Mumbai BMC Elections: Along with BMC elections, elections are also being held in Mumbai MMR’s Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Panvel, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi and Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporations today. Voting will take place at all places from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm.

The political prestige of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar is at stake in these elections. At the same time, the alliance of parties of Thackeray brothers (Uddhav and Raj) is trying to return BMC to power. Meanwhile, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat gave a statement on BMC elections.

Mohan Bhagwat said this

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat gave a statement on BMC elections. He said that voting is an important duty in a democracy and citizens should use their vote wisely. Bhagwat said that NOTA means rejecting everyone, but choosing the best candidate from the available options. He warned that anarchy i.e. absence of a king is the worst situation.

Bhagwat said, ‘When we do not elect anyone i.e. do NOTA, then we are unknowingly helping the one whom we do not want. It is important to keep public interest in mind while voting.

Strong security arrangements

28,000 policemen have been deployed in Mumbai for safe and peaceful elections. 64,375 election staff have been appointed for smooth voting on 227 seats. Voting is being held today on 2869 seats of 29 municipal corporations of Maharashtra. This includes a total of 3.48 crore voters, of which 1.81 crore are men, 1.66 crore are women and 4,596 are other voters.

Union Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol made a big claim

Union Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol cast his vote at Polling Center No. 42 of Ward No. 31 at P Jog School, Pune for the Maharashtra local body elections. He said, “Today, voting is being held for municipal elections in Pune. I have come with my family to vote. The public is watching the schemes and work of the central government. The mayor of Pune will be from BJP only.”

Putin India Visit: Russian President Vladimir Putin will reach Delhi this evening. Traffic will be diverted in many parts of the capital during their movement. Especially on Friday, people may have to face heavy traffic jams and diversions in major areas of New Delhi and Central Delhi.

Due to security reasons, there is a possibility of entry and exit at some metro stations being closed for a short time. However, the police has not shared much information due to security reasons. Officials say that traffic will not be stopped for long.

The impact will be from airport to hotel
According to senior officials associated with security and traffic management, Putin will land at Palam Airport on Thursday evening and from there will go to the hotel located on Sardar Patel Marg. During this period, traffic may be affected from airport to hotel on NH-8, Dhaula Kuan and Delhi Cantt areas. While going for dinner at the Prime Minister’s residence in the evening, traffic on Sardar Patel Marg, Panchsheel Marg, Shanti Path and nearby routes will also be affected.

Most likely to cause trouble on Friday
Friday is going to be the most challenging day in terms of traffic. Putin will go to Rajghat and Hyderabad House in the morning. He will have a joint program with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam in the afternoon and many programs including a state banquet are scheduled at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the evening.

During this time, traffic may be disrupted in the morning around Rajghat, Shanti Van, Rajaram Kohli Marg, Ring Road, Delhi Gate, ITO, Tilak Marg and India Gate. At the same time, there is a possibility of impact in the areas of Mathura Road, Bhairo Road, India Gate, Mandi House and ITO in the afternoon.

Voting for the second and final phase of Bihar assembly elections has started. In this phase, more than 3 crore 70 lakh voters will decide the fate of 1302 candidates on 122 seats. Among them, many ministers of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government are also in the fray.

According to the State Election Commission, in this phase voting is taking place at 45,399 polling stations, out of which 40,073 are located in rural areas. The total voters include 1.75 crore women. Hisua (Nawada) seat has the maximum number of 3.67 lakh voters, while Lauria, Chanpatia, Raxaul, Triveniganj, Sugauli and Banmakhi seats have the maximum number of 22-22 candidates in the fray.

Where are the votes being cast?

There was more than 65% voting in the first phase, due to which enthusiastic voting is expected in the second phase also. This time the elections are especially focused in Seemanchal region. Voting is being held in districts bordering Nepal like West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj.

Why is this step important?

More than four lakh soldiers have been deployed for security so that the voting can be conducted in a peaceful and transparent manner. There are many seats in Seemanchal where the impact of Muslim population is considered to be decisive, hence this phase has become very important for both NDA and India alliance.

On one hand, NDA is accusing the opposition of giving protection to infiltrators, while on the other hand, the opposition is expressing confidence in the support of minority and rural voters. The reputation of many veteran candidates is at stake in this phase. Prominent names include JDU’s Bijendra Prasad Yadav (Supaul), BJP’s Premendra Kumar (Gaya Town), Renu Devi (Bettiah), Neeraj Kumar Singh ‘Bablu’ (Chhatapur), Leshi Singh (Dhamdaha), Sheela Mandal (Phulparas) and Jama Khan (Chainpur).

The fate of these giants is also at stake

Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Tarkishore Prasad is trying his luck from Katihar seat for the fifth consecutive time. At the same time, the contest has also become interesting on Balrampur and Kadwa seats of Katihar district. Both Mehboob Alam of CPI (ML) Liberation and Shakeel Ahmed Khan of Congress are trying to score a hat-trick of their third victory.

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Preparations for Bihar assembly elections have now intensified. In this episode, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) will visit Bihar on 4 and 5 October along with Dnyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. During this time, the team of the Commission will review the administrative and security arrangements in the state.

This high -level tour is taking place at a time when the Election Commission is going to release the final voter list on 30 September on the basis of special intensive revision (SIR). Opposition parties have questioned this process, alleging that millions of real voters can be deprived of it. However, the Election Commission has dismissed these allegations outright and said that the aim of SIR is to make the electoral system more transparent.

Commission team will assess the ground situation

The current term of Bihar Legislative Assembly ends on 22 November. In such a situation, new assembly elections are set to be held in the state. According to officials, the Commission team will sit with senior administrative and police officers of the state in Patna and assess the ground situation. This process is usually done before the formal announcement of the election.

Elections can be held in three to four stages

Sources say that after the visit of Bihar, it is possible to announce the election schedule by the Election Commission in a few days. Based on previous experiences, it is expected that this time also elections can be held in Bihar in three to four stages. However, this time there is also a challenge of festivals before the Commission because the electoral atmosphere will be between big festivals like Diwali and Chhath. The commission is already alert to protect voters from any inconvenience.

How many stages were held first?

The history of assembly elections in Bihar has also been witness to phased voting. In the year 2020, elections were held in three phases on October 28, 3 November and 7 November. The results were declared on 10 November. At the same time, elections were held in five phases in 2015, while in 2010, voting was held in six phases. In 2005, elections were held in three phases in February twice and in three phases in October.

US President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on 15 August 2025 in Alaska. Trump announced this date and place on his social media platform ‘Truth Social’. He had earlier said that this meeting could have been held earlier, but due to “security arrangements”, the date went ahead.

Trump’s official statement
Trump wrote, ‘I and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet as the President of the United States, next Friday (August 15, 2025) in the great kingdom Alaska. Further information will be given soon. Thank you for looking at this subject! ‘

America-Russia Summit will be held after four years
This will be the first US-Russia summit after 2021. The last time former President Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva. This meeting may be important in trump’s attempt to end the Ukraine War, although there is still a big difference in the peace terms of Moscow and Kiev. Many level negotiations between the two countries have failed earlier.

Trump’s signal of peace agreement
Donald Trump indicated about his proposed peace agreement. He said that it could include ‘exchange of areas’, but did not say anything in detail.
Trump said, ‘We are trying to bring back some areas and exchange something. It is complex. But we will find something back, some will change, and it will be in both the interests.

Russia’s possible offering
Some analysts, including people associated with the Kremlin, say that Russia may propose to release areas that are outside its claims. When US President Donald Trump was asked if this is the last chance to make a big peace agreement, Trump said, ‘I don’t like the word’ last chance ‘. He added, ‘When guns start running, it is very difficult to stop them.’

Omar abdullah at kheer bhawani mandir: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah offered special prayers today (May 20) on the occasion of the annual fair at Kheer Bhavani Temple in Tulmula in Ganderbal district. During this time, he offered water to Mata Ragnya Devi, offered flowers and also listened to the chanting by taking the plate of Aarti. This temple holds special religious and cultural significance for Kashmiri Pandits.

Have visited this temple many times
Omar Abdullah has also visited this temple several times before and has given the message of ‘Kashmiriyat’ and communal harmony. Since the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, there has been a sudden decline in the tourism sector of Jammu and Kashmir. On this issue, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had made a statement and clarified that at present, more priority than the economic situation of the state is being given to the elimination of terrorism. He had said, “Our focus is not yet on economic data but on the end of terrorism and for this we are standing with the Government of India.”

VIDEO | Ganderbal: Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah (@Omarabdullah) Pays obeisance at kheer bhawani temple.

(Full video available on pti videos – https://t.co/n147tvrpg7, pic.twitter.com/fftplbtwjp

– Press Trust of India (@Pti_News) May 20, 2025

Focus on tourism after the success of ‘Operation Sindoor’- Omar Abdullah
After the success of ‘Operation Sindoor’, Omar Abdullah appreciated this action and described it as a big step towards restoration of peace in the state. After this, his statements also indicated that they are now trying to revive tourism in the state. He specially mentioned from Amarnath Yatra to Vaishno Devi and assured that the government is giving top priority to the safety of the passengers.

He said that the government will try to further strengthen the security system in the state, so that devotees and tourists coming from all over the country can travel fearlessly.

Omar Abdullah’s year -old engagement at Kheer Bhavani temple strengthens his principles of Kashmiriyat. While this temple is the center of faith of Kashmiri Pandits, it has also become a symbol of communal harmony in the valley.

Farooq Abdullah has come to see singing hymns

Let me tell you that earlier, Farooq Abdullah, the head of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, former Chief Minister and father of Omar Abdullah, has been seen singing hymns several times.