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The Election Commission has announced the dates of Maharashtra and Haryana assembly elections on Friday. The chief election commissioner VS Sampath announced the dates in New Delhi.The two states will go to the polls on October 15. The counting of votes will take place on October 19.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar accused the media of obsessively focussing on the sensational case of Sheena Bora's murder and altogether skipping the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war victory against Pakistan. Mr. Parrikar, whose Ministry is in the eye of a controversy over the One Rank One Pension stalemate, however, steered clear of the raging issue at a public function held on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan in Panaji.

Union minister Farooq Abdullah said today that he regrets stating he is "afraid of talking to women" because he is worried that he could "end up in jail." Among those who demanded an apology was his son, Omar, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, who tweeted, "I`m sure the attempt wasn`t to trivialise (the) important issue of women`s security so I hope dad apologises for the misplaced attempt at humour."

BJP ruled the roost in Jharkhand and managed to secure the maximum number of seats in the assembly elections. Whereas in J&K it had to face a neck to neck competition from PDP, but in spite of that it managed to outmaneuver the NC.

The government has decided to withdraw a controversial ordinance that protects convicted parliamentarians and triggered a furious critique from Rahul Gandhi last week, who described the policy as "nonsense."

This is the stuff that could have been the block buster TV serial which one-time media baron, Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani, would have liked to make in their punctuated careers. No doubt, it would have been a huge hit and would have topped the TRP ratings. But because the Mukerjea`s couldn`t produce this TRP grabbing serial, the rest of the media has got onto the bandwagon.

Congress is on the toes that Natwar Singh`s forthcoming autobiography can embarrass the leadership because he has been an insider in the party for three generations of the Gandhi family.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly told BJP lawmakers that controversial statements made by some of them are hurting the party and government`s image and that no one must cross the line or the "Laxman Rekha."

Days after a pepper spray attack in Parliament shocked the nation, state legislatures took it one step further on Wednesday to prove they can be much more innovative with violence. MLAs of the Rashtriya Lok Dal took off their kurtas and stood on the tables of the UP Assembly while in the JK Assembly, PDP MLA Syed Bashir slapped a marshal during the proceedings.

Top Congress leaders are in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) net in an alleged scam in ambulance operations in Rajasthan during the tenure of Ashok Gehlot. A case has been registered against Sachin Pilot, Ashok Gehlot and Karti, the son of Congress leader P. Chidambaram. Vayalar Ravi`s son has also been named in the scam.