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Pakistan: 18-year-old Hindu girl Pooja Oad shot dead in the middle of the road for resisting an abduction attempt

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: 18-year-old Hindu girl Pooja Oad shot dead in the middle of the road for resisting an abduction attempt

In another attack against the minority Hindu community of Pakistan, an 18-year-old girl, Pooja Oad, was shot dead in the street of the Sindh district after she resisted attempts to abduct her, reported Friday Times. Pooja Oad, was shot dead in Rohi, Sukkur after she resisted an abduction attempt.

According to Pakistani reporter and commentator Naila Inayat, it was one Wahid Lashari who tried to abduct Pooja Oad and shot her dead when she resisted the attempt.

Hindus, who are a minority in the Islamic nation of Pakistan are regularly targeted with hate, abductions, rapes, forced marriages and murder. According to the Peoples Commission for Minorities’ Rights and the Centre for Social Justice, 156 incidents of forced conversions took place between 2013 and 2019, it said. 

In 2019, a bill outlawing forced conversions was introduced, however, due to the influence of Islamists in Pakistan, it was never passed and the minorities still suffer the consequences.

A 2019 field investigation report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has reaffirmed an unpleasant reality that is already known for far too long—minorities in Pakistan live under constant fear of persecution as their perpetrators enjoy court sanctions, support from the influential and affluent section of the society and patronage from political leaders.

The courts in Pakistan have consistently failed in providing justice for Hindus in Pakistan. In fact, in some cases, the courts have empowered the culprits responsible for abducting and forcibly converting the Hindu and Christian minorities. In the case of Reena and Raveena, for example, two underage Hindu girls who disappeared from their homes in Daharki city and were later found to be married to Muslim men after being converted to Islam, the Supreme Court granted only 5 minutes for the mother to meet her daughters. The mother later reportedly said that both her daughters were continuously weeping and looked fearful. Similarly, in June 2020, a district magistrate allowed a Muslim man to keep his Hindu wife even after the parents of the girl alleged that their daughter was kidnapped and forcibly married off to the man.

Even Pakistan’s civil society turns a blind eye to the sufferings of the Hindu families whose daughters are abducted, forcibly converted and married off to older Muslim men. Most good lawyers hesitated in taking on such cases, fearing social ostracism, the residents lamented. The lack of access to legal counsel was also exacerbated by the fact that most of the Hindus in Pakistan lived in abject poverty, which severely hampered their ability to afford legal services.

‘Mosques under ASI control, entry after sunset not allowed’: Delhi police clarifies why Namaz was not allowed in some mosques on Shab-e-Barat

OpIndia Staff
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‘Mosques under ASI control, entry after sunset not allowed’: Delhi police clarifies why Namaz was not allowed in some mosques on Shab-e-Barat

The Delhi Police has clarified after former Delhi Minority Commission Head Zafarul Islam Khan had alleged that Muslims were not allowed to enter certain mosques in Delhi during Shab-e-Barat this year. Zafarul Islam in a tweet had alleged that Delhi Police was not allowing Namaz to be offered in 16 mosques of the Panchsheel area of ​​Delhi on the day of Shab-e-Barat.

Zafarul Islam Khan, who is the former chairman of the Delhi minorities commission under the Government of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi tweeted on Sunday that Friday Namaz was disallowed by Delhi Police in sixteen mosques of Panchasheel in Delhi. He also added a newspaper clipping of the Urdu daily Inquilab, while quoting an Imam of a mosque that this was the first time in fifty years when namaz was stopped there. Khan alleged that the Friday Namaz could have been transferred to 3 PM instead of cancelling it outright.

Khan further alleged that by this logic, tomorrow temples, churches and gurudwaras could also be closed. During a conversation, while he accepted that law and order situations could arise given Shab-e-Barat and Holi fell on the same day, he argued that Namaz could have been offered inside the mosque with police protection.

Refuting Zafarul Islam Khan’s allegations, Delhi Police stated that Shab-e-Barat celebrations often becomes a site for bikers to engage in road rage and thus law and order situation remains tense. Since Holi and Shab-e-Barat fell on the same day, Friday, the Police maintained that elaborate arrangements were made to maintain law and order. However, to address the same, people were not allowed to enter certain buildings including Mosques late in the evening.

Furthermore, Delhi Police PRO Suman Nalwa clarified that all the mosques which Zafarul Islam was talking about are monuments under the aegis of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). According to the ASI rules, entry to these monuments is not allowed before sunrise and after sunset. Therefore, the Namaz timings could not have been postponed for those mosques as that would mean entering those buildings after the sunset. Ignoring the underlying administrative reasons, Zafarul Islam Khan involved a communal angle to the action of the Delhi Police, which was thrashed later.

The leader is infamous for making hateful comments against Hindus and has been earlier slammed by the National Minorities Commission for his divisive statements. In an earlier Facebook post hailing Islamist Preacher Zakir Naik and thanking Kuwait for standing with Indian Muslims, he attracted sedition charges for which he was asked to submit his personal laptop by the Delhi Police for investigation.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor not to attend national seminar of CPI-M on the orders of party chief Sonia Gandhi

OpIndia Staff
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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor not to attend national seminar of CPI-M on the orders of party chief Sonia Gandhi

Congress Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, has declined the invitation from Communist Party of India, Marxist (CPI-M) to their national seminar. He has done so after being ordered by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to skip the meet.

A political row had erupted in Kerala Congress after Tharoor accepted an invitation by CPI(M) to attend seminars during its 23rd Party Congress, scheduled to be held at Kannur in the state from April 6 to 10.

Tharoor and senior leader KV Thomas were among the leaders who were invited by the CPI(M) but Congress’ Kerala state president K Sudhakaran had instructed all party leaders to keep away from the events. This was opposed by Tharoor who took the matter to the interim Congress president. However, as per reports, Tharoor was ordered by Sonia Gandhi to stay away by the party head.

Reportedly, Sonia Gandhi talked to Shashi Tharoor today afternoon, and she made it clear that the Kerala MP has to follow the instructions of the party’s state unit.

Tweeting a typically verbose letter after being told off, Tharoor said that he had accepted the invitation since the event is a national one, and Congress has a cooperative relationship with the CPI (M) nationally.

He further stated that the topic for the seminar doesn’t involve any matter of sensitivity in Kerala but is on “center-state relations”, where there is no difference of opinion between CPI(M) and Congress.

While Congress and CPI(M) have remained opponents in Kerala, nationally, they have been following the same policies and agendas for past several years. However, in his letter, Tharoor accepts that he has to skip the event as per the wishes of Sonia Gandhi.

Shashi Tharoor firmly believes he should attend this seminar of CPI(M), as his letter indicates, looks like an order from Sonia Gandhi is still good enough to override all his genuine arguments in favor of attending this seminar.

Interestingly, Shashi Tharoor had also attended a meeting of the Congress rebels last week. However, looking at his submission to Sonia Gandhi’s order today, it will be several decades before Tharoor dares to openly revel against present Congress leadership.

BBC publishes views of a select few Kashmiri Pundits relocated in Jammu to target The Kashmir Files

OpIndia Staff
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BBC publishes views of a select few Kashmiri Pundits relocated in Jammu to target The Kashmir Files

As the matter of exodus of Kashmiri Pandits has become the most discussed topic after the release of The Kashmir Files, BBC News Hindi recently published an article intending to cover the views of displaced Kashmiri Pandits who were relocated in the Jagti Township of Jammu. The piece amplified the voices of two residents in the colony – Shadi Lal Pandita and Sunil Pandita, whose critical views against the release of The Kashmir Files have been touted as voices of the entire Kashmiri Pandit community settled in Jammu by BBC.

On March 16, five days after the release of The Kashmir Files, The BBC Hindi published a video covering views of re-settled Kashmiri Pandits in the Jagti township of Jammu. Captioning quotes like ‘This Film is a stunt for 2024 elections’ and ‘Such films will further create divisions’ styled as voices of the Kashmiri Pandits over the film, The BBC was doing open propaganda on Twitter while the film had already become a massive hit. Soon the tweet was quoted by several opposition politicians wherein they started peddling a narrative that these are the only real voices of Kashmiri Pandits who should be listened to.

In the video attached to the tweet, a resident Sushil Pandita can be seen voicing his strong opinion on the release of the film. According to Pandita, such films will further create ‘animosity’ within the communities living in the valley. He said, “Since 1990, only films have been made in our names but nothing substantial has been done. While the film is being made, it doesn’t serve my relocation in the valley, nor does it serve Jammu and Kashmir or India in any way. We have been used as political tissue papers.”

Pandita further added, “While we as a civil society filled the gaps between the communities, films like (The Kashmir Files) will widen them. The Hawk Eye, a page that does independent investigative journalism on Twitter claimed that Sushil Pandita is a local ‘India against Corruption’ activist. While the BBC superimposed views like those of Sushil Pandita as voices of the entire displaced KP community, The Hawk Eye revealed the ire he faced from the other residents living in his vicinity for his controversial views.

Another resident, Pyarelal Pandita urged through the video that ‘The Kashmir files’ is a one-sided film serving the cause of Kashmiri Hindus. “Some other filmmaker should step in to show the other side of the genocide as well. What the majority community is facing in Kashmir alongside the Minorities should be collectively thrown light upon. What the majority community faced was also sponsored by Pakistan,” he added. The video further featured Shadilal Pandita who happens to be the president of the society. In the video, he said, “It is true that we have faced much in the valley. We were boycotted and slogans were given to throw us out. But it is also true that Kashmiri Muslims and Sikhs were also killed, which has not been shown in the film.”

He added, “The BJP government has done nothing for us since eight years while they put allegations on others for the same. We have been exploited and thrown out of the valley. Yet not a single work has been done in favour of us.” As reported by The Hawk Eye, Pandita is known for his anti-BJP stance and is currently leading a protest against the government for a relief demand which is supported by local Congress.

The location where the video was shot was Jagti society in Jammu. Developed as a township for displaced Kashmiri ‘migrants’, it was inaugurated by ex-PM Manmohan Singh and then CM of Jammu and Kashmir state Omar Abdullah. The BBC highlighted this fact by shooting a video of a resident in the backdrop of the society plaque. However, this was the same society where allegations of favouritism had risen from the Kashmiri Pandits in the allotment of over 6000 housing units in the society.

In a single video that has grabbed over a million views until now, the BBC managed to juxtapose voices of a select few Kashmiri Pandits as voices of the whole community. In an attempt to suggest that the film does not capture the condition of KPs in totality, the British news agency ended up with subtle propaganda which was then peddled by left-sympathetic circles. The fact remains that The Kashmir Files has been upheld as an arbitrator of the truth of the Kashmiri Hindu genocide by the global mass of the KP community itself. It is also for the first time, that ordinary Indians are standing with their Kashmiri Hindu brethren while doing everything to promote and support the film.

Congress likely to lose the Leader of Opposition position in Rajya Sabha after elections to the upper house

OpIndia Staff
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Congress likely to lose the Leader of Opposition position in Rajya Sabha after elections to the upper house

Clouds have gathered over the fate of Congress in the upper house of Parliament Rajya Sabha after its smashing defeat in the recent assembly elections. While the Congress has already lost its stature as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the party is sure to face a setback in Rajya Sabha with decreased representation in the state assemblies.

As of now, The Congress party holds clout over the RS seats from Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Maharashtra, i.e the states where it participates in forming governments in power. With the recent loss in Punjab, all Five seats from the state are likely to be swayed away by the AAP. While the results of assembly elections of five states are out, the election for 13 Rajya Sabha seats will be held on March 31. Out of the 13 seats, 5 seats are from Punjab, 2 are from Assam, 1 in Himachal Pradesh, 3 in Kerala and one seat each in Nagaland and Tripura. By the end of the year, another set of RS seats including 13 seats in Uttar Pradesh, five in Bihar, four in Rajasthan, three in Madhya Pradesh, two in Punjab and one seat in Uttarakhand will go on polls.

The Punjab dreams of Congress have been dashed after its shameful defeat in the assembly elections. With the AAP bagging 92 out of 117 assembly seats, in all likelihood, the 5 Rajya Sabha seats from Punjab will go to AAP’s basket. Today, the party nominated party leaders including Dr Sandeep Pathak and Raghav Chadha, Cricketer Harbhajan Singh, industrialist Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana and Ashok Mittal of the Lovely Professional University as candidates for Rajya Sabha.

While the AAP has fielded all five of its candidates, the opposition has not given any candidate as of now. While the tally of AAP members in Rajya Sabha will increase from 3 to 8, the increasing strength of regional parties in their respective states has affected Congress the most with its Rajya Sabha stature. As of now, the party can only hope to secure one seat from Kerala or Assam at the very least. With elections for over seventy-five seats to be held in the upper house by the end of the year, the Congress party which currently holds 34 members will be reduced to 27 – owing to its continued downfall in the assembly elections.

This rings alarm bells for the Congress as it is a requisite for a party to hold at least 10% of the total seats in the house to retain a position for Leader of Opposition. The Rajya Sabha has 250 seats wherein 238 seats represent the states, whereas 12 are nominated by the President. Hence for Congress to retain its position as Leader of Opposition which is currently led by veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, it is imperative that it holds at least 25 seats in the house. However, looking at the party positions in various assemblies, it looks difficult for the party to retain its course in the Rajya Sabha.

Owing to its impressive performance in the recent assembly elections, the BJP looks forward to adding up a few more seats in the Rajya Sabha. With a current tally of 97, BJP’s number will increase to 104 and by the end of the year, NDA will collectively secure a majority with 122 seats in the Rajya Sabha as well. It is important to note that representation in Rajya Sabha is directly linked to the stature in the states as RS MPs are elected by the state legislative assembly members and not directly by the people like in Lok Sabha.

Uttar Pradesh: Hindu temple attacked in Noida, Shivling destroyed, property ransacked

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Hindu temple attacked in Noida, Shivling destroyed, property ransacked

A Hindu temple was vandalised and ransacked by unidentified miscreants on the intervening night of March 20-21. The incident took place at Behlolpur village in Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.

In a video posted by journalist Sachin Gupta, broken pieces of Hindu idols could be seen scattered within the temple premises. He tweeted, “Anti-social elements broke into the temple and destroyed idols. Blood was spotted near the Shivling. Police forces have been deployed at the site.”

The incident has sparked a situation of chaos in the area, with the locals demanding swift action against the unidentified miscreants for breaching the sanctity of the temple. In a video posted by ABP journalist Ankit Kaushik, it could be seen that parts of the Shivling were destroyed. Blood was also seen splattered on the temple floor.

While responding to the tweet by Ankit Kaushik, Police Commissionerate Gautam Buddh Nagar wrote, “Police force is on the spot. The situation is under control. A probe has been initiated and appropriate action will be taken in this matter. “

“After we learnt about the incident, we dispatched the dog squad and forensic team on the crime scene. We found that one idol was damaged. We have also collected blood samples. We are of the belief that the accused was injured while smashing the glass pane where the idol was kept,” DCP (Central Noida) Harish Chander remarked.

He also dismissed ‘rumours’ that the temple was desecrated with an animal carcass. The Deputy Commissioner of Police informed that the temple priest had gone home at night and discovered the vandalism only in the morning.

“Another rumour that the temple priest was held hostage at the time of the incident is incorrect,” he further clarified. As per a report in The Hindu Post, angry villagers continue to allege that meat pieces were dumped in the temple and demanded that all meat shops be closed that are located in the proximity of the temple.

News channel makes a mockery of viral running sensation Pradeep Mehra, makes him run in the studio for their program

OpIndia Staff
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News channel makes a mockery of viral running sensation Pradeep Mehra, makes him run in the studio for their program

On Sunday evening, journalist turned filmmaker Vino Kapri had shared a video of a 19 years old boy, Pradeep Mehra, running on the road at midnight. The boy, hailing from Almora in Uttarakhand, was catching up on his physical exercise to prepare for the Army recruitment medical exam. While Kapri had offered him lift in his car, he had declined saying it is his routine, and had informed that since he does not get time on other times of the day to prepare for physical examination, he runs from his workplace to his residence every night instead of taking public transportation. Since then, the whole internet has gone gaga over the boy, with Kapri’s original tweet has got nearly 75 thousand retweets so far.

Sharing the video of his encounter with Pradeep, Kapri tweeted ,”This is PURE GOLD. Last night at 12 o’clock on the road of Noida, I saw this boy running very fast with a bag on his shoulder. I thought he could be in trouble so I should offer him a lift. I repeatedly offered him a lift but he declined. You will fall in love with this child if you get to know the reason.”

The boy’s spirit and commitment towards his goal won over the entire internet. Even sporting greats like Kevin Pietersen and Harbhajan Singh admired him among others.

The boy, Pradeep Mehra, was even offered training by several ex-servicemen to realize his dream of making it to the Indian Army.

However, with social media fame, unfortunately comes mainstream media attention and their tendency to make a spectacle out of you. As Baba Ka Dhaba owner discovered earlier, mainstream media attention is not always beneficial.

News18 Uttar Pradesh, invited the young boy to their studio, and made a mockery out of his whole struggle by making him run inside their studio for some apparent reason. As they played his interview on one side of the screen, the other half of the screen showed Pradeep Mehra running around their studio for no apparent reason.

Turning the whole struggle of the teenager into a circus act, the news channel kept running the visuals of him running around their studio in a loop.

They also captioned the news segment as Bhag Pradeep Bhag.

As per another tweet by Vinod Kapri, the news channel made him switch his phone off for hours, and even made him miss his job shift. Even his elder brother was unaware of his whereabouts during this time, as Pradeep was forced to keep his phone switched off. The brother said that some news channel had taken Pradeeo away, and he didn’t know which channel did it.

Vinod Kapri has appealed all the media houses to stop harrasing Pradeep Mehta. He said that all the relevant video footage and Pradeep’s interview are present on his Twitter handle, and the media can use them without seeking permission, without giving credit.

‘Just let that kid live his life. Stop his spectacle’, Kapri said in his ‘humble request’ to all media organisations.

Looking at the coverage of some news channels, you would believe that they have never seen either a poor person, or a person working hard. A simple inspirational story of struggle and ambition has been turned into a circus act by some of these 24×7 news channels.

Akhilesh Yadav blames BJP for UP being the third poorest state, but the data is from the time when he was CM: A fact-check

Anurag
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Akhilesh Yadav blames BJP for UP being the third poorest state, but the data is from the time when he was CM: A fact-check

On March 21, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav blamed Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for poverty in the state. He shared an undated news clipping that talked about Niti Aayog’s National Multidimensional Poverty Index or MPI and stated UP holds the third position in the list of poorest states.

Yadav, in a tweet in Hindi, wrote, “In the first multidimensional poverty index (MPI) of NITI Aayog under the BJP rule, UP is among the three poorest states in the country; UP ranks third in the highest malnutrition rate and in the child and adolescent mortality rate category, UP is in the worst position in the whole country. These are the badges of failure of the BJP government.”

Though it is true that Niti Aayog had put UP at third position in the overall poverty index, it has to be noted that the MPI report is not recent but was released in November 2021. Explaining the report, in an official press release, it was said that the MPI report was based on NFHS-4 data that was collected in 2015-16. At that time, BJP was not in power in the state. Also, the BJP-led government in the centre had spent only two years by then in power.

Sidharth Nath Singh, Cabinet Minister, MSME, quoted Yadav and said, “The report is showing thorns of your government on which the people of Uttar Pradesh had walked towards poverty. The data is from the National Family Health Survey-4 (the Year 2015-16). Whereas in the current preliminary report of 2020-21 shows poverty has decreased by 15 per cent.”

Furthermore, during the period of 2015-16, the Akhilesh Yadav-led government was in power in Uttar Pradesh. Yadav ignored these facts and tried to mislead the public with an updated news clipping that too about a report that was based on the data collected during the period when he was CM of UP. In the press release, it was said that further progress of the country will be calculated on the base of NFHS-5 data that was collected in 2019-21.

Madhya Pradesh minister demands action against IAS officer for comments on The Kashmir Files, The Indian Express exaggerates to claim he is facing trouble from govt

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh minister demands action against IAS officer for comments on The Kashmir Files, The Indian Express exaggerates to claim he is facing trouble from govt

The movie The Kashmir Files continues to trigger one controversy after another, as Islamists and left-liberals accuse the movie of spreading hatred against Muslims. After several state governments made the movie tax-free, The Indian Express has published a report claiming that an IAS officer has run into trouble with the Madhya Pradesh government for his tweets on the movie.

The report said that an IAS officer in Madhya Pradesh has run into trouble with the state government over his tweets. But that is not correct, and exaggeration of the fact. The Indian Express converted individual opinions of a single minister to the action of the state govt, to show the BJP govt in poor light.

ON 18th March, IAS officer Niyaz Khan, posted as Deputy Secretary in the Public Works Department (PWD) in Madhya Pradesh had posted a tweet asking the makers of The Kashmir Files to make a movie on killings of Muslims. He had tweeted, “Kashmir File shows the pain of Brahmins. They should be allowed to live safely in Kashmir with all honour. The producer must also make a movie to show the killings of Large number of Muslims across several states. Muslims are not insects but human beings and citizens of country.”

He had also said that he is “thinking to write a book to show the massacre of Muslims on different occasions so that a movie like Kashmir Files could be produced by some producer, so that, the pain and suffering of minorities could be brought before Indians.”

The officer followed it up with another tweet on Sunday, asking the producer of the movie to donate all the earnings of the movie to the Brahmin children’s education and construction of homes for them in Kashmir.

The government officer’s such rant on the widely acclaimed movie was not liked by Vishwas Sarang, the medical education minister in Madhya Pradesh. Talking to media, Sarang had demanded action against Niyaz Khan, saying that the officer’s comments were in violation of All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.

The minister had said that he will be writing to the Department of Personnel and Training asking the department to take disciplinary action against the officer, as he was promoting sectarianism through his comments.

Therefore, it is clear that a minister in Madhya Pradesh govt is demanding action against the IAS officer, and the govt has not taken any action. Moreover, the minister is in medical education department while the officer is posted in PWD, therefore the minister does not have any administrative authority over him. But The Indian Express tried to exaggerate the matter by saying that Niyaz Khan has run into trouble with the state govt.

After the officer has advised the producer of The Kashmir Files to donate the earnings, the film’s director Vivek Agnihotri had responded to him saying he will be visiting Bhopal to discuss the matter. “Please give an appointment so we can meet and exchange ideas how we can help and how you can help with the royalty of your books and your power as an IAS officer,” he had tweeted back. Reportedly, Khan is the author of eight books.

Uttarakhand: Pushkar Singh Dhami elected as leader of Legislature Party, to continue as CM

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand: Pushkar Singh Dhami elected as leader of Legislature Party, to continue as CM

On March 21, Bharatiya Janata Party announced that Pushkar Singh Dhami had been elected as the leader of the Legislature Party in Uttarakhand. Dhami would continue as Chief Minister of the state. Speaking to News18, CM-designate Dhami said the government would fulfil the promises made to the people of Uttarakhand. He further added his government would work on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to make Uttarakhand one of the leading states.

It is notable that Dhami had lost Assembly Election. He would contest by-elections from an assembly seat in the coming months as per the regulations.

BJP had contested the elections under Dhami’s leadership in Uttarakhand and won 47 out of 70 seats. This was the first time in the state that a party got elected for the second consecutive term. Congress could only win 19 seats while BSP and Independent got 2-2 seats each. Aam Aadmi Party that won Assembly Elections in Punjab failed to win a single seat in any other state elections, including Uttarakhand.

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