As Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir is set to kick off next month, the BJP on Tuesday released its third list of 29 more candidates for second and third phases, taking to 45 the number of seats for which it has announced its nominees.

The BJP released a list of 10 candidates for the second phase and 19 candidates for the third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir elections.

The party has fielded Devender Singh Rana from Nagrota and named Satish Sharma as its candidate from Billawar, which was represented by former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh in the last assembly elections held in 2014.

The BJP has made one change from the now-rescinded list, which was put out on Monday, as it has named Baldev Raj Sharma from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat in place of Rohit Dubey. All other names are same for the same set of constituencies, announced yesterday before being withdrawn.

The BJP has so far not named its nominee for Nowshera, which was represented in 2014 by its current state president Ravinder Raina, and Gandhinagar, from where its another senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta was elected in the last elections.

Several candidates across parties filed their nominations today for a fight on 90 seats in the upcoming Assembly election in the Union Territory.

Arshid Bhat, a BJP candidate from Rajpora Assembly constituency, said when regional parties were in power in the UT, the most number of backdoor appointments happened in Pulwama. Due to this, there’s a frustration and insecurity in educated youth, he added. “We are not contesting against any individuals, we are fighting against ideas”, he said.

After filing her nomination from Bijbehara constituency today, PDP leader Iltija Mufti addressed a gathering and said there are several issues in Jammu and Kashmir including unemployment and drugs. She wondered about the number of liquor shops that have been opened in the Union Territory.

“Even after obtaining four degrees, you people are sitting at home. Do you want your future to look like this? I ensure you that we will resolve the issue of unemployment. God willing and if you all will be with me, I will be with you like a sister and not like an MLA”, she said.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which has a 90-member assembly, is going to polls in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. The counting will be on October 4.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and exchanged perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and insights from his recent visit to Ukraine, while reiterating India’s commitment to a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict.

The Prime Minister, in a post on X, said that he spoke with Putin and discussed the measures to further strengthen Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. PM Modi added that he shared his insights from the recent visit to Ukraine. He also reiterated India’s firm commitment to support an early, abiding, and peaceful resolution of the conflict.

On Monday, PM Modi briefed US President Joe Biden on his recent visit to Ukraine and conveyed India’s full support for the early return of peace to the region through dialogue and diplomacy.

The Prime Minister’s Office said Modi briefed Biden on his recent visit to Ukraine. “While discussing the situation in Ukraine, PM Modi briefed President Biden on his recent visit to Ukraine,” it said.

“Spoke to @POTUS @JoeBiden on phone today. We had a detailed exchange of views on various regional and global issues, including the situation in Ukraine. I reiterated India’s full support for early return of peace and stability,” Modi said in a post on X.

According to a government statement, the Prime Minister remembered his successful visit to Russia last month to participate in the 22nd India-Russia Bilateral Summit.

The two leaders reviewed progress on several bilateral issues and discussed measures to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia. They also exchanged views on a range of regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The two leaders shared their perspectives on the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Prime Minister discussed insights from his recent visit to Ukraine. He emphasised the importance of dialogue, diplomacy, and genuine engagement among all involved parties to achieve a lasting and peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Mohanlal, a prominent actor, has resigned as the president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). Following the shocking findings of harassment and abuse of women professionals by the Justice K Hema Committee, the entire executive committee also tendered their resignation.

The film body announced that a new committee would be formed through an election in two months.

In the aftermath of these revelations, various heads rolled into the Malayalam film industry. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had to step in, calling a high-level meeting with senior police officials, and establishing a seven-member special team to investigate the atrocities faced by women actors.

Additionally, fresh accounts of harassment, including an old case involving actor-politician Mukesh, emerged, as per the reports.

Director Ranjith and actor Siddique both stepped down from their leadership roles in a state-run film academy and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists respectively.

Amid these developments, actor Shammy Thilakan criticised Mohanlal for not speaking up, suggesting that those responsible for wrongdoing would face consequences.

Speaking to the press earlier, Thilakan criticised Mohanlal for not speaking up. While speaking to the press on recent developments in the film industry, he said that Mohanlal had lost his ability to respond.

He further said that whoever has done wrong will face consequences. He said: “Those who eat salt will drink water, whoever it is,” and added, “I live in fear too. The term ‘power group’ was used by the Hema Committee, and their report contains evidence of its existence. We can identify who is part of that group based on this evidence.”

The situation unfolded further as award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor Ranjith faced allegations from a Bengali female actor, while Siddique resigned as the general secretary of AMMA following a sexual assault complaint raised against him by a young actress. These events have led to significant upheaval within the Malayalam film industry.