NEWS

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole has created a flutter in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the ruling alliance led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray by pitching himself as a chief ministerial aspirant.

Speaking at a public function in Maharashtra's Akola, Nana Patole said the Congress would contest the next assembly polls alone while presenting himself as a chief ministerial candidate.

Nana Patole said, "We will be going solo in all the forthcoming local body elections as well as the assembly polls. Won't you like to see Nana Patole as the chief minister?"

The Indian Army moved its tanks, vehicles and heavy equipment on military train as part of a trial of the recently developed "Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC)" by the Indian Railways.

The successful trial of the corridor that provides faster movement of freight across the country is an important step to enhance the Army's operational preparedness.

On Monday, the Army conducted a successful trial by moving a military train loaded with vehicles and equipment from New Rewari to New Phulera, validating the efficacy of the DFC, the Army said.

BJP Chief JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday discussed next year’s Punjab Assembly polls with party state unit chief Ashwani Sharma.

The meeting, held at the BJP national headquarters here, was called to discuss plans for the Assembly polls amid the changed political situation in the state after the Shiromani Akali Dal, one of the oldest alliance partners of BJP but which had parted ways last year over the farm laws, joined hands with Mayawati’s BSP.

“The meeting was called to discuss the poll strategy. Farmers’ agitation in Punjab was also discussed in the meeting,” a party leader said.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, has written to Speaker OM Birla about the currently vacant post of deputy speaker and urged him to take necessary steps to elect one during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.

"The Office of Deputy Speaker continuing to remain vacant is not in consonance with what has been envisaged under the Constitution as also well-established conventions. As the second highest ranking legislative officer of the Lok Sabha, the Deputy Speaker is of help in ensuring that the varied functions of the Parliament are discharged effectively, and the Business of the House is conducted in a manner befitting the needs of our representative democracy," Chowdhury wrote in the letter addressed to the Lok Sabha Speaker.