PM Modi, Amit Shah & Senior Ministers To Campaign For BJP In J&K

Budgam recorded 58.97 pc, Ganderbal 58.81 pc, Poonch 71.59 pc, Rajouri 68.22 pc, Reasi 71.81 pc and Srinagar 27.37 pc till 7pm, as per the date shared by the ECI.

"Voting took place in a tranquil atmosphere free of fear and intimidation. Voters inhabiting the areas near the border were also empowered to exercise their franchise at 55 border polling stations set up near the LoC in 89 Poonch Haveli and 90 Mendhar AC in Poonch district and 51 such polling stations in Rajouri district. These border polling stations saw voting today in line with the Commission's resolve to bring even the remotest corners of the country into the democratic fold," ECI said in a release on Wednesday

"As of 7 PM, a voter turnout of 54.11% was recorded at the polling stations. The overall voter turnout recorded in these six districts that went for polls in Phase 2 have also surpassed the turnout recorded in Lok Sabha Elections 2024. Phase-1 of the Jammu-Kashmir Assembly elections had also witnessed an encouraging response by voters with a voter turnout of 61.38% at Polling Station across 24 ACs," the ECI said in a statement.

The statement said that CEC Shri Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Shri Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had maintained a constant supervision of the polling process to ensure that the polling took place in an incident free manner.

Earlier in the day, interacting with media at Nirvachan Sadan, CEC Rajiv Kumar said that these elections are, "History in the making", the echoes of which will be carried through posterity. He added that the valleys and the mountains which had once witnessed fear and boycott, are now taking part in the democratic festivities or "Jashn-e-Jamhuriyat".

Strong security measures were in place, creating a conducive environment for voters to cast their vote without fear or intimidation, the release added.

Polling for the third phase will be held on October 1, 2024. The counting of votes is scheduled for October 8. (ANI)

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The Prime Minister individually spoke to each player, giving his blessings to them. The teams presented him with a chess board and the PM also watched Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi play a blitz game. The PM shared lighter moments with the players and on one occasion, Praggnanandha was seen laughing as he introduced himself and PM Modi commented, according to an audio-less video provided by the authorities.

In a historic triumph, India's men's and women's teams clinched gold medals for the first time in the 45th Chess Olympiad last Sunday.

Led by the stellar performances of D. Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, the men's team, which also included R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna, secured the gold medal after a thrilling final round victory over Slovenia. Undefeated throughout the event, India finished well ahead of top-seeded United States, China and 2022-winner Uzbekistan.

The women's team comprising Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev and led by non-playing captain Abhijit Kunte, also secured the gold medal after beating Azerbaijan. It finished ahead of Kazakhstan and the United States to claim gold.

The men's team, with Srinath Narayanan as the captain, led throughout the tournament, winning 10 matches and drawing just one. Before the last round, they were two points ahead of China.

In the final round, India only needed a draw to clinch the gold medals or for China not to win their match. However, India continued to press for a win and defeated Slovenia 3.5-0.5.

The women’s team had a very strong start, leading the event after 7 rounds, having won all their matches. They stumbled in round 8, losing to Poland and then drawing with Team USA, but made a strong finish. Going into the final round, India was tied for first with Kazakhstan, and the race for the medals was down to the wire.

The team of Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali R, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev, with Abhijit Kunte as the captain, demonstrated excellent composure and delivered, winning the final match against Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5. At the same time, Kazakhstan only drew with the USA 2-2, making India the sole winner of the event. (IANS)

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The IMD issued an orange warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall between 7 and 20 cm at one or two places over Boudh and Angul districts till 8.30 AM on Thursday. 

It also issued a yellow alert for thunderstorm with lightning and heavy rainfall (7 to 11cm) at isolated places in the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, Bargarh, Nuapada, Balangir, Sonepur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khordha, Nayagarh and Kandhamal during the period.

Similarly, heavy rainfall between 7 and 11cm is likely at one or two places over Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh districts from 8.30 AM on Thursday to 8.30 AM on Friday. A yellow weather warning has been issued for these five districts, the IMD’s latest bulletin said.

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