Saudi Arabia to develop ritual sites in Makkah
Riyadh, Aug 23 : Saudi Arabia on Thursday announced a comprehensive project to develop the ritual sites in Makkah, the media reported.
Mecca Governor Prince Khalid Al Faisal made the announcement at a press conference at the conclusion of the current Haj season.
He said that the details of the project will be announced soon and his country wants to increase the number of pilgrims to 5 million as part of its economic vision of 2030, Xinhua news agency reported.
The statistic authority announced this week that the number of pilgrims crossed the two million mark in this Haj season.
The governor said that his country doesn't stop citizens of any country from performing the Haj ritual, revealing that some Qataris managed to come to Saudi Arabia despite the ban imposed by their country. He added that 86,000 Iranians performed Haj this year.
Saudi Arabia has severed ties with both countries over allegations of supporting terrorism and interfering in the internal affairs of states.
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Congress to contest only 11 out of 36 seats in Mumbai; Political analysts predict tough battle
Mumbai: Out of the 36 assembly constituencies in Mumbai, Congress will contest in just 11 seats in the upcoming elections. In the 2019 assembly elections, the party fielded candidates in 30 constituencies, but this time, it has reduced its presence significantly following its alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT). Despite several rounds of discussions led by Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad and MLA Aslam Shaikh, Congress secured only a few seats under the MVA formula.
The seats allocated to Congress are seen as BJP strongholds, making victory challenging, according to political analysts. Among the 11 constituencies Congress is contesting, four are held by sitting MLAs. Notably, Congress swapped the Bandra East seat with Chandivli, which is held by Shiv Sena (UBT). Additionally, seats like Byculla and Versova, which Congress had shown interest in, were ceded as part of the alliance arrangement.
"This is the fewest seats Congress has contested in decades, indicating its struggles within the seat-sharing dynamics with Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP)," said political analysts. Moreover, in Northeast Mumbai, Congress is fielding candidates in only one constituency.
In Mulund, NCP (SP)'s Sangeeta Wagh and Congress’s Rakesh Shetty have filed nominations, raising the possibility of Congress conceding all of Northeast Mumbai if Shetty withdraws. "We aimed to contest in 14-15 seats but were left with just 11, as Shiv Sena (UBT) had already announced candidates in several constituencies. We will, however, uphold the alliance’s spirit to maximise MVA's win," said Gaikwad.
