India News
Sasikala camp caught ballot-buying

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I-T seizures force EC to cancel April 12 bypolls at Jaya seat
Forty-eight hours after the income tax department raided Tamil Nadu health minister and AIADMK (Amma) MLA C Vijayabaskar’s home and reportedly seized evidence of bribing voters, the Election Commission cancelled the Radhakrishnan Nagar by-election slated for April 12, on grounds that huge sums of cash had been distributed by political leaders among voters to influence its outcome.
The bypolls had become necessary following the demise of TN chief minister J Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016. Important candidates for the polls include TTV Dinakaran, who is also AIADMK (Amma) chief VK Sasikala’s nephew, contesting for the party, E Madhusudhanan for AIADMK (PTA), the opposite faction, N Maruthu Ganesh for DMK, P Mathivanan for DMDK and Gangai Amran for BJP.
On March 23, the EC had announced the electricity pole as the symbol of O Panneerselvam’s AIADMK (PTA) and the hat as that of Sasikala’s AIADMK (Amma). But the latter continued to use the party’s original two leaves symbol until the EC detected it on April 3 and sternly ordered it to remove it from all publicity material and its website.
Pertinently, Vijaya Baskar is known to be a close aide of the jailed Sasikala and a fund-raiser for the party. The I-T raids at his residence revealed documents that show over Rs 89. 70 crore had been allocated by him to other ministers and officials for buying of ballots. Huge sums were deposited in multiple accounts, according to this “payment plan”.
Raids were indeed also conducted at 34 other places in TN, including Pudukkottai and Trichy and at actor Sarathkumar’s house, who is an SMK leader and has his hand in the sand quarrying business. Several government functionaries’ offices and homes were also raided.
The EC order lists allegations of phone recharge coupons, newspaper subscriptions and milk tokens distributed among people. Money was allegedly transferred using mobile wallets and cash slipped in with newspapers and milk delivery. Workers were caught distributing hats, scarves, lamps and sarees. Evidences collected suggest that the total sum that changed hands is to the tune of Rs 100 crore.
A 29-page statement signed by chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi and his two election commissioners AK Joti and OP Rawat said the bypolls “shall be held by the commission in due course when the vitiating effect created by the distribution of money and gift items to lure the electors gets removed with the passage of time, and the atmosphere in the constituency becomes conducive to the holding of free and fair election”.
Perhaps not unexpectedly, the AIADMK (Amma) candidate, Dinakaran, is not pleased at the development. Hours after the decision on late Sunday night, he angrily tweeted: “Wrong decision, even EC does not want me to win. They can delay but can’t deny”.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
India News
Bank holidays April 2023: Banks to be closed for 15 days next month, check state-wise bank holiday list here
With the new financial year starting on April 1, major changes are anticipated as these changes are connected to money and banks.

April is just a few weeks ago and with the new financial year starting on April 1, major changes are anticipated as these changes are connected to money and banks.
As per the Reserve Bank of India’s calendar, all public and private banks will remain shut for 15 days in April 2023 for multiple festivals and occasions including Mahavir Jayanti, Good Friday, Tamil New Year’s Day, Biju festival, Bengali New Year’s Day, Ramazan Eid, Himachal Day, Jumat-ul-Vida, and others.
State-wise bank holidays list for April 2023
Date | Occasion | Region, Nation Specific |
April 1 | On the occasion of banks’ closing of accounts | Banks will remain closed across India except in Aizawl, Shimla, Chandigarh, and Shillong |
April 2 | Sunday | Across India |
April 4 | Mahavir Jayanti | Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Raipur, and Ranchi |
April 5 | Babu Jagjivan Ram’s birthday | Hyderabad |
April 7 | Good Friday | Banks will be closed in Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Gangtok, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Imphal, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, and Thiruvananthapuram |
April 8 | Second Saturday | Across India |
April 9 | Sunday | Across India |
April 14 | Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti, Bohag Bihu, Cheiraoba, Vaisakhi, Baisakhi, Tamil New Year’s Day, Maha Bisubha Sankranti, Biju Festival, Buisu Festival celebrations | Agartala, Ahmedabad, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Gangtok, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji, Patna, Ranchi, Srinagar, and Thiruvananthapuram |
April 15 | Vishu, Bohag Bihu, Himachal Day, Bengali New Year’s Day (Nababarsha) | Agartala, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Shimla, and Thiruvananthapuram |
April 16 | Sunday | Across India |
April 18 | Shab-l-Qadr | Jammu and Srinagar |
April 21 | Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramzan Eid), Garia Puja, Jumat-ul-Vida | Agartala, Jammu, Kochi, Srinagar, and Thiruvananthapuram |
April 22 | Eid-Ul-Fitr, fourth Saturday | Belapur, Bhopal, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong and Srinagar for Eid and across India for fourth Saturday |
April 23 | Sunday | Across India |
April 30 | Sunday | Across India |
India News
Video of man singing Atif Aslam’s Bakhuda Tum Hi Ho in Metro goes viral, users laud the singer | Watch
The singer and the guitarist continue to serenade the crowd as the passenger enjoy the live concert. Few passengers can also be seen pulling out their phones to record the singer. The singer can also be seen fervently singing and grooving to his singing.

A video resurfaced on the internet where a man can be seen singing and serenading the crowd inside the metro. The video shows the singer accompanied by his guitarist friend who turned a boring old metro ride into a live makeshift concert.
In the video, the singer can be seen asking the passengers if he can sing this song, and after getting a nod from the passengers, the singer stuns everyone with his soulful voice as he sings Atif Aslam’s Bakhuda Tum Hi Ho and nails it. The passengers can also be seen hooting for the man.
The singer and the guitarist continue to serenade the crowd as the passenger enjoy the live concert. Few passengers can also be seen pulling out their phones to record the singer. The singer can also be seen fervently singing and grooving to his singing. A few passengers can also be seen following suit and grooving and singing along with the man.
Watch video here:
User’s reaction
After the video went viral, many users rushed in to add their laud to the singer and guitarist in the video. One user wrote and said that as soulful the voice is, the guitarist’s skill matches it. Another user also wrote and praised the guitarist for his skilled guitar skills.
One user wrote and asked which metro is this and how come the metro he commutes in doesn’t have such instances. One user wrote that they would have emptied their wallet just to be a part of such a performance.
One user humorously questioned and asked where such an empty metro comes from, implying at the heavy surged metro hours that most passengers face, much less get to witness a live music performance.
One user wrote and highlighted how every passenger’s feet started tapping as soon as the singer started tapping, implying how everyone was overtaken by the passion for music.
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India News
Video of people saving man after coming in contact with live wire in Uttar Pradesh goes viral | Watch
The women in the video can also be seen in a state of shock and turmoil as they collected themselves from the incident. The video also shows smoke coming out of the clothes of the man due to the electrocution.

A hair-raising video surfaced on the internet from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut where a live wire broke and fell on a man leading him to get electrocuted. As per the reports, the man, after being saved, was shifted to a hospital and is in critical condition.
In the video, a man along with several women can be seen standing on the side of the road, however, in a sudden turn of events, a live wire fell on the man and electrocuted him. The man after coming in contact with the live wire, collapsed to the ground as the live wire was still stuck to his body.
Upon witnessing the incident, several locals rushed to the scene as they tried to save the man by pulling away the live wire. Many people came forward with a stick-like-object to separate th e live wire from the man. As few failed to succeed, one man bravely darted toward the scene and separated the live wire from the man.
The women in the video can also be seen in a state of shock and turmoil as they collected themselves from the incident. The video also shows smoke coming out of the clothes of the man due to the electrocution.
See video here:
Twitter reactions
After the video of the incident went viral, many user’s came forward to add their take on the incident as one user wrote and praised that the skullcap wearing man who relentlessly and bravely went all in and separated the live wire from the man.
One user wrote and prayed that no one goes through a similar scenario as it looked very horrific. The user further wrote and highlighted the wires to be covered.
One user also wrote and highlighted the agony of watching someone you love suffer right in front of you, implying at the horrific incident.
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