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AAP performs well in Muslim-dominated seats despite losing Delhi election, AIMIM proves to be ‘vote katwa’

OpIndia Staff
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AAP performs well in Muslim-dominated seats despite losing Delhi election, AIMIM proves to be ‘vote katwa’

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has lost the 2025 Delhi Vidhan Sabha election to its arch-rival BJP. Although its seat count has reduced from 62 in 2020 to just 22 now, AAP managed to win 4 out of the 5 Muslim-dominated seats.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led-party had fielded 5 Muslim candidates from the Vidhan Sabha constituencies of Matia Mahal, Ballimaran, Okhla, Seelampur and Mustafabad.

AAP fielded controversial leader Amanatullah Khan is set to win from the Okhla Vidhan Sabha constituency. He outperformed Congress’ Ariba Khan and BJP’s Manish Chaudhary. At one point, he was trailing behind AIMIM’s Shifa ur Rehman Khan.

However, Amanatullah Khan who had threatened Republic TV journalist in the run-up to the Delhi elections later went on to take a massive lead in the Muslim-majority Okhla seat.

In the Seelam Pur Vidhan Sabha constituency, AAP fielded Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad. BJP had named Anil Kumar Sharma (Gaur) as its candidate. Congress fielded Rehman Rehman, who came third in the race.

AAP leader Zubair emerged victorious from this Muslim-majority seat while the Hindu BJP candidate lost by more than 42,000 votes.

The same pattern of ‘voting along religious lines’ was evident in the Matia Mahal constituency where the Muslim AAP candidate Aaley Mohammed Iqbal won the seat by a margin of 42,724 votes. The runner-up was a Hindu BJP candidate Deepti Indora.

In the Muslim-dominated Balliraman Vidhan Sabha constituency, AAP fielded Imran Hussain while BJP gave a ticket to Kamal Bagri. Congress leader Haroon Yusuf also contested from the seat.

Imran Hussain won the seat by a margin of 29,823 votes. BJP’s Kamal Bagri was placed second while Congress’ Haroon Yusuf came third.

The exception turned out to be the Mustafabad constituency, where a split in the Muslim vote between the AAP and AIMIM led to the victory of the BJP candidate.

Mustafabad, which was the epicentre of the anti-Hindu Delhi riots in 2020, witnessed the participation of 3 key parties – AAP, BJP and AIMIM besides the Congress, BSP and other independent candidates

BJP leader Mohan Singh Bisht won the seat by a margin of 17578 votes. A total of 85,215 people voted in his favour. AAP’s Adeel Ahmed Khan received 67,637 votes while AIMIM’s Tahir Hussain got 33,474 votes.

This division in the Muslim vote was caused by ‘vote katwa’ AIMIM and it made it easier for the BJP to clench the seat. Tahir Hussain is an accused in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots of 2020.

Interestingly, AAP won these 5 constituencies of Matia Mahal, Ballimaran, Okhla, Seelampur and Mustafabad last time. It has managed to retain 4 of these seats despite losing the election altogether.

Muslims, reportedly, accounted for 13% of the 1.55 crore electorates in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha election.

Hat-trick of ducks: Congress once again draws a blank in Delhi Assembly Elections

OpIndia Staff
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Hat-trick of ducks: Congress once again draws a blank in Delhi Assembly Elections

There was a time when Indian all-rounder, and current Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar scored duck after duck after duck while playing against Australia, and now that is being replicated in Delhi politics. Congress party, which celebrated its loss in Lok Sabha elections last year for months, has another reason to celebrate, they have once again scored a duck in Delhi Assembly Elections. This is the third successive election where Congress has failed to open its account in the National Capital.

Notably, Congress governed Delhi from 1998 to 2013, for 15 years in a row, but then managed only 8 seats in the 2013 elections. Since then, Congress party has scored 0,0, and 0 in the next 3 elections held in 2015, 2020, and 2025.

Veteran Congress leader Sheila Dixit was the Chief Minister of Delhi from 1998 to 2013. However, now even his son Sandeep Dixit is losing his deposit in Delhi. Notably, Sheila Dixit is the longest serving Chief Minister of Delhi till now.

While some exit polls predicted that Congress may miraculously get 1 or 2 seats in Delhi Assembly, the results have shown that there is no miracle taking place in Delhi.

With Congress heading for another embarrassing defeat in an election, it is quite possible that we may be subjected to yet another magazine cover saying Rahul Gandhi is coming of age.

Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is set to form the government in Delhi after 27 years, while the Aam Aadmi Party will sit in the opposition in Delhi Assembly for the first time.

AAP stalwarts like Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia also lost their seats this time as BJP romped home to victory. However, Congress was unaffected as they maintained their streak of scoring zero for third consecutive time.

‘Aur lado aapas mein’: Omar Abdullah shares a meme to mock fighting among AAP, Congress amidst Delhi poll rout

OpIndia Staff
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‘Aur lado aapas mein’: Omar Abdullah shares a meme to mock fighting among AAP, Congress amidst Delhi poll rout

As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress party are trailing in the early trends of the Delhi Assembly election results, Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah took a veiled dig at the two parties for not putting up a united front in the elections.

Commenting on the election result trends on Saturday, Abdullah indirectly pointed out the internal tensions between the AAP and the Congress. He shared a sarcastic meme on X which said, “Fight till you want. Finish each other.”

AAP and Congress along with Abdullah’s party National Conference are part of the I.N.D.I. Alliance of the opposition parties. In the Delhi Assembly elections, the AAP is fighting for a third consecutive term while the BJP is seeking a return to power after almost three decades.

Congress says the I.N.D.I. Alliance was for Lok Sabha elections only

Speaking on the I.N.D.I. Alliance senior Congress leader Pawan Khera said that the political parties have a choice to fight in alliance or individually in state-level elections. “The alliance was forged for the Lok Sabha elections. The decision regarding fighting in alliance or individually is taken by the political parties according to the situation in a state, ” said Khera. The alliance was formed before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by the leaders of 28 parties.

Early trends show the AAP struggling

The exit polls released by several polling agencies after the Delhi Assembly elections predicted a win for the BJP ending the three-term rule of the AAP. Some polling agencies predicted a close fight between the AAP and the BJP. However, almost all the exit polls were unanimous on Congress getting none or hardly 2-3 seats. The early election trends are matching the exit poll predictions as the AAP is struggling to hold its fort in even the 11 Muslim-dominated seats in Delhi.

CAIR Kentucky top official Noora Shalash assaults Jews, demands ‘jihad’, calls for ISIS attack – What we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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CAIR Kentucky top official Noora Shalash assaults Jews, demands ‘jihad’, calls for ISIS attack – What we know so far

On 7th February (local time), a video went viral on social media allegedly showing Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) Kentucky official Noora Shalash assaulting Jews inside a Mid-town Manhattan building. In the video, the woman, allegedly yelled, “I demand jihad, I want ISIS to kill all of you.”

The authenticity of the viral video was not independently verified by OpIndia. CAIR International has claimed that the woman in question has not worked with them for over five years. However, the organisation had shared a post in 2020 calling her a CAIR official.

Who is Noora Shalash

According to a profile of Noora Shalash on the Israeli conservative news website VIN News, she serves as the Director of Government Affairs for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Kentucky. Born in Amman, Jordan, Shalash was raised in Lexington, Kentucky. She has been actively involved in advocating civil rights for American Muslims through her organisation.

Earlier, she worked as a Senior Sales Leader at Coach and as a Sales Specialist at Victoria’s Secret. From 2016 to 2020, she served on CAIR Kentucky’s Board of Directors.

CAIR International, in a post, claimed that she had not worked with the organisation for over five years. CAIR wrote, “This is a lie. This person has not worked with our CAIR-KY chapter in FIVE years. She has no role at our civil rights group. We condemn and reject the antisemitic comments in the video, just as we condemn and reject anti-Palestinian racism and anti-Muslim hate. Racism is wrong, no matter the source or the target.”

Source: X

However, a post by CAIR from 2020, which is less than five years ago, mentioned her as ‘CAIR-KY Dir Gov Affairs’.

Source: X

OpIndia investigated the video and found that Noora Shalash had posted a photograph on Facebook wearing the same dress seen in the video. The photograph was published on 6th February with the caption, “New Jersey, so far, is the most disgusting place I’ve ever been to.”

Source: Facebook

CAIR and its problematic connections to terror outfits

CAIR identifies itself as a Muslim civil rights organisation in the United States that claims to protect ‘civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims’.The fact, however, is that CAIR is an Islamist group that has spoken against India and Hindus on several occasions. The organisation has been vehemently pushing Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu propaganda in India.

In 2022, CAIR released a report titled “Still Suspect: The Impact of Structural Islamophobia”, in which it said that there has been a rise in discrimination against Muslims living in the United States.

In its  report, CAIR claimed that it had received 6,720 complaints nationwide last year involving a range of issues, including immigration, travel discrimination, law enforcement, government overreach, hate and bias incidents, custody rights, school incidents, and free speech incidents.

The CAIR claimed that government discrimination and bias continue to have a disproportionate effect on American Muslims and further demonstrate that Islamic communities continue to be viewed with suspicion. The report also listed the impacts of severe structural and interpersonal Islamophobia in the United States.

Ironically, CAIR, which always complains about alleged Islamophobia in the United States, has been aggressively promoting Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu propaganda in India. We are aware of how CAIR had extended support for the extremely Hinduphobic ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva‘ conference.

Not only this, but in December last year, CAIR had reportedly taken offence at the display of the names of the LeT terrorists and scenes from the deadly 26/11 terror attack that were displayed on a mobile billboard truck in New Jersey. While calling the movement of the vehicle ‘deliberate and well co-ordinated’, CAIR criticised the broadcast of 26/11 footage as ‘messages of hate.’ This was despite the fact that the mobile billboard truck did not display anything contentious but the truth.

In January 2022, CAIR launched Hinduphobic propaganda based on a report by alleged journalist Rana Ayyub. In a press release, CAIR demanded the movie theatres not to release Sooryavanshi, a Hindi movie. In the press release, CAIR alleged the movie spreads “disgusting and dangerous” anti-Muslim propaganda inspired by the ‘fascist Hindutva movement.’

The organisation has also called for the release of 49-year-old Pakistani terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, who is currently serving 86 years in prison for attacking US Army and FBI personnel in Afghanistan.

It is noteworthy that CAIR has links with the Palestinian Islamist fundamentalist terror organisation Hamas. Hamas has a long history of violating human rights. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries, including The European Union, the United States, Canada, Israel, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom etc. 

‘No files to be taken without permission’: Delhi Secretariat temporarily closed amid security concern as BJP marches towards victory

OpIndia Staff
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‘No files to be taken without permission’: Delhi Secretariat temporarily closed amid security concern as BJP marches towards victory

As the counting of votes in the Delhi Assembly elections is underway and the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party appears to be losing, the General Administration Department of the Government of Delhi has issued a notice to temporarily close the Delhi Secretariat to ensure the safety of the records.

The notice read, “To address security concerns and the safety of records, it is requested that no files/documents, Computer Hardware etc. may be taken outside the Delhi Secretariat complex without permission from GAD. It is, therefore, directed that necessary directions may be issued to the concerned Branch In-charges under the Departments/Offices situated in Delhi Secretariat to ensure the safety of records, files, documents, electronic files, etc. under their section/branches.”

The Election Commission trends about the election results suggest that BJP will be returning to power after about three decades.

FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi in Odisha for making anti-India remarks during an event

OpIndia Staff
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FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi in Odisha for making anti-India remarks during an event

An FIR was registered against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in Odisha for allegedly making anti-India remarks. The FIR was registered at the Jharsuguda town police station on the complaint of some Hindu organisations and the BJP. An investigation is being carried out by the police in the case.

The FIR, filed by a person named Ram Hari Pujari, states that Gandhi’s remarks threatened the unity and integrity of the nation. It further states that he incited rebellion against the country by declaring war against the Indian state. Gandhi is also accused in the FIR of misusing his freedom of speech by making the statement. The statement was made by Rahul Gandhi on 15th January 2025 during the inauguration of the new Congress headquarters at Kotla Road, Delhi.

“Our ideology, like the RSS ideology, is thousands of years old and it has been fighting the RSS ideology for thousands of years. Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe we are fighting a political organisation, called the BJP or the RSS, you have not understood what is going on. The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting, the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself, ” Gandhi said.

On receiving the complaint against Gandhi, IG range Sambalpur Himanshu Lal ordered the filing of the FIR. Speaking to OpIndia, IG Lal said, “Activists of some Hindu organisations including Bajrang Dal, the RSS and the BJP had complained about Rahul Gandh’s statement. On this complaint, the police found the allegations true in the prima facie investigation. I have ordered a FIR in this regard.”

“A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS in the matter, we are investigating it in detail. As per the rules, a notice will also be sent to Rahul Gandhi in this regard and further action will be taken. His side will also be taken, ” he added.

OpIndia spoke to P Jharunguda Smit Parmar in this matter, who confirmed that an FIR has been registered. He has said that a case has been registered against Rahul Gandhi under sections 152 and 197 (1) (D) of the BNS. OpIndia has a copy of the FIR. Section 152 criminalises attempts to excite, secession or armed rebellion or subversive activities, or encourages feelings of separatist activities or endangers the unity, sovereignty and integrity of India. Section 197(1)(D) deals with the acts of making or publishing false or misleading information that can endanger India’s sovereignty, unity, integrity or security.

“Don’t know, haven’t checked results yet”: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Delhi Assembly poll counting

ANI
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“Don’t know, haven’t checked results yet”: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Delhi Assembly poll counting

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who arrived at Kannur Airport on Saturday morning said that she has not checked the trends of the counting of votes in the Delhi Assembly elections.

Speaking to mediapersons here, the Wayanad MP responded to a query posed to her about the results projected in early trends posted by the Election Commission today. “I don’t know, I haven’t checked the results yet.”

The BJP crossed the majority mark in the Delhi assembly election results, as per trends posted by the poll body. According to the available trends, the party, which was in power in Delhi for 15 years, was seen trailing in all 70 constituencies in the national capital. In the 2013 assembly elections the Congress had won eight seats.

Polling for the 70-member Assembly was held on February 5, with a total voter turnout of 60.54 per cent.

Along with Delhi, the counting for by-elections in Uttar Pradesh’s Milkipur seat and Tamil Nadu’s Erode seat is also underway.

Meanwhile, as BJP is leading in the majority of seats in the Delhi assembly election, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took a jibe at opposition INDIA bloc members Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Abdullah, a senior leader of the National Conference, which is also part of the INDIA bloc, took to X as early trending counting trends indicated a loss for both the ruling AAP and Congress in Delhi.

Sharing a popular meme, which purportedly said, “Jee bhar kar lado. Samaapt kardo ek dusre ko!” He also captioned the post, “Aur lado aapas mein!!! (Fight amongst yourselves some more).”

This came after the BJP took an early lead in 41 seats in the 70-member legislature in the national capital.

The sharp remark was intended after Congress and AAP’s decision to contest the Delhi elections separately, despite being allies under the INDIA bloc banner.

Notably, the Jammu and Kashmir CM had earlier questioned the very existence of the INDIA bloc.

All security arrangements have been put in place. Polling for the 70-member assembly was held on February 5, with a total voter turnout recorded at 60.54 per cent.

The AAP is aiming for a third consecutive term, while the BJP is making all efforts to return to power after more than two decades in the National Capital.

Most exit polls released on Wednesday gave the BJP an edge over the AAP. However, AAP leaders said that exit polls have historically underestimated the party’s performance. They expressed confidence in returning to power.

Key constituencies include New Delhi, where AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is contesting against Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit and BJP’s Parvesh Verma.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

‘Normalise Indian hate’, DOGE employee who made racial remarks against Indians likely to be reinstated by Elon Musk

OpIndia Staff
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‘Normalise Indian hate’, DOGE employee who made racial remarks against Indians likely to be reinstated by Elon Musk

A staff member of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a newly formed department in the Trump administration headed by Elon Musk, resigned after his racial social media posts from the past surfaced online. However, he will likely be reinstated.

As per reports, the DOGE employee named Marko Elez (25) was fired after The Wall Street Journal reported some racist posts by a now-deleted X account linked to him. Elez had reportedly posted inflammatory remarks last year from a pseudonymous account.

“Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool,” he posted in July last year. In another post made in September, he said, “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity”. In the same month, Elez posted, “Normalise Indian hate”. The posts no longer exist. The information of Elez’s resignation was confirmed by White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.

Elon Musk held a Twitter poll after Elez’s resignation asking X users whether he should be reinstated. 78 per cent votes came in favour of reinstating him.

While disagreeing with Elez’s racist posts, US Vice-President J D Vance, who is married to someone of Indian origin, came out in his support and said that he should be given a second chance. Vance commented on the Twitter poll held by Musk and said, “Here’s my view: I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life. We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that.”

Responding to Vance’s comment, Musk said that Elez would be brought back. “To err is human, to forgive is divine,” Musk wrote.

Marko Elez, a computer science major from Rutgers University, worked for Musk at SpaceX, including on Starlink satellites and X. He also co-founded a startup named Unimetrics.io that connected high-school students with their mentors to help them with their college applications.

Delhi Elections – AAP struggling even in 11 Muslim dominated seats, losing from Okhla to Seelampur: Congress-AIMIM divided votes

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Elections – AAP struggling even in 11 Muslim dominated seats, losing from Okhla to Seelampur: Congress-AIMIM divided votes

The results of the Delhi Assembly elections are coming out on Friday (8th February, 2025). In the trends so far, BJP seems to be returning to power in the National Capital after 27 years. The trends are showing that AAP is performing very badly after sweeping the last 2 elections. AAP is not getting votes even in those Muslim areas where it had maintained its supremacy continuously since 2013. Many big names of AAP are also trailing as per the trends.

Delhi’s famous Okhla seat, from where Amanatullah Khan is the sitting MLA, is also witnessing the same trend. He seems to be struggling to win even in his own bastion. BJP’s Manish Chaudhary has given him a tough fight and Chaudhary is ahead of Amanatullah by 1800+ votes in the counting till 9:30 AM. Muslim votes are likely to be divided between AAP and Congress on this seat.

At the same time, AAP may have to face a bad defeat in Delhi’s Mustafabad seat as well. Mohan Bisht of BJP is leading AAP’s Adeel Ahmed Khan by 5 thousand votes. This difference is likely to increase further. There is also talk of Congress dividing votes here. AIMIM candidate Tahir Hussain is also believed to have played a role in dividing Muslim votes.

BJP is also ahead in Muslim dominated seat Jangpura. Here BJP’s Tejinder Singh Marwah has left AAP’s Manish Sisodia behind. Manish Sisodia used to contest elections from Patparganj earlier. He changed his seat and switched to Jangpura this time.

BJP is also leading in Kasturba Nagar seat. Neeraj Baisoya of BJP is leading from Kasturba Nagar. He is ahead of Naresh Pehalwan of AAP by 2500 votes. Karnail Singh of BJP is leading from Shakur Basti seat, with corruption accused Satyendra Jain of AAP trailing by 3000 votes.

However, AAP is getting lead from Chandni Chowki seat which has Muslim votes. Here AAP’s Punardeep Singh Sahni is leading Mudit Agarwal of Congress. AAP has also got lead in Matia Mahal seat. Here AAP’s Ale Mohammad Iqbal is leading Asim Ahmed Khan by 4000 votes.

Meanwhile, Gopal Rai is leading from Babarpur seat. Here AAP is leading BJP by over 5000 votes. Kapil Mishra is leading from VIP seat Karawal. Here too there are a large number of Muslim votes. Kapil Mishra is ahead of AAP candidate by 6 thousand votes.

AAP has got a slight lead in Seelampur which has also predominantly Muslim votes. Here AAP’s Zubair Ahmed has got a lead of 700 votes over BJP’s Anil Sharma.

Gautam Adani’s son Jeet Adani ties the knot with Diva Shah in a private ceremony in Ahmedabad

OpIndia Staff
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Gautam Adani’s son Jeet Adani ties the knot with Diva Shah in a private ceremony in Ahmedabad

On Friday, February 7, Industrialist and Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani’s youngest son, Jeet Adani, married Diva Jaimin Shah in a private wedding ceremony attended by close family and friends.

Gautam Adani shared the news on social media platform X, posting pictures from the wedding.

“With the blessings of the Almighty, Jeet and Diva united in the sacred bond of marriage today. The wedding, held in Ahmedabad, was conducted with traditional rituals and Shubh Mangal Bhaav in the presence of close family and loved ones. It was a small and highly private ceremony, and although we wished to, we couldn’t invite all our well-wishers. I sincerely apologize for that,” Gautam Adani shared in a post in Hindi.

Jeet Adani got engaged to Diva Shah, daughter of Gujarat-based diamond merchant Jaimin Shah, on March 12, 2023, in an intimate ceremony in Ahmedabad.

The wedding rituals commenced at 2 PM today, following traditional Jain and Gujarati customs, at ‘Shantigram,’ the Adani township in Ahmedabad. Ahead of the wedding, on February 6, the couple enjoyed a lively pre-wedding celebration, where they performed ‘bhangra.’ Gurdeep Mehndi, son of renowned singer Daler Mehndi, electrified the event with his high-energy performance, captivating the audience with his signature style.

During his Maha Kumbh Mela visit last month, Gautam Adani had promised a “simple and traditional” wedding for his son, Jeet Adani. True to his word, he kept the ceremony modest while also silencing speculation of a grand affair. Instead, the billionaire donated ₹10,000 crore to various social causes.

Guided by his philosophy—Seva Sadhana Hai, Seva Prarthana Hai, Seva Hi Parmatma Hai—Adani’s donation will primarily fund large-scale infrastructure projects in healthcare, education, and skill development. The focus will be on creating affordable world-class hospitals, medical colleges, K-12 schools, and global skill academies with assured employability.

Jeet Adani is the Director at Adani Airports, overseeing operations at six international airports and leading the development of a seventh in Navi Mumbai. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Two days before the wedding, Gautam Adani introduced Mangal Seva, an initiative supporting newly married women with disabilities. Initially, 500 such women will receive ₹10 lakh each annually. To mark the launch, Jeet Adani met 21 newly married divyang women and their husbands.

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