Essar Steel case, BJP-Sena poll meetings, JNU admission: Today's top events

From BJP-Shiv Sena poll meetings to Essar Steel case hearing, here are some of the most important news events scheduled for today that will be keenly watched

Before you start the day, take a look at the major events in the country that are likely to make headlines today. From poll meetings of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena to Essar Steel case hearing, here are some of the most important news events scheduled for today that will be keenly watched.

1. RBI Governor to meet heads of small finance banks on Friday

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das will meet heads of small finance banks on Friday to discuss various issues related to them. There are 10 small finance banks operating in the country. The small finance banks are entities that provide basic banking services like accepting deposits and lending to the unbanked sections, such as small farmers, micro business enterprises, micro and small industries and unorganised sector entities. Read on...

2. NCLAT to hear Essar Steel case today

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to hear Essar Steel case today. NCLAT had asked the promoters to clear all the group's dues according to the Supreme Court's order and then come back to it.

Essar Steel's debt stands at Rs 49,000 crore while that of its former parent, Essar Group, adds up to over Rs 80,000 crore. Read on...

3. JNU's entrance exams to be online this year, registrations to start today

In a first, the Jawaharlal Nehru University will be conducting its entrance exams online this year, in May, and the registration process for it will start today.

The registration process will close on April 15, while students will have the option of correcting their application forms from April 17 to April 19, university officials said. Read on...

4. Fodder scam: SC to hear Lalu Prasad's bail plea on Friday

The Supreme Court is scheduled will on Friday hear the petitions filed by RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav seeking bail in three cases related to the multi-crore fodder scam.

A Bench headed by chief justice Ranjan Gogoi will hear Yadav's petition challenging the January 10 verdict of the Jharkhand High Court, rejecting bail to him in these cases. Yadav is lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. Read on...

5. Rahul Gandhi to visit Odisha on Friday

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Odisha on Friday to address a public meeting at Bargarh district. Gandhi had last visited Bargarh in 2015.

Gandhi had visited Odisha's Koraput on March 8, where he promised to ensure passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament if Congress returned to power. Read on...

6. BJP, Shiv Sena to begin joint poll meetings from today

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will begin joint poll meetings of select partymen from Friday.

The first meeting will be held in Amravati at 12.30 pm and the second joint meeting at 3 pm in Nagpur on Friday.

The joint meetings will be held at different places, including Nagpur, Amravati, Kolhapur, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad and Konkan. Read on...

7. BJP to finalise LS candidates in Telangana, Congress list for Andhra Pradesh today

The BJP would finalise its candidates for Lok Sabha elections 2019 in Telangana today. The names are likely to be announced today or March 16, Telangana BJP Chief official spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao had told PTI earelier. The BJP fared poorly in the December seven 2018 Assembly elections in Telangana, winning just one seat, down from five in the previous House. Candidates of the Amit Shah-led party, in fact, forfeited their deposits in more than 100 of the 119 Assembly segments. Read on...

Hoping for a resurrection in Andhra Pradesh after facing a rout in the 2014 polls, the Congress is set to announce its candidates Friday for the April 11 elections to Lok Sabha and the assembly.

The Congress has decided to go it alone in the state, dumping ruling TDP in the backdrop of the severe drubbing their alliance received in neighbouring Telangana Assembly elections in December last. Read on...

8. Two leaves symbol: SC to hear Dhinakaran's appeal against HC verdict today

The Supreme Court will hear on March 15 the appeal of former AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran challenging a Delhi High Court order granting the 'two leaves' symbol to a faction led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E K Palaniswami.

On February 28, the high court had dismissed the pleas of Dhinakaran and VK Sasikala challenging the Election Commission's order granting the 'AIADMK' name and the 'two leaves' symbol to the faction led by the Tamil Nadu chief minister, saying the figures showed the Palaniswami-led group "enjoyed a clear majority". Read on...

9. SC to hear Opposition plea on EVMs on Friday

The Supreme Court will on Friday hear the plea of 21 opposition parties seeking audit of at least 50 per cent of EVMs with corresponding Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) before the Lok Sabha results are declared.

The application has been filed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP) and several other leaders including Sharad Pawar (NCP), Farooq Abdullah (NC), Sharad Yadav (LJD), Arvind Kejriwal (AAP), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Derek O'Brien (TMC) and M K Stalin (DMK). Read on...

10. EC to hold all-party meeting in Kolkata on Friday

Amid Opposition parties' scepticism over free and fair polls in West Bengal, the Election Commission will hold an all-party meeting here on Friday.

"Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain will arrive in Kolkata on March 15. He will conduct a monitoring meeting with all political parties of the state," Additional Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, Sanjay Basu told reporters. Read on...