India News

Chhattisgarh election 2023: Anti-incumbency sword scalps only the less affluent in Congress, BJP

Of the 18 sitting MLAs who have been dropped, most come from the SC/ST communities and have held no position of power, and have not been involved in any scam.

Published

3 years ago

October 19, 2023

By Neeraj Mishra

The main parties in Chhattisgarh, the BJP and the Congress, have announced their list of candidates in batches for the 2023 Assembly elections. There is nothing surprising in either list, in fact, there is a lot in common.

The 2023 elections will witness almost a similar match up as in 2018. The Congress has repeated more than 50 of its 70 MLAs while the BJP has repeated 11 of its 13 and given tickets to another 15 who had lost five years ago.

So the BJP is taking the field with 49 old faces while the Congress is seeking to return to power with 55 in an Assembly of 90 MLAs. What is, however, common to both sides is those repeated are all ministers, ex-ministers and generally the affluent lot. Those with less money in their bank accounts and fewer properties have been ignored. It’s a battle of the corrupt and the corruptible.

It was expected that Congress will not repeat at least 20 of its 70 sitting MLAs as a political stratagem to combat the anti-incumbency factor. It has done so but in a brilliant brainwave, its leadership is convinced that only the poorer of its MLAs have an anti-incumbency factor working against them! So it has repeated all its 13 ministers, the Speaker and even those MLAs who are under Enforcement Directorate scanner for corruption. Some of the ministers like Shiv Deharia, Jaisingh Agarwal and Ravindra Choubey are unpopular in their constituencies over allegations of having reaped riches in office.

Those who have been left out to dry include one former minister Premsai Singh and three others whose candidature was not acceptable to Deputy CM TS Singhdeo. Of these, Brihaspati Singh, an ST MLA, had levelled serious charges of attempt to murder against Singhdeo. Of the 18 sitting MLAs who have been dropped, most come from the SC/ST communities and have held no position of power, and have not been involved in any scam. Only one MLA facing the ED heat Chandra Dev Rai has been denied the Congress ticket. The clear message is that affluent politicians can either buy their way through or cannot be denied because they have built a strong network of other gratified fellows.

Strangely enough, this syndrome affects the BJP more than the Congress. Brijmohan Agarwal, who is contesting his 10th election from the same seat in Raipur, had been extremely unpopular within the BJP for his proximity to Baghel. He had been currying favours with Baghel and has remained ensconced in his old ministerial bungalow for the past five years much to the chagrin of the BJP state leadership. But Agarwal comes from an affluent background and cannot be denied.

So does another BJP moneybag from Bilaspur, former excise minister Amar Agarwal, who lost in 2018. He is the son of former BJP heavyweight late Lakhiram Agarwal and runs a vast empire of gutka and gudakhu. So does Rajesh Mudat who has been repeated despite his defeat in 2018 from Raipur. He comes from the affluent Jain community and is capable of spending for at least two constituencies.

While the BJP has attempted to dust off allegations of nepotism and parivarwad by denying tickets to progeny, the Congress has not held back. Amitesh Shukla, the son of former chief minister Shyama Charan Shukla, will be contesting his sixth straight election from Rajim and Arun Vora, the son of another former CM Motilal Vora will be contesting his fourth. Pankaj Sharma, the son of former minister Satyanarain Sharma, has been given the ticket but only after his father decided to step aside for him.

Another interesting aside is that more than 125 of the 180 candidates from both parties reside in Raipur and only travel to their constituency during elections. So much for people’s representation.

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Air India sacks Phuket-Delhi flight pilot after failing drug test

Air India has terminated the Phuket-Delhi flight pilot after a confirmatory test found a psychoactive substance following the August 4 incident.

Published

14 hours ago

September 4, 2026

APNLive Desk

Air India has terminated the employment of the pilot-in-command of a Phuket-Delhi flight after he tested positive for a psychoactive substance.

The pilot was in command of flight AI2379, which was travelling from Phuket to Delhi on August 4 when the aircraft suddenly lost altitude over Odisha. The incident left 24 passengers injured.

Air India said the termination was in line with its zero-tolerance policy regarding safety violations and regulatory requirements.

Air India terminates pilot with immediate effect

In a statement, the Tata-owned airline said the pilot-in-command had tested positive for a psychoactive substance.

The airline said that, considering its zero-tolerance approach to violations related to safety, fitness and regulatory requirements, the pilot’s employment had been terminated with immediate effect.

Air India also said it continues to cooperate fully with the investigation into the incident and has provided access to relevant operational, maintenance and technical records.

What happened on the Phuket-Delhi flight?

According to the preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the Airbus A320 was carrying 145 people when it experienced the near-simultaneous loss of all three hydraulic systems while cruising at around 36,000 feet.

The technical failure resulted in the autopilot disconnecting and triggered a brief stall warning. The aircraft subsequently lost altitude, resulting in injuries to 24 passengers.

The preliminary report also noted that the pilot tested non-negative for a psychoactive substance in a confirmatory test.

However, the report did not establish that the pilot’s drug-test result caused or contributed to the hydraulic system failure or the subsequent loss of altitude.

AAIB recommends action over psychoactive substance finding

The AAIB described the confirmation of psychoactive substance use as a serious concern and recommended that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) take appropriate action against the pilot on priority.

The investigation into the technical and other aspects of the incident is still underway.

The preliminary report also noted that the co-pilot was flying the aircraft when the incident occurred and attempted to bring the situation under control.

Air India said safety remains its highest priority and that its pilots undergo training, proficiency checks, medical examinations and other regulatory assessments in accordance with applicable requirements.

India News

India offers forensic DNA support to identify Nepal flood victims

India will make forensic laboratory facilities available for DNA profiling of first-degree relatives of people missing after Nepal’s August 26 flash floods.

Published

19 hours ago

September 4, 2026

APNLive Desk

India has offered forensic laboratory support to help identify people who remain missing after the devastating flash floods in Nepal.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said central and state forensic laboratories in India will make their DNA profiling facilities available for first-degree biological relatives of people missing after the August 26 flash floods in Nepal.

DNA samples can be provided by relatives in India

According to the MEA, first-degree biological relatives living in India can have their biological samples collected and DNA profiles prepared.

The relatives can include a person’s father, mother, son, daughter or sibling. DNA profiling can be carried out at Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSLs), State Forensic Science Laboratories (SFSLs), laboratories of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), and NABL-accredited laboratories with DNA profiling capabilities.

The initiative is intended to support Nepal’s ongoing process of identifying mortal remains recovered after the flash floods.

DNA profiles to be compared with unidentified remains

The MEA said the DNA profiling may use Autosomal STR DNA profiling, as advised by Nepal Police, subject to the technical requirements communicated by the Nepali authorities.

Once prepared, DNA profiles and the preliminary information required by Nepalese authorities can be sent to Nepal Police by email for comparison with DNA profiles obtained from unidentified mortal remains.

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu will also facilitate coordination, with copies of the DNA profiles to be shared with the embassy for this purpose.

Nepal flood death toll rises

The death toll from the flash floods has risen to at least 1,259, according to Nepalese authorities, after rescue workers recovered additional bodies from affected areas.

More than 12,000 people have been rescued, while around 5,000 people remain missing as search and rescue operations continue.

The flash floods, which followed an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border, caused extensive destruction across towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.

India News

PM Modi hails ISRO after successful GSLV-F17 launch, calls it proud moment

PM Modi congratulated ISRO after GSLV-F17 successfully launched EOS-05, calling the achievement a proud moment for India.

Published

24 hours ago

September 4, 2026

APNLive Desk

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after the successful launch of the GSLV-F17 rocket carrying the EOS-05 Earth observation satellite, describing the achievement as a proud moment for the nation.

The GSLV-F17 lifted off at 2:55 a.m. IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The EOS-05 satellite was subsequently placed into its designated sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit.

PM Modi praises ISRO’s growing capabilities

In a post on X, PM Modi said the successful mission reflected the excellence, innovation and expanding capabilities of India’s space sector.

Yet another outstanding achievement by ISRO and a proud moment for our nation.

The successful launch of GSLV-F17 carrying EOS-05, India’s first-ever imaging satellite from Geosynchronous orbit is a reflection of the excellence, innovation and growing capabilities that define… https://t.co/fXzwnSmwAF
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 4, 2026

He also highlighted the growing partnership between ISRO and Indian industry, saying it was strengthening India’s space programme and expanding capabilities across the wider space ecosystem.

The prime minister described the successful launch of GSLV-F17 carrying EOS-05 as another outstanding achievement by ISRO and a matter of national pride.

EOS-05 strengthens earth observation capabilities

According to the report, EOS-05 is India’s first-ever imaging satellite from geosynchronous orbit. The satellite is designed to provide continuous observation of the country from an altitude of nearly 36,000 km above Earth.

The mission is expected to strengthen India’s earth observation capabilities and support advanced imaging and observation applications.

ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan expressed satisfaction with the mission, saying the satellite was precisely injected into its intended orbit.

Mission Director Thomas Kurian described the launch as a significant milestone for the GSLV programme. He said it was the 19th flight of the GSLV and noted that EOS-05 is the heaviest satellite the launch vehicle has placed into a geosynchronous transfer orbit or sub-GTO orbit.

GSLV-F17 launch vehicle details

The GSLV-F17 stands 51.7 metres tall and has an approximate liftoff mass of 420.5 tonnes.

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh also congratulated the ISRO team following the successful mission. He described EOS-05 as a state-of-the-art Earth observation satellite capable of advanced imaging across visible, infrared, multispectral and hyperspectral bands.