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Punjab: Who is Ashok Kumar Mittal? Here’s what you need to know about AAP’s pick for Rajya Sabha

Days after a landslide victory in recently concluded assembly elections in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party has nominated its 5 nominees for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

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Ashok Kumar Mittal

Days after a landslide victory in recently concluded Assembly elections in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party has nominated its five nominees for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

Ashok Kumar Mittal, the Chancellor of Lovely Professional University, was one among the AAP’s five Rajya Sabha nominees. He is described by the party as a renowned academician and social activist. A part of the Lovely Group founded by late Baldev Raj Mittal, the University was established in 2001 as the “largest private university” and is an example of coming up the hard way.

The Group began with a sweetshop in Jalandhar Cantonment in 1961 and by the 1980s, had become a must-visit sweets destination in all of Jalandhar. It branched into a two-wheeler dealership of Bajaj Auto in 1991 and then started a Maruti Suzuki car dealership in 1996. Slowly and steadily, the Group built up its goodwill and corpus. The result of which is the Lovely Professional University.

AAP has picked former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, AAP Delhi MLA and Punjab campaign head Raghav Chadha, Indian Institute of Technology Professor Sandeep Pathak, apart from Mittal and industrialist Sanjeev Arora as its representatives due to be elected to the Rajya Sabha, which seems a foregone conclusion given that the party holds 92 seats in the 117-member House.

The choices of Chadha, Pathak and Mittal has thrown open a can of allegations against AAP for not choosing people within Punjab and instead relying on its Delhi goodwill and awarding loyalists from the capital and experts from other fields. Twitter is awash with allegations that the party gave Rajya Sabha seats to billionaires in Delhi and has now made room for Mittal who runs the Lovely Professional University, another billionaire.

Several heavyweights from Punjab bit the dust in the recent Assembly elections. AAP hasn’t rewarded the people, a few of them highly qualified, who came up with such Herculean feats. Among the defeated were outgoing Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, former CM Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal, and former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have reiterated to their MLAs that the party will not tolerate corruption.

There are 13 Rajya Sabha seats to which elections will be held on March 31 and today is the last day of filling nomination for the Punjab Rajya Sabha elections. The Punjab MLAs will vote for 5 MPs, 3 will be elected from Kerala, 2 from Assam, and one each from Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Tripura.

AAP picks Harbhajan Singh, Raghav Chadha, and others as its Rajya Sabha candidates from Punjab, check full list

Petrol Diesel price today: Increase in diesel price by Rs 25 for THESE customers, check state-wise fuel rates here

In other India news, the Aam Aadmi Party which swept the Congress in Punjab by winning the 92 seats of 117-assembly seats, has spiked five of its Rajay Sabha nominees for the upcoming assembly polls which will be held on March 31.

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Security tightened across Delhi metro stations after bomb threat emails

Delhi is on high alert after bomb threat emails targeted metro stations, the Red Fort and the Assembly. Authorities confirmed the threats were hoaxes but tightened security as a precaution.

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Delhi Metro

Security has been intensified across all metro stations and major installations in the national capital after a series of bomb threat emails were received on Monday. Authorities later confirmed that the threats were hoaxes following detailed inspections by security agencies.

According to officials, several key institutions — including the Delhi Secretariat, Delhi Assembly, the Red Fort and two schools — received threatening emails earlier in the day. Extensive searches were carried out at all the locations mentioned in the messages, but nothing suspicious was found.

A senior police officer said cyber teams are working to trace the origin of the emails. Preliminary findings suggest that the senders may have used Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in an attempt to conceal their identities and mislead investigators. Officials expressed confidence that those responsible would be identified.

Metro stations under heightened surveillance

Following specific references to metro services in the emails, security arrangements were strengthened across the entire network of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Additional personnel have been deployed at stations, and anti-sabotage checks are being conducted.

Police said random frisking of passengers and intensified CCTV surveillance are being carried out as part of precautionary measures. Bomb disposal squads and dog squads were stationed at sensitive sites, including the Red Fort, Delhi Secretariat and the Assembly complex.

The threatening emails reportedly included the slogan “Delhi banega Khalistan” and warned of explosions at an Army school, the Assembly and the Red Fort at specific times during the day. Officials stated that all mentioned locations were thoroughly checked and declared safe.

Authorities also coordinated with counterparts in neighbouring states to enhance security at metro stations falling under their jurisdictions.

While no explosives were found, officials said the tightened security arrangements will remain in place as a precaution. Cyber teams continue efforts to trace the IP addresses and identify those behind the threat emails.

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JNU protest turns violent as Left and Right student groups trade charges

A late-night protest at JNU turned violent as Left and ABVP student groups accused each other of stone-throwing and attacks near the East Gate.

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JNU Protest

Tension gripped the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University in the early hours of Monday after a protest march allegedly spiralled into violence, with rival student groups accusing each other of triggering the unrest.

Students claimed that the incident occurred around 1.30 am when a confrontation broke out during a march called by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union. The protest, named “Samta Juloos”, was headed towards the East Gate and was organised to demand the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and the withdrawal of a rustication order.

According to protesters, several students were injured after alleged stone-throwing during the clash. They alleged that the university administration did not intervene during the march and instead permitted members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to confront demonstrators.

However, the ABVP denied the allegations and countered that Left-affiliated organisations instigated the confrontation and were spreading misinformation about the events.

Left-backed groups, including the All India Students’ Association, claimed that ABVP activists targeted the JNUSU encampment and hurled stones at “unarmed students”, leading to multiple injuries.

Videos shared by students on social media reportedly showed chaotic scenes near the protest site, with members of rival groups engaged in heated exchanges and physical scuffles.

University authorities did not immediately respond to queries regarding the incident. Students said the situation on campus remained tense following the overnight clashes.

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World praised India’s AI potential at AI Impact Summit, says PM Modi

PM Modi said the world praised India’s AI potential at the AI Impact Summit 2026, where 89 countries endorsed the New Delhi Declaration on artificial intelligence.

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pm modi speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the world wholeheartedly praised India’s potential during the recently concluded AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, highlighting the growing global confidence in the country’s young technology talent.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said the summit demonstrated how the mindset of India’s youth in the field of technology would serve humanity at large. He described the event as historic and underlined the positive global response to India’s AI capabilities.

The AI Impact Summit 2026, organised in New Delhi last week, concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact. The declaration has been endorsed by 89 countries and international organisations, signalling broad global agreement on promoting artificial intelligence for economic growth and social welfare.

Broad global participation

The summit saw the participation of several prominent world leaders and top technology executives. Among those present were UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Swiss President Guy Parmelin.

Other leaders attending the summit included Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic, Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay, Estonia President Alar Karis, and Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

Chief executives and senior leaders from major global technology firms were also part of the gathering.

Focus on inclusive AI growth

Held under the theme ‘Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay’ (welfare for all, happiness of all), the summit aimed to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence while ensuring that AI development remains inclusive and sustainable.

The event brought together more than 500 international AI leaders. This included around 100 CEOs and founders, 150 academicians and researchers, and 400 CTOs, vice presidents and philanthropists. Additionally, over 100 government representatives and nearly 60 ministers and vice ministers participated in discussions.

The New Delhi Declaration seeks to strengthen international cooperation and ensure that AI technologies contribute to economic progress, social good and environmental protection.

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