Celebrations start at BJP headquarters as trends show decisive lead in Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): BJP supporters erupted in celebration outside its Delhi headquarters as the latest counting trends showed the saffron party returning to power in the national capital after more than 26 years with a decisive mandate.
Supporters danced to the beats of 'dhol' and waved party flags, creating a festive atmosphere.
Holding up cutouts of a lotus, the BJP's election symbol, they also smeared each other with saffron-coloured powder.
The BJP was leading in 41 of Delhi's 70 assembly seats while AAP was ahead in 29, according to the latest trends released by the Election Commission.
With the early trends showing a significant lead for the BJP, its Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva reaffirmed the party's confidence in forming a government in the national capital.
He said the next Delhi chief minister would be from the BJP and added that the central leadership would decide who it would be.
"The results so far are in line with our expectations but we will wait for the final outcome," he told reporters after offering prayers at the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place.
The BJP's Kalkaji candidate Ramesh Bidhuri, who was leading AAP's Atishi, echoed Sachdeva's optimism.
"The people will give the BJP a decisive mandate. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, Delhi will progress alongside the rest of the country. I can confidently say that AAP will be eliminated from the national capital," he said.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
