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‘Our economic interests won’t be dictated by USA’: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirms that Joe Biden tried to postpone OPEC+ decision for oil cut

OpIndia Staff
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‘Our economic interests won’t be dictated by USA’: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirms that Joe Biden tried to postpone OPEC+ decision for oil cut

Following multiple ‘warning’ statements and accusations by the US government after the OPEC+ decided to reduce oil production by over 2 million barrels a day recently, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued a strong statement clarifying that decisions by OPEC+ countries are not the decision by one member country and are based on the economic interests of all member nations.

The Kingdom has indirectly confirmed that the US administration had indeed tried to pressurise the OPEC+ states to obtain a consensus to postpone the decision to reduce oil production for a month, till Biden’s midterm elections are over. Asserting that the decision of OPEC+ to cut oil production was taken unanimously by all member nations, Saudi Arabia has clarified that the USA’s accusation that Saudi Arabia was taking sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is totally baseless.

Affirming that OPEC+ decisions are taken to balance the supply and demand of the oil market and facilitate the economic interests of the member nations, Saudi Arabia has added that they had conveyed to the US government that their request to postpone the oil cut was not sustainable and would have made the market volatile.

Saudi Arabia has rejected the USA’s accusations of taking sides and has affirmed that the Kingdom calls for adherence to the UN charter and principles of International law, and does not support the infringement of another country’s territory. It has also hinted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia values relations with other nations but it won’t be dictated by the USA.

In the end, the statement by the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry states that they value their relations with the USA and desire that it is based on the pillars of mutual respect, and active cooperation to further common interests to bring prosperity for the people of both countries.

The US has been issuing inflammatory statements against Saudi Arabia over oil cut

It is notable here that on October 5, the OPEC+ nations declared that they will be reducing oil production by over 2 million barrels a day. The Biden administration had tried a lot to convince the OPEC+ nations, especially Saudi Arabia, to postpone this decision, unsuccessfully, reportedly because President Joe Biden is facing midterms soon and an increase in oil prices can adversely impact his political prospects.

After the oil cut decision was taken, the US government, through various statements, had accused Saudi Arabia of ‘favouring Russia’ and had even warned it of sanctions. Joe Biden even said that there will be ‘consequences’ for Saudi Arabia. He had called that the decision was ‘against’, the American people. Biden is facing mid-term polls in November, and high oil prices may affect him badly.

Democratic Party leaders in the USA have been advocating for cutting all ties with Saudi Arabia.

Frictions between the Biden administration and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been apparent for quite some time. Earlier, it was reported that Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, the de-facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, had refused to take Biden’s calls regarding oil production after the USA imposed crippling sanctions on Russia.

Suspicious adult content account continues to try and initiate conversation with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

OpIndia Staff
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Suspicious adult content account continues to try and initiate conversation with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

On October 12, the suspicious adult account on the social media platform Twitter continued to try and initiate a conversation with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Twitter handle @Esmee4Keeps was seemingly pumped by the overwhelming reaction she got to tweet mentioning Kejriwal. She continued to initiate the conversation to and about Kejriwal and asked if she should go online on the adult platform Onlyfans and talk about the Delhi CM. She wrote, “Should I go live on OF and chat about Arvind? Come say hi,” and posted a link to her Onlyfans account.

Esmee4Keeps offered to chat about ‘Arvind’ on her Onlyfans account. Source: Twitter

As she kept getting a good response, Esmee4Keeps thought she should offer a ‘snack’ to Kejriwal. She published a sensual image of herself on the social media platform and asked a double-meaning question to the Delhi CM Kejriwal, saying, “Hey @ArvindKejriwal are you looking for a snack?” followed by an emoji. By the time the report was published, this particular tweet had gathered over 1,000 retweets and 2,250+ likes. Due to explicit nature of the image, we decided to crop it.

Sensual photograph posted by Esmee4Keeps offering ‘snack’ to Kejriwal in a double-meaning tweet. Source: Twitter

‘Snack’, as per online slang, is someone who looks good at the moment and not necessarily an actual food item categorised as ‘snacks’.

Kejriwal was following an adult account on Twitter

On Wednesday 12 October 2022, Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was spotted following an adult content account named Esmee. Social media users took a swipe at the AAP supremo, mocking him with memes for following an account that posted pornographic content. 

As per social media users, Arvind Kejriwal followed a Twitter account named @Esmee4Keeps, the display picture of which shows a woman dressed in skimpy clothes. Social media users shared photos and videos as evidence to back their claim that Kejriwal was indeed following a pornographic content account and shared creative memes to take a dig at the Delhi CM for his online antics. The account has more than 130.6K followers and follows 8 Twitter accounts.

Reports claim the account was fake

Following the social media uproar, we checked if Arvind Kejriwal was following @Esmee4Keeps or not. However, the following list of Kejriwal had no such account with the said handle. Additionally, there are social media posts that claim the account is probably fake and was earlier used to post pictures of children doing crazy and funny things. However, there is no clarity if the account is fake or is indeed being run by an adult content creator.

Union govt forms committee to probe WHO report saying medication made by Indian firm Maiden Pharmaceuticals caused death of 66 children in Gambia

OpIndia Staff
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Union govt forms committee to probe WHO report saying medication made by Indian firm Maiden Pharmaceuticals caused death of 66 children in Gambia

The Central Government constituted a four-member expert committee on Wednesday 12th October 2022 to probe the World Health Organization (WHO) reports on the deaths of 66 children in the Gambia caused by cough syrups made by Sonipat-based firm Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited.

According to a report by ANI, the official sources said, “Government is alert and formed a committee. Production of cough syrups by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd has been suspended, and a lab report is awaited. Four-member expert committee has been formed to investigate the report sent by WHO.”

AK Pradhan, JDC(1), CDSCO, Dr. YK Gupta, Vice Chairperson, Standing National Committee on Medicines (chair), Dr. Pragya Yadav, ICMR-NIV, Pune, Dr. Arti Bahl, Division of Epidemiology, NCDC, New Delhi, and Dr. YK Gupta are the members of the committee made up of technical specialists.

Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited firm in Sonipat has been instructed to cease producing all cough syrups, according to an order from the Haryana government. A show-cause notice for 12 irregularities discovered at the company’s production facility has also been issued.

On 12th October 2022, Haryana health minister Anil Vij said in an interaction with ANI, “The samples of three drugs of the Sonipat-based pharmaceutical company, which were mentioned by WHO, have been sent to Central Drug Laboratory in Kolkata. The report is yet to come. We will take action only after the report comes. After a joint inspection by Central and State officials, 12 violations were found in the manufacturing facility. It has been decided to shut down total production. We have sent a notice in this regard.” The pharmaceutical business has come under scrutiny when 66 children in the Gambia died after ingesting the cough medication.

According to reports, with approval to export medications to the Gambia, Atlanta-based Atlantic Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd. bought bottles of combination syrups from Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited. It should be noted that the company manufactured and exported the bottles only to the Gambia, and the same was not sold in the Indian market.

The sources said, “From the preliminary inquiry of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), it has been made out that Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd is a manufacturer licensed by the State Drug Controller for the product’s Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby cough syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syrup under reference, and holds manufacturing permission for these products for export only.”

The sources added, “It is a usual practice that the importing country tests such imported medicines on quality parameters, and satisfies itself as to the quality of the products before the importing country decides to release such products for usage in the country. In the present case, it is yet not clear whether these medicines were tested in the Gambia before release.”

According to the tentative results received by WHO, Four samples out of the 23 samples of the products in question that were analyzed were found to contain either high amounts of diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. The officials said, “WHO has not yet made available a certificate of analysis. It has informed that the same will be made available in near future.”

On October 5, the WHO issued a medical alert saying that four substandard products made by the Indian firm were responsible for the death of 66 children in the African nation. The four products are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup, all made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals. According to the alert, laboratory analysis of samples of each of the four products confirms that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants. Although the products were distributed only in Gambia, according to WHO they may have been made available in other countries through unofficial channels.

‘Adult’ Twitter account allegedly followed by Arvind Kejriwal responds to him: Here’s what happened

OpIndia Staff
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‘Adult’ Twitter account allegedly followed by Arvind Kejriwal responds to him: Here’s what happened

Earlier today, social media was abuzz with assertions that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal allegedly followed a Twitter account that appeared to post adult and pornographic content. The Twitter account @Esmee4keeps has now responded to Kejriwal, welcoming him on her OnlyFans page and promising to chat with him later.

“@ArvindKejriwal awesome to see you on my onlyfans, chat with you later,” the account tweeted.

Source: Twitter

Arvind Kejriwal called out for allegedly following an adult content account on Twitter

On Wednesday 12 October 2022, Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was spotted allegedly following an adult content account named Esmee. Social media users took a swipe at the AAP supremo, mocking him with memes for following an account that posted pornographic content. 

As per social media users, Arvind Kejriwal followed a Twitter account named @Esmee4Keeps, the display picture of which shows a woman dressed in skimpy clothes. Social media users shared photos and videos as evidence to back their claim that Kejriwal was indeed following a pornographic content account and shared creative memes to take a dig at the Delhi CM for his online antics. The account has more than 130.6K followers and follows 8 Twitter accounts.

Following the social media uproar, we checked if Arvind Kejriwal was following @Esmee4Keeps or not. However, the following list of Kejriwal had no such account with the said handle. Additionally, there are social media posts that claim the account is probably fake and was earlier used to post pictures of children doing stupid things. However, there is no clarity if the account is fake or is indeed being run by an adult content creator.

Once called red monkeys by Bal Thackeray, Communist Party joins hands with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena for Andheri East by-election

OpIndia Staff
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Once called red monkeys by Bal Thackeray, Communist Party joins hands with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena for Andheri East by-election

On 12th October 2022, the Communist Party of India and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena joined hands together to contest the upcoming by-elections of the Andheri east assembly constituency. It is notable that CPI and Shiv Sena are known as the archrivals of a bygone era because there has been bloodshed in the past on various occasions between the two parties. But in the upcoming by-elections of the Andheri east seat, the two parties have come together to fight the alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena. Leaders of the CPI extended their support to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and assured him that they will support Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena in the upcoming by-election.

A communist party of India delegation met Shiv Sena Thackeray faction leader Uddhav Thackeray and assured him of full support to the Shiv Sena candidate in the by-poll in Andheri. The delegation also assured Thackeray that ‘we are with you in the fight against the BJP.’ Comrade Milind Ranade, secretary of CPM, senior leader Comrade Prakash Reddy, Prakash Narvekar, Baba Sawant, trade union leaders Vijay Dalvi and Babli Rawat met Uddhav Thackeray at his residence Matoshree at 2.30 pm on October 12. Shiv Sena leaders Anil Parab, Ravindra Waikar, Arvind Sawant, Sunil Prabhu, Ramesh Korgaonkar, and others were present on the occasion.

Although the Communist Party of India has limited strength in the Andheri East assembly constituency, the two extreme ideologies coming together, the communists supporting the Shiv Sena in the Andheri by-election is a major turning point in politics. Since the formation of the Shiv Sena, the Sena has had a very intense fight with the Communists. The two parties were considered hardcore opponents of each other.

It was due to this fight that communist leader Krishna Desai was killed in Mumbai in 1970. There was fierce competition between the two unions to pull the mill workers to their side. Balasaheb Thackeray used to refer to the Communist Party workers as red monkeys. But in the meantime, the politics changed. Uddhav Thackeray also changed his ideological positioning as he apparently quit the Hindutva ideology. Now, after joining hands with Congress and NCP, Shiv Sena is now allying with its opponent and CPI to resist the BJP.

Communist Party had a stronghold in the Lalbag and Parel area of Mumbai. Shiv Sena tried to contain this force. In the meantime, the conflict between the Shiv Sena communists flared up. Communist leader MLA Krishna Desai was assassinated on June 5, 1970. His murder created a stir in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena was suspected of his murder. Desai’s murder was followed by a direct fight between his wife Sarojini Krishna Desai and Shiv Sena’s Vanrao Mahadik in the Parel bypoll. In this election, Wamanrao Mahadik won by 1679 votes. Now, these two parties which once fought against each other are coming together to fight against BJP in the Andheri assembly constituency by-poll.

It is notable that as both factions of Shiv Sena are claiming to be the real Shiv Sena and claiming the party name and symbol, the Election Commission has frozen them, refusing them permission to use them till the Commission decides on the issue. For the bypolls, the ECI has granted new names and symbols to both factions. Uddhav Sena faction has been granted the name Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, and they were given the symbol of mashaal (flaming torch). On the other hand, the Eknath Shinde faction has been named Balasahebchi Shiv Sena and they will use the symbol of two swords and a shield symbol for the upcoming polls.

Over 15,000 Ukrainians to have public group sex if Putin presses the N-button amid Russia-Ukraine war: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Over 15,000 Ukrainians to have public group sex if Putin presses the N-button amid Russia-Ukraine war: Report

In the event that Russian President Vladimir Putin follows through on his threat to use nuclear weapons, Ukrainians have planned a steamy sex party. According to a report by New York Post, more than 15,000 individuals have registered for “Orgy on Shchekavystsa: Official,” a mass-participation activity put up on a Telegram group in the event that Putin launches a nuclear attack.

The potential participants in the carnal spectacle on a hill outside of the Ukrainian city of Kyiv have been told to decorate their hands with stripes to indicate what kinds of activities they are interested in. Those who are interested in anal sex were advised to draw three stripes while those who prefer oral sex were told to draw four stripes.

A woman told while talking to a radio channel, “It’s the opposite of despair. Even in the worst-case scenario, people will look for something good. That’s the mega-optimism of Ukrainians.” A man said, “It’s an attempt to show that the more they try to scare us, the more we will transform it into something else.”

Updates on the war have also been provided on the Telegram channel, which refers to the counteroffensive actions in Kherson as “BDSM parties for Russians.” Putin is rumoured to be preparing a nuclear test near the Ukrainian border, and officials in Kyiv are already giving out potassium iodide tablets as a precaution.

Putin’s nuclear sabre-rattling

As Ukrainian forces have made a swift comeback in the ongoing battle between Russia and Ukraine, racking up a series of wins on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an ambiguous but ominous threat of using nuclear weapons.

“If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without a doubt use all available means to protect Russia and our people,” he said Wednesday in a nationally televised speech. “This is not a bluff.”

However, the explosion at the Kerch bridge, the only link between Russia and occupied Crimea, has raised the stakes further, with Moscow stepping up its offensive against Ukraine. As per reports, Russia holds one of the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons, including tactical nuclear weapons, designed to accomplish more limited and immediate goals than winning a battle. 

‘It was Nehru who delayed Maharaja Hari Singh’s proposal of Kashmir’s accession to India’: Law Min Kiren Rijiju fact-checks Jairam Ramesh

OpIndia Staff
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‘It was Nehru who delayed Maharaja Hari Singh’s proposal of Kashmir’s accession to India’: Law Min Kiren Rijiju fact-checks Jairam Ramesh

The Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday fact-checked senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh over his Twitter thread where he alleged that Maharaja Hari Singh dithered on Kashmir’s accession to India and it was Sheikh Abdullah who championed it, “entirely because of his friendship and admiration for Nehru.”

In a Twitter thread spanning six tweets, Rijiju debunked the ‘historical lie’ that Congress leaders and Gandhi loyalists often peddle to aggrandise the role of Nehru and belittle the contribution of others in Kashmir’s accession to India.

Kiren Rijiju fact-checks Jairam Ramesh on clean chit to Nehru over Kashmir imbroglio

Rijiju said it was a ‘historical lie’ that Maharaja Hari Singh dithered on the question of accession of Kashmir with India and it has gone for far too long to protect the “dubious” role of Jawaharlal Nehru. 

The Law Minister quoted Nehru to bust the misinformation spread by Jairam Ramesh. “Nehru speaking in Lok Sabha on 24th July, 1952 (After an agreement with Sheikh Abdullah). The first time Maharaja Hari Singh approached Nehru for accession to India was in July 1947 itself, a full month before Independence. It was Nehru who rebuffed the Maharaja,” Rijiju tweeted in the subsequent tweet.

Citing Nehru’s speech in the parliament, Rijiju said that it was not Maharaja Hari Singh but Nehru himself who delayed the accession of Kashmir with India. Maharaja, Rijiju said, approached with the accession to India in July 1947 itself, much like the other princely states. However, others were accepted, while Kashmir’s request was rejected, he added.

Rijiju further added that Nehru not only rejected Maharaja Hari Singh’s proposal for accession in July 1947, but he was dithering in October 1947 as well, at a time when the Pakistani forces, under the guise of ‘tribals’, invaded Kashmir and were within striking distance from Srinagar.

Summing up Nehru’s treachery, Rijiju said while Maharaja wanted to join India in July 1947, Nehru rejected his proposal and conjured up some ‘special case’ for Kashmir and had wanted ‘much more’ than mere accession.

“Why was Kashmir made the only exception by Nehru, where the Princely ruler wanted to join India, and yet Nehru wanted ‘much more’? What was that much more? Truth is, India is still paying the price for Nehru’s follies,” Rijiju concluded. 

Jairam Ramesh claims Maharaja Hari Singh delayed Kashmir’s accession to India

Earlier yesterday, Ramesh took to Twitter to shift the blame of the vexed issue of Kashmir from Nehru to Maharaja Hari Singh. In a string of tweets, Ramesh said it was Hari Singh who dithered to join India and not Nehru who is held responsible for the Kashmir imbroglio. Ramesh credited Kashmir’s accession to Sheikh Abdullah, whose divisive legacy continues to shape the conflict in present-day Kashmir. The Congress leader also raised aspersions on Sardar Patel, stating that he was ok with Kashmir joining Pakistan till September 1947.

People who have resided in Jammu for more than 1 year can register as voters, says order issued by the administration

OpIndia Staff
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People who have resided in Jammu for more than 1 year can register as voters, says order issued by the administration

On Tuesday, the Deputy Commissioner of Jammu issued an order authorizing all tehsildars (revenue officers) to give residence certificates to anybody who has stayed in the district for more than a year. According to the directive, the decision has been taken to guarantee that no eligible voter is left out of the ongoing special summary review of electoral records.

This is the first time that the electoral revision has been undertaken after the removal of Article 370 in 2019. According to the reports, any document, including the Aadhar Card, water, electricity, gas connection, bank passbooks, passports, and registered land titles can be utilized as proof of residency.

The order also states that the special review revision is intended for new voter registration as well as the deletion, correction, and transposition of voters who have relocated or died after the last summary review in Jammu and Kashmir.

The regulation however has faced opposition from several political parties including JKNC, JKPC, and PDP. In response to the order, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference’s (JKNC) official Twitter feed stated that the party rejects the government’s decision. It continued to state that the BJP is terrified of the elections and knows it will lose heavily.

“The Government is going ahead with its plan to add 25 lakh, non-local voters, in Jammu and Kashmir and we continue to oppose this move. BJP is scared of the elections and knows it will lose badly. People of Jammu and Kashmir must defeat these conspiracies at the ballot box”, JKNC tweeted.

Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC) also criticized the directive and said, “the latest order by DC Jammu authorizing revenue officials to issue a certificate of residence to outsiders residing in Jammu for more than one year is highly suspicious aimed at enabling them to vote. This goes against the SC judgment on the issue”. JKPC also demanded the Election Commission of India look into the case and clarify further if such a directive is permissible.

Meanwhile, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti criticized the directive. “This means that the value of the vote of a J&K voter will be finished. This law is not applied anywhere in the country except Jammu and Kashmir”, she said.

Earlier, chief election officer Hirdesh Kumar had stated that Jammu and Kashmir would receive roughly 25 lakh extra voters, including outsiders, as a result of the special summary review of electoral records. Except for the BJP then, almost all political parties were upset by the inclusion of non-locals as voters and had flocked to the streets to protest.

The government later stated that the revision of electoral records would encompass current inhabitants of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and the rise in numbers will be of voters who have reached the age of 18 as of October 1, 2022, or earlier.

Ankit Sharma murder during Delhi anti-Hindu riots: Accused Muntajim alias Musa arrested from Telangana after 2 years

OpIndia Staff
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Ankit Sharma murder during Delhi anti-Hindu riots: Accused Muntajim alias Musa arrested from Telangana after 2 years

Two years after the brutal murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma during the anti-Hindu riots of Delhi, an accused named Muntajim alias Musa Qureshi has been arrested from Telangana’s Meerpet. As per reports, Muntajim was carrying an award of Rs 50,000 on his head.

Muntajim was arrested by Delhi Police’s special cell on October 10. Earlier in 2020, other accused named Riyasat, Shahnawaz and Salman were arrested in the case. Former AAP leader Tahir Hussain and his brother are also accused in the case.

IB staffer Ankit Sharma was reported missing by his family during the Delhi anti-Hindu riots. On 27 February, his dead body was found in a sewer in the Chand Bagh area. The Delhi police had stated in its charge sheet that Ankit Sharma was specifically targeted by the mob that was led by Tahir Hussain. They had alleged a deep conspiracy behind the murder.

The charge sheet says that Ankit Sharma was murdered outside the residence of Tahir Hussain in the Khajuri Khas area on February 25. After stabbing him multiple times, the mob threw his body into the nearby drain.

The post-mortem report concluded that Sharma’s body had multiple injuries. A knife used in the murder and blood-stained clothes were also recovered.

Shashi Tharoor asked to cancel UP visit to avoid ‘clashes’ with supporters of Mallikarjun Kharge: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Shashi Tharoor asked to cancel UP visit to avoid ‘clashes’ with supporters of Mallikarjun Kharge: Report

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is one of the contenders in the race for Congress president, has had to cancel his visit to Uttar Pradesh twice in two days amid speculations that he was told to stay away to avert a potential ‘faceoff’ with supporters of Mallikarjun Kharge, another Congress veteran who is in the fray for the party’s top post and was coming to visit the state.

Citing sources involved in campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, the Times of India report said that Tharoor was told by a “top Congress official” to avoid visiting Lucknow for campaigning on Monday as it would appear inappropriate in the wake of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s death. Tharoor reportedly suggested visiting on Tuesday but was told that it could result in clashes with supporters of Kharge, who is set to visit the state capital.

Kharge was already scheduled for campaigning in Lucknow on Tuesday. However, despite setbacks, Tharoor is resolute on visiting Lucknow and is now scheduled to visit the UP state capital on October 16. But back-to-back cancellations have caused a stir in the party circles, with many speculating if UP Congress leaders were behind delaying Tharoor’s visit to the state. 

Interestingly, delegates who formed the electoral college in the internal elections were to collect their QR-enabled identity cards for voting on Tuesday, and the occasion would have provided a good outreach opportunity for the candidates.

It is worth noting that Uttar Pradesh is the major voting centre in the party polls, with more than 1,200 delegates from the state. In addition to the recent setbacks, Tharoor, a self-styled candidate, is also constrained by the fact that Mallikarjun Kharge is widely seen among Congress cadres as the choice of the “establishment”, given he was asked to contest the polls after the part’s first choice, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, opted out of the race following a controversy.

Tharoor had already expressed concern that party leaders are asking delegates to vote for the “official candidate”, but their plan may get scuttled in a secret ballot. The Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananathapuram has oozed confidence that his campaign is receiving support and may perform better than others’ expectations.

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