Shubman Gill will don a new hat at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Already an important member of the Gujarat Titans franchise, Shubman Gill has been named as the new captain of the former IPL champions. It is a major responsibility. South Africa great and former Royal Challengers Bangalore star AB de Villiers feels that while it would be exciting to see Shubman Gill lead GT, another veteran star could have been given the opportunity to lead the franchise for IPL 2024.
"Not that I doubt Shubman's skill or ability as a leader but the minute I saw Kane Williamson's name as a retained player (in GT), I thought there was a fantastic opportunity to give an experienced player who has done it before, player with a rock-solid role up the order, an opportunity to captain for you. Give Shubman Gill the opportunity, just to cement himself in all the formats in Indian cricket and just to have another good season at the IPL," De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
"But no, they decided to throw him in as captain. It may pay off; I am not saying it is wrong. I am saying that it was a great opportunity for Shubman just to learn a little bit and know that the plan is for him to be captain in 2025. Nonetheless, I am excited to watch him perform and lead from the front."
It will be Gill's maiden outing as captain of an IPL side, having begun his journey in the competition in 2018 with Kolkata Knight Riders before heading to GT in 2022.
"We all know captainship comes with a lot of things, and commitment is one of them. Discipline is one of them. Hard work is one of them. Loyalty is one of them," said Gill in a video posted by the franchise on social media.
"And, because, I think I've played under great leaders and I've learned a lot from them, I think those learnings that I have had from their experience playing under them is gonna help me a lot in this IPL." Gill added that there was no dearth of experienced players in Gujarat Titans, and he would get to learn a lot from leaders such as New Zealand's Kane Williamson and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan.
"We have great leaders in our team, be it Kane (Williamson) or be it Rashid (Khan) or be it (Mohammed) Shami, or even David (Miller), or even Wriddhi (Saha). So, I think it's gonna be great.
"And obviously, there are gonna be a lot of learnings along the way, which would be my experience as a captain. And I see a lot of people making great memories," he added.
As far as playing the leadership role is concerned, Gill was the India U-19 vice-captain during the 2018 World Cup. He was also named skipper of India Blue during the 2019-20 Duleep Trophy, the India C captain in the Deodhar Trophy the same season, and the India-A leader during the New Zealand tour later in 2019.
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Exit polls that predicted a primacy of Congress in Chhattisgarh and Telangana and that of the BJP in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, have been hotly contested by both camps in states they were predicted to lose. While exit polls are known to get it wrong many a time, their predictions proved a touchy topic in this round of elections, seen as the semi-finals before next year's Lok Sabha polls.
While the BJP doubled down on claims that they will win Madhya Pradesh, where many exit polls predicted a close fight, the Congress scoffed at the suggestion that they might not have a re-run of the 2018 victory. The party's government had collapsed two years later as its senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia crossed over to the BJP with 20-plus MLAs.
Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who is helming the state Congress in Madhya Pradesh, declared that the country is run by "vision, not television".
"Exit poll results are very diverse. We cannot say anything about it. I can assure you that the Congress will get more than 130 seats in Madhya Pradesh," said his party colleague Digvijaya Singh. "People want transformation. People are fed up with CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan," he added.
NDTV poll of Polls, an aggregate of nine exit polls, indicates that the BJP may wind up with 124 of the state's 230 seats, where the majority mark is 116. The Congress may get 102 seats.
A similar script played out in neighbouring Chhattisgarh – only in the BJP camp -- after almost all exit polls gave the Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel an edge. NDTV Poll of Polls – an aggregate of nine exit polls -- indicated that 49 of the state's 90 seats can go to the Congress and 38 to the BJP.
"Exit polls have a limited size. The sample size of the BJP is huge," state BJP chief Arun Sao was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"I have been roaming in Chhattisgarh for the past 1.5 years. I have gone to each Vidhan Sabha constituency and had conversations with people. On that basis, I can say that on December 3, the BJP will come to power with a clear majority," he added.
"Everyone can have their way with exit polls. The BJP will form the government. The reason for this is that people want change," said the BJP's Prem Prakash Pandey.
The claims and counterclaims were also strong in Rajasthan, where exit polls predicted the state will remain faithful to its revolving-door tradition and vote out the ruling Congress.
"Exit polls indicate that 'raaj nahi rivaz' (trend, not rule) is set to change in Rajasthan as the Congress is going to win a majority," said Gourav Vallabh, spokesperson of the Congress which is hoping to buck the trend.
Banking on a marginally higher polling figure, the BJP, meanwhile, insisted that the people of Rajasthan want to end the Congress rule.
"The people of Rajasthan want freedom from the Congress, given their record of corruption. The BJP is going to form the government with a majority in Rajasthan as well as Madhya Pradesh," said BJP MP Baba Balaknath, who is the party candidate from the Tijara assembly constituency.
NDTV Poll of Polls indicated that the BJP can get 104 of the state's 200 seats, the Congress 85.
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There are three crore orphaned children in India, but only 3,500 to 4,000 children are available for adoption in a year and some 30,000 prospective parents have to wait for three years to bring home a child.
Taking note of this discrepancy, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud observed recently: "Why are they (Central Adoption Resource Authority) stalling adoptions? Why is CARA not doing it? Hundreds of children are awaiting adoption in the hope of a better life." The remarks were made when the Supreme Court was hearing two petitions flagging gaps that were delaying adoptions and making the entire process a sham. The practical difficulties of adoption were also highlighted in the court, with one of the judges bringing out the humane and human aspect and cost to the society.
CARA, a statutory body of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, functions as the central body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions. CARA primarily deals with the adoption of "orphan, abandoned and surrendered" children through its associated and recognised adoption agencies.
Due to red tape and lack of transparency, several thousand children are being deprived of home and the love of parents. With each month's delay, the children grow and age, and their chances of adoptability and adaptability diminishes. The prospective parents, too, lose their precious years doing cumbersome and complicated paperwork. Their financial condition suffers as they scout and wait their turn and are made to visit different adoption centres in the country.
The conditions of the shelter homes where these children are placed are also not hygienic, with funds and staff both short.
Deepak Sharma, Trustee, Udayan Care, an NGO for Child Rights, says there is no dearth of funds for his organisation but some shelters in India face financial challenges due to their location and the resources available. "Funding comes from a combination of sources. There is government funding in Mission Vatsalya for funding institutions, mostly funds come from donations from individuals, corporations, and other charitable entities or even from international organisations and foundations or corporate social responsibility," Mr Sharma explains.
In India, adoptions are governed by two laws - the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA) and the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, 2015. Both laws have their separate eligibility criteria for adoptive parents. Those applying under the Juvenile Justice Act need to register on CARA's portal, after which a specialised adoption agency carries out a home study report. When it finds the candidate eligible for adoption, a child declared legally free for adoption is referred to the applicant.
Under HAMA, a court order, 'dattaka hom' ceremony or an adoption deed is sufficient to obtain irrevocable adoption rights. Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs are legalised to adopt kids under HAMA.
CARA carries out the tedious process to safeguard adoptive children from abuse at the hands of adoptive parents.
The Parliament passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) 2021, in order to amend the JJ Act, 2015. The crucial changes include authorising District Magistrates (DMs) and Additional District Magistrates to issue adoption orders under Section 61 of the JJ Act by striking out the word 'court'. These changes were carried out "in order to ensure speedy disposal of cases and enhance accountability," per the government statement.
However, the very purpose of these amendments has not been met as no time limit has been set up for the transfer of all pending adoption cases before the courts to the District Magistrates, which may end up in longer delays. Moreover, prospective parents are also not clear about the legality of an executive order on the adopted child's entitlements on succession and inheritance rights.
In August 2022, a parliamentary standing committee had expressed serious concerns over the decline in the number of children coming to adoption agencies over the years, saying it pointed to trafficking or a thriving illegal child adoption market. It's a fact that many unregistered adoption agencies are flourishing in the country; illegal and unregulated adoptions are being carried out. Some are involved in child trafficking or exploiting vulnerable children and their biological and adoptive parents.
Typically, there is a shorter queue for older children, children with special needs, or sometimes, even children from some regions. CARA has even introduced a new category of "Children for Immediate Placement" where the wait time may be considerably less.
Mr Sharma says generally, there is a demand for newborn and younger children, particularly infants and toddlers, in the adoption process. "Many adoptive parents prefer younger children as they desire to experience the early stages of a child's development and form strong bonds from the start. But now CARA is advocating for adoption of older children also," he adds.
A young single woman (name withheld) in Bengaluru has been in the queue for adoption for three years. She has completed all the paperwork, but her wait has been stretched by the adoption agency, where she is registered. She thinks that her adoption agency is giving preference to candidates who are better off than her financially. "My waiting time has been constantly increased without any reason. The counsellors are also of little help. Except for guiding us about the papers and forms to be filled, they have hardly been of any assistance in understanding the process or how it works," she says.
There is an urgent need to streamline the adoption process, simplify paperwork, transparency, and reduce the time limit, to the benefit of both the child and the adoptive parents. Loopholes, doubts, and ambiguities in current legislation must be plugged. Unless this happens, thousands of children will languish in shelter homes bereft of love, care and education.
(Bharti Mishra Nath is a senior journalist)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
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Samsung's FE series has always been a fan favourite since the first Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was released with almost flagship-level specs and a price that sits right between the highest-end A Series smartphone and the entry-level S Series smartphone. This year, Samsung launched two FE devices, the refreshed S21 FE with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 and the new Samsung Galaxy S23 FE with Exynos 2200 SoC and a lot of the features that might make the smartphone look like a flagship on paper. Does the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S23 FE deliver on the brand's promise when they introduced the first ‘Fan Edition' smartphone, and should you buy it at a starting price of Rs. 59,999? Let's find out in this detailed Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE price in India
I've been using the base variant for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the Mint colour option, which is priced at Rs. 59,999. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is available in a higher-end 256GB storage variant as well, with the same amount of RAM, that is 8GB for Rs. 64,999, which makes this smartphone come very close to the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S23 that comes equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. The smartphone can be bought in two more colour options: Graphite and Purple. The brand has also launched two special edition colour options for this smartphone, Indigo and Tangerine, which can only be bought through their official website. The 256GB storage variant is a good addition, but a higher-end variant with more RAM would've been better and justified the price more.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Design
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE sports a design that might be familiar to many people. It uses the same design language as the Samsung Galaxy S23 and the Samsung Galaxy A54, with matte-finished aluminium side rails, volume rockers and a power key that is very responsive and tactile, as a flagship smartphone should. The smartphone uses a dual nano sim card slot with an option to either use one physical and an E-Sim or two physical SIM cards at the same time. It does not come with expandable storage, which is slightly disappointing. It comes equipped with a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port and stereo speakers that are decently loud. The smartphone comes equipped with Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 protection for the display and the back panel with a glossy finish instead of the matte finish that the Samsung Galaxy S23 sports.
The smartphone sports Gorilla Glass 5 on the front as well as on the back.
This makes the smartphone prone to fingerprints and smudges a lot. At 8.22mm thick, the smartphone feels a little thicker than your usual smartphone, and 209 grams of weight puts it on the heavier side. It is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance, which is a plus. I had the smartphone with me for a decent amount of time and used it without a case. After only a few days, I started noticing scuffs and scratches on the display glass, protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 5. The smartphone is a little slippery without the case. Despite the thicker chassis and higher weight, the smartphone still carries the premium look and feel that Samsung flagships are known for.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Display
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE sports a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution. The display itself is impressive, no matter if I talk about the colours that it produces or the sharpness. I didn't have any complaints on that front, but the bezels are particularly thick for a smartphone that costs more than 50K and is marketed as an entry-level flagship by the manufacturer. I'd be lying if I said it disappears after you immerse yourself in content; it doesn't and stares right in your face.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE features a flat display
It is HDR10+ certified and supports a peak brightness of up to 1450 nits, which feels super bright indoors and outdoors. I did not see much discolouration on the display while using the smartphone in harsh sunlight. The smartphone lets you choose between a standard 60Hz refresh or an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz. It feels smooth across the board while scrolling through the UI and apps or gaming.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Camera
It sports a triple-rear camera setup that includes the primary 50-megapixel camera with an f1.8 aperture with a 24mm focal range that comes equipped with OIS, an 8-megapixel telephoto camera that provides 3x optical zoom with f2.4 aperture and a 75mm focal range with OIS and lastly a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f2.2 aperture.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE features the signature Galaxy design language
The smartphone does a pretty good job when focusing on moving subjects, thanks to the inclusion of PDAF for the primary as well as the telephoto camera. Daylight shots from the primary camera came out pretty well; it produced plenty of sharp images from corner to corner and had good details in the shadows and the highlight.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE daylight primary camera samples (tap to see full size)
Bokeh without the portrait mode looks very pleasing, and to my surprise, this Samsung smartphone didn't overdo with saturation levels. The telephoto camera also maintained the same saturation levels but produced slightly softer images.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE daylight telephoto camera samples (tap to see full size)
This smartphone's ultrawide camera maintains the colour scheme like the two other rear cameras, but the images tend to distort a lot on the corners, which could be fixed with a future software update.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE daylight ultra-wide camera samples (tap to see full size)
The smartphone has a 10-megapixel camera for selfies, which clicks pretty detailed images in daylight.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE selfie camera samples (tap to see full size)
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE also has a good camera system for nighttime shots. The images take longer to shoot, but OIS helps the user with it, and the shots you get look pretty good. I did notice some noise in the ultrawide shots.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE nighttime camera samples (tap to see full size)
It uses a 10-megapixel camera with f2.4 for selfies that does an excellent job with daylight, nighttime and portrait shots. It maintains the colour scheme as the other cameras on board, and you will notice that there is some post-processing happening in the background after you click, as it takes a second to show the final image.
The smartphone can shoot up to 8K 24fps with the primary camera; this is a feature that you do not see very often on a smartphone in this price range. I shot multiple handheld 8K videos using this smartphone, and I was impressed with the results I got. The videos were stabilised, had plenty of details and had plenty of dynamic range to play around with if you ever want to edit these videos. It can shoot 4K 60fps videos as well. The front camera, too, can shoot videos at up to 4K 60fps, which is pretty good for content creators.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Battery and Charging
The 4500mAh battery does a decent job for a light usage day, but as soon as you include gaming and video streaming, with a high refresh rate turned on, the smartphone does not last very long. The Samsung S23 FE lasted 16 hours and 25 minutes in our battery loop test. Considering Samsung does not provide a charger inside the retail package, support for charging would have been appreciated, as 25W charging support is way too slow for 2023. In our testing, the smartphone charged up to 25% in 30 minutes and 65% in an hour, which is way too slow compared to the competition in this price range.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Performance
Samsung S23 FE uses Samsung's Exynos 2200 4nm SoC in India and not Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 that the consumers in the US are getting, which is a bummer, at least on paper. We ran all the required benchmarks on the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, and the results were pretty good. It scored 1,174,800 on AnTuTu v.10.0.10, 1130 single core and 3232 for GeekBench 6. I played Call of Duty & Real Racing 3, which ran just fine with high graphic settings.
The smartphone features the 4nm Exynos 2200 SoC
The frames didn't drop a lot, and the gameplay was smooth. The smartphone did get a little warm after each gaming session. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE runs OneUI 5.1 out of the box, which is based on Android 13, and it offers a pretty smooth user experience and does not have a lot of pre-installed apps.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a smartphone focused on consumers who wish to get the flagship experience but do not want to spend on something like a Samsung Galaxy S23 or S23+. This one lives up to the FE legacy with flagship-level cameras, a good display, decent battery life and a great processor for almost anything you want to do with this smartphone. All this combined does deliver a premium experience, only if you can live with thicker bezels on a smartphone that costs more than 50K in 2023. Considering this smartphone does not have expandable storage, the base 128GB storage variant might not be sufficient for most people and buying the 256GB variant puts this smartphone in the sub 65K price category, which is already very saturated with the likes of OnePlus 11 (Review) with better performance and modern looking curved display.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Actor and television host Kapil Sharma was not happy with his recent IndiGo flight experience. The comedian took to social media to express his frustration with the airline, highlighting a considerable delay and a surprising excuse that the pilot was stuck in traffic.He voiced his discontent with the delayed departure and expressed concern about the airline's reliability.
Mr Sharma wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, "Dear IndiGo, first you made us wait in the bus for 50 minutes, and now your team is saying pilot is stuck in traffic. What? Really ? We were supposed to take off by 8 pm and it's 9:20. Still, there is no pilot in the cockpit. Do you think these 180 passengers will fly in Indigo again? Never #indigo 6E 5149 #shameless."
Dear @IndiGo6E first you made us wait in the bus for 50 minz, and now your team is saying pilot is stuck in traffic, what ? Really ? we supposed to take off by 8 pm n it's 9:20, still there is no pilot in cockpit, do you think these 180 passengers will fly in indigo again ? Never…
Mr Sharma later shared a video of passengers deboarding the plane, revealing that they were informed about a change of aircraft, necessitating a return to the terminal for security checks.
"Now they are deboarding all the passengers and saying we will send you on another aircraft, but again, we have to go back to the terminal for a security check," he wrote.
Now they r de boarding all the passengers n saying we will send you in another aircraft but again we have to go back to terminal for security check 👏👏👏👏👏 #indigo👎 pic.twitter.com/NdqbG0xByt
He additionally posted another video where numerous passengers were seen inquiring about the flight delay, expressing their desire to witness some remedial action. However, all of them appeared visibly upset and frustrated over the prolonged delay.
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The marginally high voter turnout in the Rajasthan assembly election is being claimed as a victory by both the BJP and the ruling Congress. While the BJP believes it's a sign of change, the Congress considers it popular support for its welfare schemes. The final voting percentage for 199 assembly seats in Rajasthan stood at 75.45 per cent (including postal ballots). The highest polling was recorded at Jaisalmer's Pokhran with an 88.23 per cent turnout and the lowest in the Ahore assembly seat at 61.24 per cent. More women (74.72 per cent) voted than men (74.53 per cent) this time. Rajasthan voted on November 25. The results on December 3 will decide whether the Congress retains power, defying the state's tradition of voting out the incumbent, or the BJP topples the Ashok Gehlot government.
In the last assembly election in 2018, Rajasthan recorded a voter turnout of 74.72 per cent (including postal ballots). This year's voting is 0.73 per cent more than the last time. This trend of increasing voter turnout in assembly elections was also witnessed in other states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Mizoram, where elections were held at the same time.
In Rajasthan, the main fight is between the BJP and the ruling Congress. The BJP contested on all seats while the Congress left one seat - Bharatpur - for its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). In 2018 too, the Congress had set aside this seat for the RLD. Other parties in the contest are the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), CPI (M), Bharatiya Adivasi Party, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and AlMIM. These parties may manage to win a few seats.
K Subrahmanya, a political analyst and journalist who has reported on Rajasthan elections in the past, cautions against reading too much into the higher turnout. "This largely static turnout figure may be suggestive of a kind of competitive mobilisation by rival contenders for power. The polling figure neither suggests a decisive anti-incumbency vote nor a pro-incumbent vote. Probably, it signals a much closer fight. The gap between the winner and the loser could be relatively narrow," says Mr Subrahmanya.
The election campaign revolved around appeasement politics, corruption, welfare schemes of the state and Centre, women's safety, and the demand for a caste census. Both the Congress and the BJP were plagued by rebels even though most sitting MLAs were renominated. In about 31 seats, rebels from both parties were instrumental in turning the contest into a triangular one.
What does it mean for political parties?
The Congress is relying on the support of its traditional social base - the minority, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Mali, and the Meena communities - and the party sees the higher turnout as proof of support from these communities. Both the BJP and the Congress claim the support of the Mali community, which voted for the Congress in 2018.
For the Congress, there may not be any anti-incumbency against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, but it is a different story for its sitting MLAs. The party has fielded as many as 97 sitting MLAs, which may backfire.
People came in large numbers to vote in districts of northern Rajasthan like Jhunjhunu and Churu, Sikar, and Nagaur, which are Jat-dominated areas.
The Congress claims its share of Jat votes, based on farmer welfare measures like loan waivers and electricity subsidies by the Gehlot government.
Akhil Chaudhary, a Rajasthan-based lawyer and a member of the Congress, attributes the higher voter turnout to the popularity of pro-social security schemes of the government. "Rajasthan was the first state to bring a separate budget for the farming community. The seven guarantees promised in the manifesto have appealed to voters. One of the guarantees was a pension scheme of Rs 10,000 to the woman head in the family. This time too, like 2018, female voters were more than male voters," says Mr Chaudhary.
In the absence of any chief ministerial face, the BJP chose to fight the elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party leadership seemed to tell the voters to trust the symbol and allow the party's democratic process to identify the chief ministerial candidate. During the last days of campaigning, veteran leader and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje was seen in meetings because the party's top brass realised she was still a force to reckon with. But the message is clear. The party is seeking new leadership and Ms Raje is out of favour.
There are many chief ministerial aspirants, including Rajsamand MP Diya Kumari, who is fighting from Vallabhnagar in Jaipur district. Alwar MP Mahant Balaknath Yogi - the 'Adityanath Yogi' of Rajasthan - was asked to contest from Tijara. Some union ministers from Rajasthan are also in the race for the top job if the BJP comes to power. Not naming a presumptive chief minister could go either way for the BJP.
A higher turnout of voters has been reported in eastern Rajasthan, which has a considerable presence of the Gurjar community. The community may have voted for the BJP in large numbers as they were upset with the Congress over the perceived diminished status of their leader Sachin Pilot. The Gurjar and Meena belt of eastern Rajasthan had voted for the Congress in 2018.
"On the ground closer to the polling were three factors - a high degree of the consolidation of their respective social/caste coalitions behind the Congress and the BJP; unpopularity of quite a significant number of sitting Congress MLAs who are in the race; and enthusiasm amongst sections of the voters for Gehlot's poll-oriented freebies to the voters," says Mr Subrahmanya.
Experts also say smaller parties like Rashtriya Loktantrik Party of Jat leader Hanuman Beniwal, Mayawati's BSP, Bharatiya Adivasi Party, Jannayak Janata Party and Azad Samaj Party of Chandrashekhar Azad may influence the voting pattern in at least 30 constituencies.
In this closely fought election in Rajasthan, predicting a clear winner is tricky as both the Congress and the BJP are evenly positioned and the smaller parties may end up playing a larger role in the government formation.
(Bharti Mishra Nath is a senior journalist)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
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Tiger 3 minted ₹ 2.60 crore (all languages) on day 16 at the domestic box office, as per a Sacnilk report. The total collection of the Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif film stands at ₹ 273.8 crore. Tiger 3, directed by Maneesh Sharma, witnessed a jump in its collection figures for day 15. The film made ₹ 6.75 crore, the report added. The third instalment of the Tiger franchise opened to theatres on November 12 (Diwali day). In the spy-thriller, Salman and Katrina reprise their roles as Avinash Singh Rathore aka Tiger and Zoya. Emraan Hashmi is also part of the project.
Tiger 3 has become “the highest-grossing Diwali release in the history of the Indian cinemas.” The film has collected ₹ 447 crore (worldwide). The makers, Yash Raj Films, have announced the super hit news on Instagram. Along with the poster, the makers wrote, “Catch the high-octane action unfolding in cinemas now. Watch Tiger 3 at your nearest big screen in Hindi, Tamil & Telugu. Book your tickets.”
After Tiger 3's worldwide success, Katrina Kaif expressed her gratitude towards fans. In a conversation with news agency ANI, the actress said, “The Tiger franchise has only given me love since 2012! So, it is an amazing feeling to have received so much warmth for over a decade now. Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai and now Tiger 3 are films that have been a part of my cinematic journey and growth as an artist and it's something that I cherish greatly.”
Katrina added that each instalment of the Tiger franchise has challenged her “physically and mentally.”
Tiger 3 also saw Shah Rukh Khan aka Pathaan. The actor featured in a cameo appearance. Speaking about the experience, Salman Khan said, “Our off-screen chemistry is better than our on-screen chemistry. When the on-screen chemistry is so good, you can understand the off-screen chemistry.”
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Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin applauded Shreyas Iyer and said that playing spin and taking them down is the right-handed batter's speciality. Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Ashwin called Iyer a standout performer for the 'Men in Blue'. He also added that people don't appreciate him much instead they ask him not to do it more often. "Batting against spin and taking them down is Shreyas' speciality, and he is a standout performer. Chasing excellence is a rare commodity in sports. If somebody does something unique, people, instead of appreciating it, tell them not to do it," the 37-year-old spinner said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin added that Iyer chases excellence and takes a note to grasp the pull shot.
The number one Test bowler added that the 28-year-old smashes the pacers over mid-off which is a sign of a champion batter.
"What I love about Shreyas is that he chases excellence; he took a note to master the pull shot and worked on it. He got out on it but look at the number of balls he put away to the boundary. Balls were sent to the mid-wicket region and behind the square, which shows he is ready for that ball. He hit fast bowlers above mid-off, definitely the sign of a champion batter developing for India," Ashwin added.
In the recent ODI World Cup, Iyer appeared in 11 matches in which he scored 530 runs with a strike rate of 113.24. He slammed two consecutive centuries and three fifties in the prestigious tournament.
Iyer made his India debut in the T20 format in 2017 following that he scored 1043 runs after taking part in 45 innings and has a strike rate of 135.98.
In the ODI format, the Mumbai-born player scored 2331 runs after appearing in 53 innings for the 'Men in Blue' with a strike rate of 101.
In Test cricket, the middle-order batter scored 666 runs following his 16 innings.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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After five fun-filled episodes of Koffee With Karan 8, Karan Johar has “hit the rewind button hard” (not our words). The filmmaker's next guests on the show are his “first leading ladies” — Rani Mukerji and Kajol. From Kajol “staging a walkout” to Rani planning to “expose” KJo, the promo of the upcoming episode is all things amazing. Above all, what caught our attention was that Kajol didn't know “Rani had a special appearance” in KabhiKhushi Kabhie Gham. The actress has confessed it on the infamous koffee couch. It happened when Karan Johar, during a buzzer round, asked “One Kajol film in which Rani had a special appearance?” Well, Kajol was super fast with the buzzer but she didn't know the answer. Then, Karan said, “How are you so stupid? The answer is Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.” A surprised Kajol asked, “Rani had a special appearance in the film?” Can't miss Rani and Karan Johar's reaction. Too good, Kajol, too good.
KabhiKhushi Kabhie Gham was Karan Johar's second directorial venture. It featured Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan in prominent roles. Rani Mukerji played the role of Naina Kapoor, who wanted to marry SRK's Rahul.
Sharing the promo on Instagram, Karan Johar said, “We've hit the button hard enough to bring my first leading ladies - Kajol and Rani back on the Koffee couch and it's nostalgia in the purest form!!!!” Don't know about you, but we simply can't wait for Thursday. A quick Koffee trivia: Kajol and Rani Mukerjiwere last seen together on the show in 2007 (Koffee With Karan Season 2). They were joined by Shah Rukh Khan.
Before Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Rani Mukerji and Kajol shared the screen space in Karan Johar's directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998. FYI: Both films were massive hits.
Koffee with Karan 8 premieres on Disney + Hotstar every Thursday.
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Amid rising cases of respiratory illness in China, a senior doctor from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has said that viral infections are common in winter and there is no possibility of another pandemic like Covid yet.
A notable surge has been reported in respiratory illness in children in northern China in recent weeks.
Dr SK Kabra, Head of Department, Mother and Child Block, AIIMS, told ANI, "The reports coming from China now show that there has been a sudden increase in respiratory infections between October and November and they have observed that it is more common in children. Mycoplasma has been seen. They have not seen any new or unusual viruses. There is no indication yet that this is a new organism and it is difficult to say whether it can cause a pandemic like Covid. This possibility is not there yet."
He further said that common viruses in the winter season have been seen in the reports coming from China.
"Now experts have discussed this and, according to them, there could be 2-3 things due to which it has increased. Firstly, virus infection is more common in winter and the main ones are influenza, adenovirus and mycoplasma. Till now, the same viruses are visible in the reports of the organisms spreading in China and there is nothing new. People are very worried because the pandemic has just passed whether a new virus has arrived," Dr Kabra said.
Dr Kabra also said that cases of respiratory illness may be increasing in China because of the strict lockdown which had been imposed.
"See, the lockdown in China was very strict. It was lifted in December last year and, since then, this is the first winter there. As far as we know about infection in children, every child under 5 years of age gets a viral infection 3-8 times a year and with each infection, he becomes immune to it," he said.
"Then after the age of 5, the rate of infection reduces. So the children in China who are not able to come out of their houses due to lockdown, their immunity has not developed due to which they have become susceptible to the infection," he added.
"There is a hypothesis that the children who have not had this infection in 2-3 years during lockdown, the infection will now occur. If one child gets it, it will infect 10 more, due to which the cases will increase suddenly," he asserted.
He urged people to practice hygiene and use sanitisers.
"If a child has an infection, do not send him outside until he recovers. Generally, influenza lasts for a week. One can use a mask and follow social distancing. Everyone should also take care of hygiene, and use sanitisers. The phase that China is facing now, we have already faced it last year, so there is no problem," the doctor said.
"We are now more knowledgeable than before about how a pandemic is managed. The ministry has told doctors to investigate if such cases are coming. If any abnormality is seen, then inform them so that appropriate action can be taken," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a youth who had befriended her on social media and his three friends in a car in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, police said on Monday.
Police have invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act since the victim is a Dalit, an official said, adding that nobody has been arrested so far.
The incident occurred on November 21 but a complaint was lodged four days later as the girl kept mum because she was threatened by the accused against disclosing the incident, an official said.
Additional Superintendent of Police Niranjan Sharma said the girl and her family lodged a complaint.
"The girl became friends with a youth on Facebook last year. On November 21, her male friend took her to a deserted forest area in a car where he and his three friends raped her and also threatened to kill her," he said.
A case was registered under sections 376 (Punishment for rape), and 377 (unnatural act) among others, along with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to sources in police, the victim has claimed that one of the accused is a close relative of a politician.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra on Sunday said that the final draft of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA is expected to be ready by March 30 next year.
The BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, while addressing a gathering of the Matua community at Thakurnagar in North 24 Parganas district, asserted that nobody can snatch citizenship rights from Matuas, who had fled religious persecution in Bangladesh.
"The process to roll out CAA has gained momentum in the last couple of years... some issues are being sorted out. Nobody can snatch citizenship rights from the Matuas. By March next year, the final draft of the CAA is expected to be ready for coming into force," he said, sharing dais with local BJP MP and Union minister Santanu Thakur.
The CAA seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan entering India before December 31, 2014.
Reacting to the claim, Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen said, "The BJP remembers Matuas and the CAA only during elections. The saffron party will never be able to roll out CAA in West Bengal".
"The BJP's false claims are becoming clear to the Matuas and others. The saffron party will be rejected by all in next year's elections," he said.
Mr Sen said the Trinamool Congress has ensured the rights of Matuas as citizens of the country.
"We will continue to work for the community throughout the year, unlike the BJP will only gives false promises," he added.
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Salim Khan celebrated his 89th birthday on Friday. Salim Khan's daughter Arpita Khan shared an inside picture from the celebrations and it's a blockbuster one. The entire Khan family can be seen posing together for a grand frame. In the picture, Salim Khan, his first wife Salma Khan, Helen, Sohail Khan's elder son Nirvan, Arbaaz Khan's son Arhaan can be seen seated in the first row. In the second row, Salman Khan can be seen posing with brothers Arbaaz and Sohail, sisters Alvira, Arpita and brothers-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma. Arpita-Aayush's children Ahil and Ayat can also be spotted in the picture. Arpita Khan wrote in the caption, "Happy 89th birthday Dad."
Sohail Khan also shared an inside picture with the birthday boy. In the picture he can be seen posing with his two sons Nirvan, Yohan and Arhaan and Salim Khan. He wrote in the caption, "Happy birthday cowboy, we exist because of you." Take a look:
Salman Khan wished his father with a heartwarming note on Friday. Salman Khan shared a picture with his father in which they can be seen relaxing in a garden-like area. The father and son can be seen wearing similar coloured shirts as well. Salman Khan wrote in the caption, "Happy Birthday My Tiger." Salman Khan's third film of the Tiger franchise Tiger 3 is running in theatres and the film already crossed the ₹ 250 crore mark at the box office. It's not difficult to understand that Salman who plays the character of Tiger on-screen looks up to his father and calls him "My Tiger" in the caption. Cricketer Harbhajan Singh wrote in the comments section, "Happy Birthday." Sarod player Amaan Ali Khan wrote, "Precious moments." Take a look at the post here:
Veteran Salim Khan is best-known for writing superhits like Zanjeer, Seeta Aur Geeta and Sholay among many others. Salman Khan was last seen in Tiger 3. The first film Ek Tha Tiger released in 2012 and was directed by Kabir Khan. The second film of the franchise Tiger Zinda Hai released in 2017. It was directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Both the films did well at the box office. Salman Khan recently attended the special screening of Farrey, which marked the debut of his niece Alizeh Agnihotri. Alizeh is the daughter of Salman's sister Alvira and Atul Agnihotri.
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Frequent arguments over her social media activity and the friends she had made online led to a man slitting his wife's throat with a vegetable cutter in West Bengal on Friday, police said. The man fled after the murder and the couple's minor son returned home to find his mother lying in a pool of blood.
Speaking in front of their house in Harinarayanpur in South 24 Parganas district's Joynagar, the boy told reporters that his parents, Parimal and Aparna Baidya, used to fight frequently and his father had threatened to cut his mother into pieces on several occasions. "I came home to find her body lying there," he said, adding that he alerted the neighbours after that.
A neighbour said Parimal picked up a boti (an instrument used to cut vegetables and meat) and attacked his wife, who died from the injuries.
Police sources said the couple fought frequently over Aparna's social media activity and some friends she had made through social media platforms. "We suspect the husband killed her because she did not approve of her social media activity. Aparna was 32 years old," said an official.
Parimal is missing and a team has been formed to locate him. The post-mortem of Aparna's body has been conducted and the murder weapon has been recovered.
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The Election Commission on Saturday issued a notice to ruling BRS working president and IT Minister K T Rama Rao for allegedly visiting a government institution here and using the platform for political activities and sought a reply from him by Sunday afternoon.
The EC in its notice said it had received a complaint from Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, wherein it was alleged that Rama Rao, a star campaigner for BRS visited the office of 'T-works' and interacted with a large number of youth employed in the office on November 20.
The Commission obtained a factual report on the matter from the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
Referring to the provisions of MCC that the ministers shall not combine their official visit with electioneering work and shall not also make use of official machinery or personnel, the Commission in its notice observed that, Rama Rao, is not only a contesting candidate in the upcoming assembly election but also a start campaigner of the BRS.
"Whereas, the Commission is, prima facie, held that that by visiting to a Government Institution and using the platform of T-works for political activities and combining your official visit with political/private visit, you have violated the instruction of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)," the Commission said in its notice.
The Commission asked Rama Rao to explain his stand in respect of the visit and use of a Government Institute for political purposes by 3 PM on November 26.
In the event of no response from Rama Rao's side within the stipulated time, it will be presumed that he had nothing to say in the matter and that the EC will take appropriate action or decision in the matter without making any further reference to him.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Hours after Ananya Panday shared her thank you note for Gauri Khan, who designed her "first home, dream home", Gauri Khan also shared a post for Ananya. Gauri shared a picture with Ananya Panday and her mother Bhavana Pandey. In the picture, they can be seen posing for the camera. While Ananya can be seen seated at a chair, the BFFs Gauri and Bhavana can be seen standing at the balcony of Ananya's new home. They can be seen dressed in their casual best. Gauri Khan wrote in the caption, "Celebrating this special home... a landmark moment. Congratulations @ananyapanday, you've put your heart and soul into achieving this. So proud of you, lots of love and best wishes. Many more to come....." Ananya Panday replied to the post and wrote, "Love you GK" and dropped a few heart emojis. Bhavana Pandey wrote, "Love you Gauri." Take a look at the post here:
Ananya Panday bought a new apartment on the occasion of Dhanteras this year in Mumbai. She shared a couple of pictures of herself with Gauri Khan. In the opening frame, Gauri Khan and Ananya can be seen posing in the living room. The next slide shows the two sitting on a couch. With a melange-hued couch, grey carpet, white coffee table and lamps, Ananya's living room exudes minimalist vibes. In her note, Ananya thanked Gauri Khan for understanding her preferences exactly and designing her first home accordingly. Sharing the pictures, the actress wrote, "My first home... my dream home...thank you Gauri Khan no one could have understood exactly what I wanted better than you and made it so special for me... you're the best, love you!!!" Take a look at the post here:
Earlier this month, Ananya Panday announced on Instagram that she had bought a house in Mumbai. The first image in Ananya's post is from the housewarming ceremony. The actress can be seen sitting on the floor next to the puja set-up. In the next slide, Ananya is breaking a coconut at the entrance of her new house. Along with the post, Ananya wrote, "My own home!! Need all your love and good vibes!!! To new beginnings... Happy Dhanteras." Take a look:
Gauri Khan has also designed homes for other celebrities including Manish Malhotra, Ranbir Kapoor, and Karan Johar among others. Back in April, she shared a glimpse of the newly designed home of Manish Malhotra. Sharing a sneak peek of the palatial home, Gauri Khan wrote in the caption, "When is the party, Manish Malhotra?" Take a look:
Gauri Khan and Shah Rukh Khan recently hosted David Beckham at their house Mannat. The former star footballer came to India as the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Ananya Panday was last seen in Dream Girl 2. She will next be seen in Vikramaditya Motwane's cyber-crime thriller.
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