Here are the top 5 news updates of September 4, 2021:
Bypoll to the Bhabanipur assembly seat in West Bengal, from where Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee plans to contest, would be held on September 30, the Election Commission announced today. Polling for three "deferred adjourned" elections -- in two assembly seats of West Bengal and one of Odisha -- will also be held on September 30. Elections in these seats -- Samserganj and Jangirpur in West Bengal and Pipli in Odisha -- could not be held due to various reasons, including the death of candidates during electioneering earlier this year. Counting on all four seats will take place on October 3. EC said it has kept "much stricter" norms as an abundant caution to safeguard from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope today assured people that lockdown would not be imposed in Maharashtra in coming days. "There is no possibility of fresh lockdown in the near future. I appeal people to avoid crowding while celebrating the Ganesh festival. The celebration should be simple," he said. "The government has been issuing various guidelines and they should be followed all the time," he added. Meanwhile, expressing concerns over people letting their guard down against COVID-19 in rural areas, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar today urged citizens not to put the state government in a position where it has to shut everything in the event of a third wave of the pandemic.
The Taliban have postponed the formation of a new government in Afghanistan for next week, their spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said today as the insurgent group struggles to give shape to a broad-based and inclusive administration acceptable to the international community. The insurgent group was expected to announce today the formation of the new government in Kabul, likely to be led by the outfit's co-founder Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar. This is the second that the Taliban have delayed the formation of the new government in Kabul since they seized the Afghanistan on August 15.
The ABP-CVOTER-IANS BATTLE FOR THE STATES - WAVE 1 is projecting a 4-1 scoreline in favour of the BJP in the five states going to the polls in early 2022 -- Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand. The BJP is ahead of the pack in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. The Aam Aadmi Party is currently leading as the single largest party in Punjab, slightly short of the majority mark. AAP has emerged as a principal challenger or a close third party in Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand. The Congress is facing severe infighting across all the state units with Punjab and Manipur being the worst-hit states.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has argued in a court that the five accused in the 2013 murder case of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar be tried under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for striking "terror among a section of people". The arguments over framing of charges against the five accused - Dr Virendrasinh Tawde, Sharad Kalaskar, Sachin Andure, advocate Sanjeev Punalekar and Vikram Bhave - began before additional sessions judge (special court judge) S R Navandar on Friday. Special public prosecutor Prakash Suryawanshi, while arguing the case on behalf of the CBI, said that the accused have been charged under IPC sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 120 B read with 302 (murder), relevant sections of the Arms Act and section 16 (punishment for the terrorist act ) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
