As Delhi continues to choke with hazardous air pollution, the BJP on Wednesday demanded the AAP government to urgently close all schools up to Class 5. They also slammed the Delhi government for allowing the city to devolve into a gas chamber.

In a press conference, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that both private and government schools should be shut down for the safety of children, given the alarming level of air pollution in the national capital and its adjoining regions.

He added that children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution. He also pointed out the lack of government clinics providing essential treatments to mitigate these dangers.

The Delhi BJP President emphasised that the AAP government has utterly failed to manage pollution levels in the national capital, mentioning that PM 2.5 concentrations have soared beyond 400 and PM 10 levels exceeded 1,000. Virendra Sachdeva said that Delhi is now a gas chamber where people are choking and suffering from respiratory issues.

Delhi saw its first dense fog of the season on Wednesday, with air quality recorded as very poor. As per the real-time data from the Central Pollution Board (CPCB), the air quality index has surged to 366. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that the pollution had reduced visibility to 100 metres (328 feet) in some places by around 8 a.m. It said the city’s temperature dropped to 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday morning from 17.9 C on Tuesday and may fall further as sunlight remains cut off due to the smog.

Notably, the second stage of Graded Response Action Plan remains in force in the national capital, which entails mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling on identified roads, and implementation of dust control measures at construction and demolition sites.

The Election Commission on Wednesday checked Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s bag amid Uddhav Thackeray’s allegation.

The Chief Minister’s bags were checked after his helicopter landed at the Palghar Police ground helipad. The action followed after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray questioned the election panel after his bags were checked by officials. The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said his bags had been inspected by the election authorities after he arrived in Latur and Yavatmal districts over the last two days.

He asked the Election Commission officials if the same action will be taken against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Addressing a public meeting in Wani, Uddhav Thackeray said that he is not angry with the ECI officials as they were doing their duty, and questioned whether they check the bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis.

Reacting to the allegations, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that Uddhav Thackeray was trying to divert the attention by needlessly protesting against the checking of his bags by poll officials and was seeking votes by whining.

The Deputy Chief Minister questioned what is wrong in checking bags, adding that their bags were also checked during campaigning, and that there was no need for this level of frustration. He mentioned that the Election Commission officials followed the same procedure with his campaign team too.

Earlier in the day, bags of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar were also checked by EC officials in Baramati. The Maharashtra BJP had also posted a video on X showing officials checking Devendra Fadnavis’ bags.

The Maharashtra Assembly Election will be held on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 13.  

In a scathing attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged that the Jharkhand  government had allowed infiltrators to grab land and abuse tribal women. He was addressing a public rally in election bound Jharkhand’s Deoghar.

While addressing people at Deoghar’s Sarath, the Prime Minister said that wherever he has travelled in Jharkhand, the biggest worry has been about infiltration. He pointed out that as per the data available, the tribal population in Santhal has reduced to half, adding that they have to protect the tribal families and every Jharkhandi from this.

PM Modi stated that there is a huge conspiracy being done to change the identity of Jharkhand. He alleged that under JMM-Congress, every wrong thing was done to make these infiltrators permanent residents in the state. He added that these infiltrators snatched residents’ jobs and roti. 

He further mentioned that the JMM government said in court that there has been infiltration in the state. Highlighting that the protection of daughters and land is the biggest issue in this election, PM Modi assured you that BJP will protect them.

Furthermore, he also claimed that the Congress leaders abuse women, underlining that the party made many objectionable words against Sita Soren. He added that the Congress knows nothing will happen to them as they have protection from the JMM govt. 

Echoing his claim that Congress was trying to divide people on the basis of caste, PM Modi said that when the BJP decided to make a tribal daughter the President of India, Congress tried its best to defeat her, and even today they insult her. He said that Congress has dangerous intentions. Apparently referring to Rahul Gandhi, he said that Congress ka shehzada has made it clear that they want to end reservation for SC/ST & OBC.

Meanwhile, voting for the Jharkhand assembly elections phase 1 is underway in 43 of the state’s 81 seats across 15 districts. The second phase of voting will take place on November 20, and the results will be declared on November 23.