars, MS bars, MS flat products among others, and were passing on the input tax credit to other taxpayers within the same group, besides some other taxpayers since July, 2017, it said.

Rahul Gandhi said, “South India is significantly better than North India in the way women are treated. Tamil Nadu is one of the leaders in how it treats its women. However, there is still a lot of improvement required in TN as well.”

You can't have a negative, fearful atmosphere in the country and expect economic growth, which is directly related to the mood of the country, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday.

Addressing women students at the Stella Maris College, he said the Congress will change the mood of the country and make people feel happy and empowered.

Rahul Gandhi, who asked students to refer to him as Rahul, said the law must apply to everybody and not be applied selectively.

Rahul Gandhi responded to a question about why he hugged PM Modi. He said, “I hugged Modi because love is the foundation of every religion. I was watching the PM giving a speech. I don’t have any anger or animosity towards the PM but he was angry. He was talking about me and about my family. I had a feeling affection for him because he was unable to see the beauty of the world. So I thought at least from my side I should show him affection. I learn from Mr Modi, I can’t hate Mr Modi, Do you hate people who teach you things? Your biggest teachers are those who attack you.”

Rahul Gandhi said at Stella Maris college, “How many of you have had the opportunity to ask him 'Mr Prime Minister what do you think about education? What do you think about this? What do you think about that?' Why doesn't Prime Minister have the guts to stand in front of 3000 women and be questioned by them?

Rahul Gandhi said, “The biggest hindrance to growth in India is crony capitalism. Today India is looking inward, there is infighting and anger and that is preventing it from moving forward. India lacks vision. India has to have a certain degree of confidence on the global stage. We have to put our views on the stage. India is fighting within itself.”

Congress president Rahul Gandhi at Stella Maris College, Chennai: “There is currently an ideological battle going in India. It's sharply divided between two ideologies. One ideology is a unifying ideology which says that all people of the country should live together and shouldn't be dominated by one idea.”

Rahul Gandhi said, "The law must not apply selectively, PM Modi's name is on documents that state that he signed the Rafale deal. I will be the first person to say it, investigate Robert Vadra but also investigate Narendra Modi. HAL has made aircrafts for 70 years, Anil Ambani has never made a single aircraft in his life. Why then did PM Modi give the Rafale contract to Anil Ambani?"

“You can’t have a negative, fearful attitude in the country and expect economic growth. We want to move the country to a place where every individual is happy and with that bring about a change in the economy,” says Rahul Gandhi.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi talks about Research and Education in India: “We are spending very little on Research and Education and our target is 6%. It’s not just about putting money into education. It is important that the education imparted should be open and should have the freedom to question the government. I want you to make me uncomfortable so that I learn from that, from you.”

“The govt has the responsibility to set the benchmark for education and the rest should follow.”

A man, who witnessed the killing of his two brothers during the Muzaffarnagar riots, was shot dead at Khatoli, police said on Wednesday.

The communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and its adjoining areas in August and September 2013 had claimed more than 60 lives while over 40,000 people were displaced.

Ashfaq, a witness in the case, was shot dead in Khatoli on Monday, Circle Officer Ashish Kumar said. Eight people are facing trial for allegedly killing Ashfaq's brothers and the next hearing was scheduled for March 25.

Police are examining CCTV footage to identify the shooter, Kumar said, adding that Ashfaq was killed when he was going to deliver milk.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has arrived in Chennai and will be participating in multiple events, including an interaction with students, in the state on Wednesday.

Intensive negotiations are on the cards for the opposition grand alliance in Bihar as top leaders of the formation will meet in New Delhi on Wednesday to thrash out the thorny issue of seat-sharing for 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The general election is scheduled to begin on April 11 and will continue till May 19. Polling on the different seats will be held in Bihar in seven phases.

The 'mahagathbandhan', as the grand alliance is called in local parlance, comprises old allies like the Congress and the RJD, besides new entrants such as Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP, Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), Sharad Yadav's Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) and the Vikashsheel Insaan Party (VIP), a fledgling outfit floated by former Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahni.

SC asks Gujarat govt to file a detailed affidavit with regard to bail application filed by one of the convicts, Prakash Rathod in the 2002 Naroda Patiya case. SC also issues notice to Gujarat govt on hearing an application filed by a fourth convict who sought bail on medical grounds.

A massive landslide early on Wednesday buried nearly three dozen shops in a rural market in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, police said.

There was no immediate report of any casualty in the incident, which took place at Bathri market in Bhalessa, 65 km from the district headquarters, around 4.15 am, said Bhadarwah Superintendent of Police Raj Singh Gouria.

Gouria, who is supervising the search and rescue operation, quoted preliminary information and said a total of 14 structures, consisting of nearly three dozen shops, got buried under the landslide.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday clarified its last year order on police reforms and said officers who have a minimum of six months tenure left in service shall be considered for the post of director general of police (DGP).

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the recommendation for post of DGP by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and preparation of the panel should be purely on the basis of merit.

The apex court passed the verdict on a modification plea filed by former Uttar Pradesh DGP Prakash Singh.

The fate of the proposal to designate Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council will be known in less than 24 hours when the deadline to raise objections to the bid expires.

The proposal to designate Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council was moved by France, UK and the US on February 27.

It was under the no-objection period and Committee members had a period of 10 working days to raise any objections to the proposal. The no-objection period deadline ends 3 pm Wednesday (12:30am IST). The Committee makes its decisions by consensus of its members.

Supreme Court allows Ministry of Defence to file an affidavit in Rafale case after it seeks permission for the same.

The Civil Aviation Ministry will hold a meeting with airlines at 4 pm on Wednesday to prepare a contingency plan as a number of flights have been cancelled following the grounding of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, a senior government official said.

On Tuesday night, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced its decision to "immediately" ground the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft that are currently being used by airline companies in India.

BJP MLA OP Sharma said, “EC sent me a notice last night. The post was made before LS poll dates were announced. Can't understand how EC is operating,” on being served show cause notice by Dist EC for posting his pic with a pic of IAF's Abhinandan Varthaman on social media on Mar 1.

All Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft would be grounded in India by 4 pm on Wednesday, said a senior official of Indian aviation watchdog DGCA.

The decision came days after a 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by the Ethiopian Airlines crashed near Addis Ababa killing 157 people, including four Indians.

On Tuesday night, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced its decision to ground the aircraft that are currently being used by airline companies in India.

All Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in India would be grounded by 4 pm Wednesday, March 13, said a DGCA official.

Earlier on Tuesday, India's civil aviation regulator suspended the operations of Boeing 737-800 MAX aircraft, after several other countries restrained their airlines from operating the aircraft type.

In a late night development, the Ministry of Civil Aviation tweeted: "DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken to ensure their safe operations."

"As always, passenger safety remains our top priority. We continue to consult closely with regulators around the world, airlines and aircraft manufacturers to ensure passenger safety."

The rupee appreciated by 8 paise to 69.63 against the US dollar in opening trade on Wednesday, driven by sustained foreign fund flows and higher opening in domestic equity market.

The rupee opened at 69.71 at the interbank forex market then gained further ground and touched 69.63, displaying gains of 8 paise over its last close.

The rupee Tuesday had strengthened by 18 paise to close at 69.71 against the US dollar.

One person was arrested and arms and ammunition, including grenades, were seized by security forces from a militant hideout in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, police said on Wednesday.

"On credible input, a joint party of police and other security forces busted a hideout in a residential house at Kulgam district's Yaripora area, and recovered arms and ammunition, including grenades and live rounds, last night," a police spokesman said here.

Mohammad Ayoub Rather, a resident of Yaripora, was arrested, he said.

Police have registered a case and an investigation has been initiated, the spokesman said.

Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar meets the criteria to be designated as a global terrorist and not doing so is against regional stability and peace, the US said on Tuesday on the eve of the UN Security Council making a crucial decision in this regard.

The JeM, headed by the 50-year-old Azhar, carried out many terror strikes in India and was involved in the attack on Parliament, the Pathankot air force base, army camps in Jammu and Uri, and the latest suicide attack on CRPF in Pulwama which claimed the lives of 40 personnel.