Gonda (UP), Jun 2: Eight people, including three children, have been killed when a double-storey house in Tikri village here collapsed after an LPG cylinder explosion, police said on Wednesday.

Seven people have been grievously injured in the Tuesday night incident and they have been rushed to Lucknow for better treatment, officials said.

"The LPG cylinder exploded in the house of one Nurul Hasan around 10 pm on Tuesday which led to the double-storey house to collapse. Eight people died in the incident while seven others were seriously injured," District Magistrate Markandey Shahi said.

The deceased have been identified as Nisar Ahmad (35), Rubina Bano (32), Shamshad (28), Sairunisha (35), Shahbaz (14), Noori Saba (12), Meraj (11) and Mohammad Shoeab (2).

Superintendent of Police, Santosh Kumar Mishra said personnel of the force immediately reached the spot after receiving information of the incident on its helpline.

"Forensic teams are collecting samples from the site and a probe has been ordered into the incident."

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the deaths and directed officials to provide good treatment to the injured. He asked the district magistrate to probe the cause of the incident and submit the report to the government.

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Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.

In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.

Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.

Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.

According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.

He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.

He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.

Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.

He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.

Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.

He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.