New Delhi, Aug 16: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday announced that all the schools and offices in the national capital will remain closed on Friday as a mark of respect to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The 93-year-old leader passed away on Thursday evening after being admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here on June 11.

"All Delhi govt. offices, schools and other institutions shall remain closed tomorrow, as a mark of respect for our dear departed Sh Atalji (sic)," Sisodia said in a tweet.

In another tweet, he said: "All schools including private schools shall also remain closed."



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Puducherry (PTI): Chief Minister and AINRC leader N Rangasamy was on course to retain his Thattanchavady Assembly constituency as counting of votes polled in the April 9 Puducherry Assembly elections was on across the UT.

At the end of four rounds of counting, which was the last one, the CM was ahead of his TVK-backed Neyyam Makkal Kazhagam candidate E Vinayakam by 4,441

votes, gaining an unassailable lead.

The veteran leader polled 10,024 while Vinayakam polled 5583 votes. Congress' Ve Vaithilingam polled 2990 votes, bracing for the fourth place after an independent. 

This constituency is an important segment which drew the attention of political parties. Rangasamy has contested from two segments-Thattanchavady and Mangalam segments.