Haryana and J&K Assembly Elections 2024 Live Updates: BJP leader and former Haryana minister Bachan Singh Arya resigns from party

day after the Congress announced its first list of 31 candidates for the Haryana Assembly polls, the party was forced to face rebellion of disappointed members as Rajesh Joon, a leader who was ignored for candidature from the Bahadurgarh seat quit.

He later declared that he would run as an independent. The Congress had chosen sitting MLA Rajendra Singh Joon for Bahadurgarh, located in Jhajjar district.

Rajesh Joon expressed his disappointment and discussed his next steps with reporters in Bahadurgarh. "I will fight the election as an independent," he said as quoted by news agency PTI.

In Srinagar district's upcoming polls on September 25, women voters outnumber men in six out of eight assembly segments. The district has a total of 7,74,462 registered voters. To ensure smooth voting, the Election Commission has established 932 polling stations. Zadibal constituency leads with the highest number of registered voters.

BJP leader Manoj Tiwari on Saturday slammed Omar Abdullah's remarks pertaining to hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and said National Conference leader had made remarks which are "anti-country" and against the verdict of Supreme Court. "This statement of Omar Abdullah is a direct challenge to the Supreme Court's verdict. Afzal was hanged because he planned an attack on the Parliament. The terrorists did not succeed in entering the Parliament but around a dozen of our security personnel lost their lives. Omar Abdullah siding with a terrorist is directly against the Supreme Court's verdict," Tiwari told ANI.

Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, called on Haryana voters to support AAP in the upcoming assembly elections. She accused the BJP of prioritizing power over public welfare and highlighted advancements in education and healthcare under AAP governance in Delhi and Punjab. She described her husband's rise as a 'miracle'.

With just five days left before the end of the deadline day for filing nominations for the upcoming Haryana Assembly Polls, Aam Aadmi Party National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said that talks are still on for an alliance between AAP and Congress to contest the polls together.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Kakkar said the party is continuously working in Haryana and is fully prepared to contest on all 90 seats.

"Talks are ongoing. It is too early to say anything right now. Aam Aadmi Party is continuously working in Haryana. Today, Sunita Kejriwal is also organising a jan-sabha. We are fully prepared to contest elections on all 90 seats... Work is still going; we haven't started our work in the last five days of nomination," she said.

BJP brass, sources said, was of the view that the case against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was dropped as party's candidate from Kaiserganj LS seat, was sub judice and its merit should not be questioned based on political leanings of the wrestlers even as the two were at forefront of the campaign.BJP netas recalled that PM Modi gave instructions to IOA officials to take all measures to fight the case against IOC decision to disqualify Phogat from medal race at Paris Olympics as they reasserted that sports & politics shouldn't be "mixed" and that anyone willing to join politics was welcome.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national general secretary Sandeep Pathak has made it clear that the party is fully prepared to contest all 90 seats in Haryana independently if necessary. Amidst the ongoing deadlock between AAP and Congress regarding a potential alliance, Pathak warned that those underestimating his party will "regret it in the future."

BJP leader and former Haryana minister Bachan Singh Arya has resigned from the party after being denied a ticket for the upcoming elections.Arya, who hails from Safidon in Jind district, expressed disappointment over the decision. The BJP has chosen former JJP MLA Ramkumar Gautam to contest from Narnaund instead. Read full story

In response to Omar Abdullah's comments on Afzal Guru, BJP leader Kavinder Gupta questioned Abdullah's intentions. Gupta accused the former Deputy CM of Jammu and Kashmir of seeking support from terrorists and objecting to the death penalty given to anti-national elements who conspired against India.

"After all, what does Omar Abdullah want to solve? If anti-national elements who hatched a conspiracy against India are given the death penalty, why do they object to this? They want to create a situation by taking support from terrorists. They are taking support from terrorists; that is why he is speaking such language," Gupta said.

Previously, Omar Abdullah had clarified that the Jammu and Kashmir government was not involved in the execution of Afzal Guru. He stated that if the state's approval had been necessary, it would not have been granted.

Congress released its first list of candidates on Friday for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections on October 5.

The list comprising 31 names included wrestler Vinesh Phogat who had joined the party just hours before along with Bajrang Punia. While Phogat was given the party ticket for Haryana polls, Punia was named the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.

https://www.thetimesofindia.online/india/on-the-verge-of-collapse-arvind-kejriwals-party-hints-at-solo-contest-in-haryana-as-alliance-talks-with-congress-hit-roadblock/articleshow/113132043.cms

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday approved the appointment of wrestler Bajrang Punia as the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress. The decision was announced just hours after Punia, a Tokyo Olympics medalist, joined the Congress party alongside his fellow wrestler and relative, Vinesh Phogat.

Haryana BJP leader Anil Vij criticized wrestler Vinesh Phogat for joining Congress ahead of the state Assembly elections. He accused Congress of influencing athletes to protest against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over sexual harassment allegations. Both Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined Congress, meeting senior leaders in New Delhi.