Page 5 - Varanasi

Lok Sabha Polls: PM Modi to file nomination today in Varanasi. Top points

Lok Sabha elections: PM Narendra Modi, set to file his nomination papers from Varanasi in a while, is eyeing a third consecutive win from the key UP Lok Sabha seat

LS polls: PM Modi holds roadshow in Varanasi, to file nomination on Tue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a six-kilometre-long roadshow in Varanasi on Monday, a day before he is scheduled to file his nomination papers from the Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. Modi garlanded a statue of noted educationist and social reformer Madan Mohan Malviya at the Malviya Chauraha in the Lanka area here before beginning the roadshow. He was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. According to sources in the BJP, Modi will also take a dip in the Ganga. The prime minister is seeking a third consecutive term from the seat that will go to polls on June 1 in the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha election. More than 5,000 'matrashaktis' (women) in saffron attire are walking in the roadshow ahead of the vehicle carrying Modi. The roadshow will be held till Kashi Vishwanath Dham. It will pass through Sant Ravidas Gate, Assi, Shivala, Sonarpura, Jangambadi and Godaulia.

PM Modi to hold roadshow in Varanasi today, to file nomination on Tuesday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a six-kilometre-long roadshow in Varanasi on Monday evening, a day before he files his nomination from the Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. Before he files his nomination on Tuesday, Modi will also take a dip in the Ganga, sources in the BJP said. The prime minister is seeking a third consecutive term from the seat that will go to polls on June 1 in the seventh and last phase of the general elections More than 5,000 'matrashaktis' (women) will walk in the roadshow, the sources said and added that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, ministers and legislators will also participate in the event. The roadshow will be held from Malviya Chauraha in Lanka to Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, they said. It will pass through Sant Ravidas Gate, Assi, Shivala, Sonarpura, Jangambadi, Godaulia. The sources said that Modi will be staying the night at the BLW guesthouse. He will reach the guesthouse from Vishwanath Dham and his convoy is expected to pa

PM Modi to hold road show in Varanasi on May 13 before nomination filing

Varanasi is the stronghold of the Prime Minister. He won the seat twice - the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections

KKR players spend night in Varanasi after flight diverted multiple times

Kolkata Knight Riders players had a harrowing experience as they were forced to spend a night at Varanasi after their flight from Lucknow to Kolkata was diverted multiple times due to bad weather. Following their massive 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, the Shreyas Iyer-led side left on Monday evening for Kolkata at 5:45pm. The team was scheduled to arrive at 7.25pm. But the charter flight had to be diverted to Guwahati first and then to Varanasi after adverse weather conditions made it impossible to land the plane in Kolkata. The KKR media team provided an update at 8.46pm, saying, "Due to inclement weather over Kolkata, the KKR charter flight has been diverted to Guwahati. We've just landed here." Then another update at 9.43pm said, "We've got clearance to fly back to Kolkata now, from Guwahati. Estimated arrival: 11pm." However, the ordeal was not over for the players and support staff as multiple attempts to land the flight failed, forcing the officials to diver

LS polls: PM Modi to file nomination papers from Varanasi on May 14

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be filing his nomination papers from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on May 14, BJP's city president Vidyasagar Rai said on Sunday. On May 13, Modi will hold a roadshow in the constituency, and preparations for it are underway, he added "The route for the roadshow has been finalised. On May 14, Prime Minister Modi will file his nomination from the Varanasi seat," he said. The Congress has fielded its Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai in Varanasi and the BSP Athar Jamal Lari. Elections in Varanasi will be held on June 1 in the seventh and last round of the general elections.

Comedian Shyam Rangeela to contest polls against PM Modi from Varanasi

Comedian Shyam Rangeela, known for his impersonations of PM Modi, is set to challenge the PM in the elections from the Varanasi constituency

Varanasi pilot for deployment of green hydrogen fuel cell vessels on NW-I

Varanasi has been selected as the pilot location for deployment of green hydrogen fuel cell inland vessels on National Waterways-I, aligning with the government's Harit Nauka guidelines, an official statement said on Friday. Discussions are ongoing with potential players for facilities like bunkering, it added. It was also informed that due to its low emission qualities, methanol is also actively considered one of the key green fuels for EXIM Vessels globally, as seen in the recent case of Maersk's deployment of methanol-powered ships, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) said in the statement. Going forward, the statement said, it was suggested to explore mechanisms of developing indigenous development of methanol marine engines in the country as a progressive step towards the green transition of inland vessels. The MoPSW, along with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), on April 23-24 organised a two-day conference in Kochi

'Condemnable': Akhilesh on cops dressed in priests attire at Kashi temple

The male and female policemen have been deployed at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in priest's attire on the orders of Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal

SC refuses to stay Hindu prayers in southern cellar of Gyanvapi mosque

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay the Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi even as it ordered a "status quo" on the religious observances by both the Hindu and Muslim sides inside the mosque premises. The court was hearing a fresh plea of the Gyanvapi mosque management committee against an Allahabad High Court decision upholding a lower court's order allowing Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the mosque. The top court noted that both the Muslim and Hindu sides have been conducting their respective religious observances "unhindered" inside the mosque premises and, therefore, a status quo would serve the ends of justice for now. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud also sought the response of priest Shailendra Kumar Pathak Vyas by April 30 on the plea of the mosque committee. "Bearing in mind the fact that the namaz is offered by the Muslim community unhindered after the orders dated January 17, 2024 and January 31, 2024,

SC to hear on Apr 1 Gyanvapi committee's plea on allowing prayers in cellar

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on April 1 a Gyanvapi mosque management committee's plea against an Allahabad High Court decision upholding a lower court's order allowing Hindu prayers in the southern cellar of the mosque. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the plea of Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, which manages the affairs of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, challenging the HC's February 26 decision. The high court had dismissed the committee's plea in which it had challenged the district court's January 31 order allowing Hindus to offer prayers in the cellar. While dismissing the plea of the mosque committee on February 26, the high court had observed that the Uttar Pradesh government's 1993 decision of stopping worship rituals inside the "Vyas Tehkhana" -- located at the southern cellar of the Gyanvapi -- was "illegal". It had said that the worship rituals were stopped by "illegal action of the state withou

Direct contest between 'INDIA' and NDA in Varanasi: Cong UP chief Ajay Rai

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, who has once again been named as the party candidate from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said on Sunday there will be a direct contest between the INDIA bloc and the NDA, and the issue of "local versus outsider" will also figure prominently in the Lok Sabha polls on the seat. "This time the Lok Sabha elections will be held directly between the INDIA block and the NDA. Due to this, the equations have changed and the electoral environment has also changed completely. The people are facing unemployment, inflation and corruption, and are fed up with the BJP's false claims of development. They have made up their mind to change (the winner) this time," Rai said while talking to PTI. In the past several elections, along with the BJP and the main opposition party, a third strong candidate also used to be fielded, which would divide the votes, Rai said. But this time, there is a direct contest between the INDIA bloc and the NDA, he

Indian holiday seekers showing dynamic shift in travel preferences: Airbnb

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PM Modi holds roadshow in Varanasi, visits Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Arriving here days after being made BJP nominee for Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for the third time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a rousing reception at the Varanasi airport on Saturday. BJP workers and locals lined up on the roads outside the airport from where Modi began a 28-km long roadshow during which he also stopped at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple to offer prayers. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, senior party leaders and office bearers were present at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport in Babatpur to welcome the prime minister. BJP regional chief Dilip Patel said that Varanasi district and metropolitan unit made elaborate arrangements for Modi's visit. The locals, including women and children, showered flowers on the prime minister during the roadshow amid playing of drums, he said. Modi is also scheduled to visit Atulanand School located in Gilat Bazaar and Kabir Chaura, among other places on the route of the roadshow, Patel said. Patel said the prime minister will ma

Caste in the business of death

Radhika Iyengar's book provides a poignant account of the overlooked 'death-care workers' in Benares, an ancient community relegated to the margins of society

Flight ops from Dehradun to Ayodhya, Varanasi, Amritsar start today

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the flight operations from Dehradun to these three major citiesThe three services were launched from Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport on Wednesday.CM Dhami inaugurated the event by lighting a lamp and cutting a cake.Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, "We endeavour to make moving the people within the entire state of Uttarakhand convenient, simple and easy. For this, we are continuously making efforts and the people of the country are travelling to different places in the state.""Flagged off air services from Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun to Shri Ayodhya Dham, Amritsar, Pantnagar and Varanasi and gave boarding passes to the passengers and wished them a happy journey. As a result of the efforts of the double engine government, the air connectivity of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is continuously getting strengthened. With the start of these air services, while people will get convenience in transportation, tourism in the state will ...

128 MLD domestic, industrial wastewater flowing into Ganga in Varanasi: NGT

The National Green Tribunal has observed that around 128 MLD wastewater is discharged into the Ganga in Varanasi. The green panel was hearing a matter regarding the discharge of domestic and industrial wastewater into the Ganga in Varanasi, thus hurting religious sentiments. A bench of National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal noted a report by the Varanasi Municipal Corporation, according to which around 28 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated sewage is flowing into the Ganga. "In the report, it also has been disclosed that within the Varanasi Municipal Corporation and the expanded area, 522 MLD sewage is generated and there are seven Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), the designed capacity of which comes to a total of about 422 MLD," the bench, also comprising Expert Members A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad, said. "Hence, even if we presume that the STPs are functioning to their designed capacity, there is a gap of .

Lok Sabha polls 2024: BJP announces 1st list, PM to contest from Varanasi

The ruling BJP on Saturday announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fight again from Varanasi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it named 34 Union ministers in the first list of 195 candidates. The list also included two former ministers as well as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from Kota in Rajasthan. Union ministers whose names have been announced by the BJP in the first list of candidates include Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Bhupender Yadav, Mansukh Mandaviya, Sarbananda Sonowal, Kiren Rijiju, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Arjun Ram Meghwal, G Kishan Reddy, Arjun Munda and Smriti Irani. Announcing the list, BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde said the party is confident that it would form the government for the third term under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a much bigger mandate. He also said the party has been working on further expanding its footprint across states and also to strengthen the ruling National Democratic Alliance. The list includes 28 women

NGT asks UP to disclose demarcation of Ganga's floodplain zones in Varanasi

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a report disclosing the steps taken for demarcation of floodplain zones of the Varuna and the Assi, the Ganga's tributaries in Varanasi district. The green panel was hearing a plea claiming that the civic body in the district did not demarcate the rivers' floodplain zones, resulting in continuous encroachment. The plea also alleged illegal discharge of sewage in the rivers. A bench of National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted a report by the Varanasi Municipal Corporation, according to which 15 nullahs (drains) were discharging partially-untreated sewage in the Varuna, adversely impacting its water quality. The bench, also comprising Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Expert Members A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad, noted an Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board report that said inspection of the 15 drains found three to be tapped, 10 partially tapped and two untapped. I

UP religious tourism gets Rs 85K cr boost: Ayodhya, Varanasi top gainers

These projects - planned across leading religious tourism hotspots, including Ayodhya and Varanasi - pertain to hotels, resorts, guest houses, infrastructure development etc