Congress stalwart, former Defence Minister AK Antony's son joins BJP
New Delhi: Anil Antony, the son of Congress stalwart and former defence minister AK Antony, on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The move comes after Anil Antony resigned from all his positions in the Congress party in January, following a controversial tweet he made criticizing a BBC documentary about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The tweet, which created a stir within the Congress party, led to Anil Antony's decision to step down from all his party positions. The move was seen as a significant blow to the Congress party, as Anil Antony is considered a prominent leader in Kerala politics and has been associated with the party for several years.
Anil Antony's decision to join the BJP is expected to give a boost to the saffron party's efforts to expand its footprint in Kerala, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
The BJP has been making concerted efforts to make inroads in the southern state, which has so far remained elusive to the saffron party. Anil Antony's entry into the BJP is likely to bolster the party's prospects in Kerala, where it is hoping to emerge as a significant player in the upcoming assembly elections.
Anil Antony is expected to join the BJP in the presence of party leaders, including Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and Kerala BJP chief K Surendran. The event is likely to be a high-profile affair, with several senior BJP leaders from across the country expected to attend.
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Ind vs Ban: Rain washes out Day 2 of 2nd Test
Kanpur, Sep 28: The second day of the second Test between India and Bangladesh was on Saturday called off without a ball being bowled due to persistent downpour.
The drizzle in the morning turned into heavy rain, not letting the action begin on day two at Green Park Stadium.
The groundsmen put the three super soppers to work around 11:15 am after the rain stopped. The visibility was also poor.
As conditions did not improve, the second day's play was called off officially at 2:15pm.
As per the weather forecast, the city is expected to receive rain even on Sunday but Monday and Tuesday are likely to be sunny and warm. In that scenario, the match seems to be headed for a draw.
Bangladesh had ended the rain-curtailed opening day at 107 for three as only 35 overs could be bowled.
India pacer Akash Deep accounted for Bangladeshi openers -- Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam -- while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin sent back rival skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto.
India are leading the two-match series 1-0, having won the Chennai Test by 280 runs.
