LEAD

The BJP has scored a perfect three in the latest round of polls in three northeastern states. Tripura and Nagaland under its belt with the help of allies, the party is making efforts to form government in Meghalaya with Conrad Sangma.

Meghalaya was heading for a hung house when Conrad Sangma dialled the BJP's chief strategist Amit Shah for a renewal of their alliance. The state's ruling allies had decided to contest solo ahead of the election, following a rift over corruption allegations against the NPP.

In a direct reference to economic fugitives finding safe havens overseas, India on Wednesday called upon G20 nations to adopt multilateral action for faster extradition of such offenders and recovery of assets from abroad.

Jointly chairing the first anti-corruption working group meeting of G20 nations with Italy in Gurgaon, minister of state in the PMO Jitendra Singh said many countries are facing the problem of economic offences and it becomes difficult to prosecute such offenders when the person flees overseas.

India has been fighting cases in UK courts for extradition of diamond merchant Nirav Modi and former business tycoon Vijay Mally for several years now.

Two days after his arrest in an alleged excise policy scam, Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Tuesday resigned from the council of ministers. Former health minister Satyendar Jain, who was arrested in May last year in an alleged money laundering case, also submitted his resignation to CM Arvind Kejriwal, bringing the strength of the Delhi cabinet to five.

Delhi government officials said Kejriwal accepted both the resignations and sent them to lieutenant governor V K Saxena to be forwarded to the President. The AAP said two new faces would soon be inducted into the cabinet but didn't give any timeframe. For the interim, their portfolios have been distributed between Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand.

The fledgling Tipra Motha, led by royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, is predicted to trounce the Congress-Left alliance for the second spot in the Tripura Assembly polls, shows India Today-Axis My India exit poll results released on Monday.

While Tipra Motha is expected to win 9-16 seats, the Left-Congress is likely to bag 6-11 seats.

The BJP and The Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) alliance is set to retain power in Tripura, bagging 36-45 seats, the exit polls have predicted. Tripura has a 60-member Assembly, where 30 is the magic number to form the government. The BJP-IPFT combine is likely to get 45 per cent of the vote share, according to the exit poll.

CBI Explains Why Manish Sisodia Was Arrested After 8-Hour Questioning

The Central Bureau Of Investigation said that Manish Sisodia's answers were not satisfactory.

In a statement, the CBI said, "The instant case was registered against Deputy Chief Minister and In charge Excise Minister, GNCTD of Delhi and 14 others for investigation into the matter of alleged irregularities in framing and implementation of Excise Policy for the year 2021-22 and extending post tender benefits to private persons."