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Telangana set for intense three-cornered fight in May 13 polls

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Telangana set for intense three-cornered fight in May 13 polls

Hyderabad, May 11 (IANS) Telangana is heading for an intense three-cornered fight in the majority of the 17 Lok Sabha seats on May 13.

Five months after coming to power in this southern state, the Congress is facing a stiff challenge from the BRS and the BJP.

Barring 3-4 seats where one party appears to have an edge, it will be a close triangular contest in the remaining constituencies.

While the Congress is looking to repeat its impressive performance of the Assembly elections held in November 2023, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to put up a good show in Telangana, the second key state for the party in South India after Karnataka.

Despite losing power to the Congress after ruling the state for 10 years and a series of setbacks with several key leaders defecting to the BJP and Congress, the BRS looks strong on the ground.

The party appears to be recovering from its loss, if one goes by the huge crowds during party President and former Chief Minister KC Rao’s bus yatra.

The BJP appears to be sitting pretty in three out of four seats it won in 2019 and is locked in a tight fight with the Congress and BRS in at least four constituencies.

Banking on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi factor, the saffron party has set a target of 10 seats.

PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda and other leaders have campaigned extensively.

The Congress party looks ahead of its rivals in five constituencies and is facing a tough challenge in other constituencies.

The BRS, which lost five of its sitting MPs to the two rivals during the last couple of months, seems to have an edge in a couple of constituencies.

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Interestingly, both the Congress and BJP have gained from the exodus of leaders from the BRS during the last few weeks.

A sitting MP, a sitting MLA, daughter of a sitting MLA are among the Lok Sabha contestants for the Congress.

Similarly, the BJP has fielded a sitting MP and son of sitting MP as its candidates after they defected from the BRS.

Former MPs and former state Legislators of BRS also figure in the list of candidates of the Congress and BRS both.

While the BJP retained three of its four sitting MPs, the Congress had to look for new faces as all three MPs who won in 2019 were elected to the Assembly.

A. Revanth Reddy, who was elected from Malkajgiri constituency in the previous election, has become the Chief Minister.

Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, who were elected from Nalgonda and Bhongir respectively, have become ministers.

The trio is now making all efforts to ensure that the party retains these seats.

There was some high drama in the run-up to nominations. Kadiam Kaviya, who was named as candidate from Warangal Lok Sabha seat by the BRS, withdrew from the contest to join the Congress along with her father and sitting BRS MLA Kadiam Srihari.

Among key contestants, Union Minister and state BJP chief, G Kishan Reddy is seeking re-election from Secunderabad. He is locked in a three-cornered contest involving BRS MLA T Padma Goud and Congress candidate D Nagender.

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In the recent Assembly elections, Nagender was elected on a BRS ticket from Khairatabad constituency but he defected to the Congress to secure the MP ticket.

BJP National General Secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who is fighting from Karimnagar for a second-consecutive term, faces a tough contest from BRS candidate Vinod Kumar.

The Congress party has fielded V Rajender Rao. In Mahabubnagar, it will be a repeat of the 2019 battle. The BJP’s National Vice President D K Aruna, who had finished runner-up in the previous election, is again taking on sitting MP Manne Srinivas Reddy of BRS.

Revanth Reddy, who comes from the same district, is making every effort for the victory of Vamshi Chand Reddy. In Malkajgiri, which is India’s biggest constituency, BJP’s Eatala Rajender is locked in a tough fight against Sunitha Reddy of the Congress party and R Lakshma Reddy of BRS.

Like Mahabubnagar, this is also a battle of prestige for CM Revanth Reddy, who is also the state Congress chief.

In Medak, the home district of BRS chief KCR, the party is going all out to retain the seat. It has fielded former bureaucrat Venkatarami Reddy.

Former MLA Raghunandan Rao is the BJP candidate. The Congress, which has fielded Nilam Madhu, is in search of its first win since 1989 in a constituency, which was once represented by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

In Khammam, it is expected to be a direct fight between sitting MP Nama Nageswara Rao of BRS and Congress candidate Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy.

In Nagarkurnool, former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar, who quit BSP to join BRS recently, is taking on senior Congress leader Mallu Ravi and BJP candidate P Bharat Prasad, who defected to the saffron party from BRS along with his father and sitting MP P Ramulu.

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All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi, who is seeking re-election for fifth-consecutive term from Hyderabad, faces BJP’s Madhavi Latha in what is likely to be a direct flight. The Congress party has fielded Sameer Waliullah from here.

In the 2019 elections, held a few months after BRS retained power in the state with a thumping majority, KCR’s party bagged 9 seats, polling 41.3 per cent votes.

The BJP won four seats with a vote share of 19.5 per cent. This was the saffron party’s best-ever performance in Telangana.

The Congress bagged three seats but polled 30.2 per cent votes. The AIMIM retained the Hyderabad seat.

In Assembly elections held in November 2023, the Congress party dramatically improved its fortunes to wrest power from the BRS, which was ruling the state for the last 10 years.

In the 119-member Assembly, the Congress bagged 64 seats and polled 39.40 per cent votes. The BRS won 39 seats with 37.35 per cent vote share. Congress ally CPI won the only seat it contested with a vote share of 0.34 per cent.

The BJP has almost doubled its vote share compared to 2018. It polled 13.90 per cent votes against just 6.98 per cent in the previous Assembly polls.

The saffron party also significantly improved its tally of seats from one to eight. AIMIM, which retained its seven seats, garnered a vote share of 2.22 per cent, down from 2.71 per cent in 2018.

–IANS

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Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms

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rajnath singh with armed forces chief

On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry announced that 2025 will be designated as the “Year of Reforms,” with a primary focus on establishing integrated theatre commands to enhance collaboration among the three branches of the military.

These reforms are aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry stated.

The initiative will emphasize emerging domains such as cyber and space, alongside cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the “Year of Reforms” as a pivotal milestone in the modernization of the armed forces.

“It will set the stage for significant advancements in the nation’s defense capabilities, ensuring the security and sovereignty of India in the face of 21st-century challenges,” he said.

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A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning

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A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR).

The district administration reported no casualties or property damage following the quake.

The tremor occurred at 10:24 am, with its epicenter located 23 kilometers north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau, as per the Gandhinagar-based ISR.

Last month, the region experienced four seismic events exceeding a magnitude of 3, including a 3.2 magnitude tremor just three days ago, with its epicenter also near Bhachau.

Earlier tremors in the area included a 3.7 magnitude earthquake on December 23 and a 3.2 magnitude event on December 7, according to ISR reports.

Kutch was also jolted by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on November 18, 2024. On November 15, a 4.2 magnitude quake hit Patan in north Gujarat, based on ISR data.

Gujarat is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, having experienced nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, according to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). The 2001 earthquake in Kutch, which occurred on January 26, was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India in the last two centuries, according to the GSDMA.

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Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs

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Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s much-anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana faced legal hurdles after a complaint was filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.

Following the complaint, the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, issued a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prohibit Dosanjh from performing specific songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.

The notice specifically targets songs accused of promoting alcohol, including Patiala Peg, 5 Tara Theke, and Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya), even if the lyrics are slightly modified. The complaint points to previous warnings issued to Dosanjh by various commissions advising against performing these controversial tracks.

Despite these warnings, the singer allegedly continues to perform the songs with minor alterations. Dharenavar raised serious concerns about the influence of such music on young audiences, especially when minors are present at live events.

Adding to the controversy, Dharenavar referenced a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which directed law enforcement to ensure that songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are not played at public events, including concerts. This ruling underscores the legal basis for the complaint and has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding the event.

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UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured

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UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured

Five people sustained injuries when a vehicle in the convoy of Uttar Pradesh Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad overturned into a ditch near Januan village in the Khejuri Police Station area of Ballia district late last night.

Sanjay Nishad shared details of the incident, stating that the accident injured five party workers, including four women.

“I was traveling with the convoy to participate in the Constitutional Rights Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday night. Near Januan village in the Khejuri area, one of the vehicles following the convoy lost control while trying to avoid an animal and overturned into a ditch,” Nishad explained.

The injured individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nishad, Ramrati, Usha, Geeta, and Iravati Nishad.

Senior police and administrative officials quickly arrived at the scene following the incident to oversee the situation.

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Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder

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Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder

The mother of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher found dead after accusing the company of copyright violations, has alleged that her son was “murdered” and called for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe.

Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder” that authorities wrongly ruled as suicide. She further disclosed that a private autopsy report conflicted with the findings of the initial police investigation.

Rao alleged that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked” and cited evidence of a struggle in the bathroom, including bloodstains that suggested he had been assaulted.

“We hired a private investigator and conducted a second autopsy to uncover the truth. The private autopsy does not confirm the cause of death stated by the police. Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom, and it appears he was hit based on blood spots. This is a cold-blooded murder being misclassified as a suicide. Lobbying in San Francisco won’t deter us from seeking justice. We demand an FBI investigation,” Rao wrote on X.

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Elon Musk reacted to Rao’s post, commenting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”

Balaji was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment months after accusing OpenAI of violating copyright laws during the development of ChatGPT, as reported by Fox News. Despite these claims, the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of foul play and ruled the death a suicide.

On October 24, shortly before his death, Balaji voiced doubts about the “fair use” defense in generative artificial intelligence. “I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical ‘fair use’ would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products,” he wrote on X.

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