HIGHLIGHTS AT 2245 HRS

Following are the top PTI stories at 2245 hours:
Stories on wire:
NATION
DEL37 LD TR-BJP-IPFT
BJP, IPFT MLAs to elect leader on Mar 6
Agartala: The MLAs of the BJP and the IPFT will meet here on March 6 to elect their leader, Tripura BJP president Biplab Deb said today, even as the saffron party's ally demanded a respectable representation in the government.

DEL 31 MG-NPP-2NDLD CLAIM
Conrad Sangma meets Meghalaya guv, stakes claim to form govt
Shillong: NPP president Conrad Sangma met Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad this evening and staked claim to form the government in the state with the support of 34 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly.

CAL 16 NL-RIO-CLAIM-LD GUV
Rio, his rival Zeliang stake claim to form govt in Nagaland
Kohima: The issue of government formation in Nagaland took a new turn today with both NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio and outgoing Chief Minister T R Zeliang of the NPF staking claim to form the government with the support of a majority of the MLAs in the 60-member Assembly.
MDS 5 KA-MODI
People of Northeast rejected 'politics of hate': PM
Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that the people of the Northeast have rejected the "politics of hate" by "unanimously" voting the BJP to power.

DEL 34 NIRAVMODI-CBI-ARREST
PNB scam: CBI arrests 4 officials of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi's companies
New Delhi: The CBI today made four arrests in connection with the alleged Rs 12,636-crore fraud at Punjab National Bank perpetrated by billionaire jewellers Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, officials said.
DEL 36 JK-LD FIRING
1 militant, 3 others killed in firing incident in J-K's Shopian
Srinagar: Four people, including a militant, were killed tonight in south Kashmirs Shopian district after ultras fired on a security forces mobile vehicle check post, a police official said.
DEL 28 PAR-LD SESSION OPPN
Oppn set to corner govt in Parliament on bank scams

New Delhi: The second part of Parliament's Budget Session is likely to begin on a stormy note with the Congress and other opposition parties set to raise the issue of multi-crore financial scams involving public-sector banks in both the Houses.
DEL 21 DEF-MISSILES-RUSSIA
India aims to conclude S-400 deal with Russia during Sitharaman's Moscow visit
New Delhi: A nearly Rs 40,000 crore deal to procure S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems from Russia is yet to be concluded mainly due to differences over price which India would look to sort out during Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's upcoming visit to Moscow, official sources said.

DEL 16 UP-LD ADITYANATH
'Lotus will bloom in K'taka, Kerala; Rahul's Cong on path of defeat'
Lucknow: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today credited the BJP's "historic" performance in north eastern states to "development-oriented" policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "organisational skills" of Amit Shah and said the day is not far when one party will be in power right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
BOM 10 MH-KARTI-LD PROBE
INX Media case probe: Karti confronted with Indrani
Mumbai: Karti Chidambaram, arrested in the INX Media case, was today brought to the Byculla prison here and confronted with Indrani Mukerjea as part of the CBI's probe into the matter, a senior official said.