Speculation is rife that former chief minister B.C. Khanduri may ditch the BJP to head a third front in Uttarakhand Assembly elections due early next year after the leader met Uttarakhand Kranti Dal chief.
“I am still in BJP but what happens in future, no one knows,” Mr Khanduri said when asked whether he sees any possibility of the formation of third front.
Mr Khanduri met UKD president Trivendra Singh Panwar this week. According to UKD sources, Mr Panwar had requested Khanduri to head the third front to take on both the ruling BJP and Congress in the coming Assembly elections which are due in February next year.
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DMK loss worries me, says Alagiri
Madurai, July 3: Breaking his silence over the DMK’s debacle in Assembly elections, Union minister and party strongman M.K. Alagiri on Sunday said the defeat is worrying him and regretted that the charge of family politics was aired more by partymen than the rivals.
“Unfortunately the DMK party was being criticised more by our own partymen than Opposition leaders or workers for family politics,” he said in a candid admission that there was discontent among workers and that issues including 2G spectrum allocation and family domination led to its rout. “The defeat is worrying me. It was only in Madurai that maximum number of people benefited by various welfare schemes of the DMK government...,” he said.
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Landslides hit yatra to Badrinath
Dehra Dun, July 3: The pilgrimage to the Badrinath shrine in Uttarakhand was disrupted following landslides, triggered by heavy rains, officials said here on Sunday.
The landslides occurred near Mandia village on the Rishikesh-Badrinath national highway disrupting the yatra to the revered shrine, they said.
Long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the roads, the officials said adding devotees were told to take Hindolakhal route for the pilgrimage.
Police and BRO personnel were engaged in clearing the debris, they said.
Traffic was, however, plying on other roads leading to Gangotri, Kedarnath and Yamunotri. —PTI
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Two sisters shot dead by brother
Saharanpur (UP), July 3: In a case of suspected honour killing, two sisters were allegedly shot dead on Sunday by their brother who was angry over one of the victim’s affair with a youth of the same village, the police said.
Nagma (22) was in an affair with Ikram of Kallanhedi village and both were to get married soon. However, her brother Nadim was opposed to this, it said.
When Nagma and her younger sister Nazia were alone in their home on Sunday, Nadim shot Nagma dead with. Nazia, who tried to save her sister, was also killed by the accused, the police said. Nadim is absconding after the incident. —PTI