Mumbai: Veteran actor and theatre legend Dinyar Contractor, who appeared in films such as "Baadshah" and "Khiladi", passed away Wednesday morning here. He was 79.

According to the family sources, the actor died due to old age related health issues. Contractor will be cremated at the Worli prayer hall for Parsis at 3.30 pm on Wednesday. 

The actor was best known for his comic roles in films and was awarded a Padma Shri, earlier this year.

On Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Contractor's death, saying he is "saddened" by the veteran actor's demise. 

"Padma Shri Dinyar Contractor was special because he spread lots of happiness. His versatile acting brought smiles on several faces. Be it theatre, television or films, he excelled across all mediums. Saddened by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and admirers," PM Modi tweeted, while also sharing a photo of his meeting with Contractor.

Union minister Smriti Irani called Contractor an actor "par excellence." 

"He brought bursts of laughter with him wherever he went, he lit up the screen and our lives with his wit and charm. We will miss your presence Dinyar bhai. Rest in Peace Padma Shri Dinyar Contractor - theatre legend, actor par excellence," she tweeted.

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New Delhi: Election Commission of India’s official results website ‘results.eci.gov.in’ has reportedly experienced a technical outage on Saturday morning, at a time when India closely watches the high-stakes Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly poll battle.

Visitors visiting the site were met with non-functional links and a generic “counting in progress” message, leaving them without updated election data. The ECI has not issued an official explanation for the disruption.

Vote counting, which began at 8 a.m. with postal ballots, is underway for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra and 81 in Jharkhand. Early trends suggest a lead for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, currently ahead in 141 seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is leading in 96. In Jharkhand, the BJP-led NDA is ahead in 43 seats, while the ruling JMM-led alliance is trailing with leads in 33 constituencies.

Additionally, counting is underway for 48 assembly bypolls across 13 states and two parliamentary seats, Nanded in Maharashtra and Wayanad in Kerala.