2 Naxals involved in BJP MLA's killing gunned down in Chattisgarh
Raipur: Two Naxals, allegedly involved in the killing of a BJP MLA and four security personnel, were gunned down in a fierce encounter with police on Thursday in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, officials said.
Another rebel was injured in the skirmish that took place around 5.30 am at a forest in Daulikarka village when a team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj P told PTI.
When the patrolling team was advancing through Daulikarka, located around 450 km from the state capital Raipur, an exchange of fire broke out between the two sides, he said.
"After the guns fell silent, bodies of two ultras and a .315 bore gun were recovered from the spot," he said.
A militia member of Maoists was also found injured at the spot and was shifted to a local hospital, he said.
The killed cadres, identified as Vargese and Linga, were allegedly involved in the ambush in which Mandavi and his four security personnel were killed on April 9, Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava said.
The MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area when the Naxalites blew up their vehicle with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and opened fire at the occupants.
Vargese, a member of the Malangir Area Committee of Maoists, was looking after working of the banned outfit's students' wing in the area, the DIG said.
He was also said to be having an expertise in assembling and planting IEDs, he said.
Besides, Linga was active as LOS (local organisation squad) member in the Katekalyan Area Committee of Maoists, he said, adding a search operation was still underway in the region.
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Himanta resigns as Assam CM, paving way for formation of new govt
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4.
"Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
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The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11.
“As it was a historic win, we have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grace the occasion," he said.
The new Assam chief minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in presence of central observers, Sarma said.
