R'than polls: Cong fields 15 Muslim candidates, BJP 1
Jaipur, Nov 19: The Congress has given tickets to 15 Muslim candidates, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded only one candidate for the Rajasthan Assembly election.
The number of Muslim candidates from the Congress was similar to the last Assembly election, but all of them had faced defeat. Whereas, the BJP had given tickets to four Muslim candidates in 2013, two of them had won.
The saffron party's candidate, Yoonus Khan, who is the state transport minister, has been fielded from Tonk constituency, where state Congress president Sachin Pilot is contesting.
Khan, a sitting MLA from Didwana constituency, was kept reserved by the party till the last moment. After the Congress fielded Pilot from the Muslim-dominated constituency, the BJP replaced sitting MLA Ajit Singh Mehta, who figured in an earlier list, and announced Khan's candidature on Monday.
The Congress, meanwhile, has reposed trust on eight Muslim candidates, who lost in the last Assembly election. It has fielded three women, among which Safia and Gulnaz are the wives of two Muslim candidates who contested the 2013 election.
The BJP, on the other hand, dropped sitting MLA Habibur Rahman, following which he quit the party and returned to the Congress after a decade, becoming its candidate from Nagaur seat.
Rahman was the Waqf minister during former chief minister Ashok Gehlot-led government, but joined the BJP in 2008 after he was denied ticket by the Congress.
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3 Indians injured after fire breaks out in UAE's Fujairah due to drone attack
Dubai (PTI): Three Indian nationals were injured on Monday after a fire broke out on the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone (FOIZ) in the UAE following a drone strike originating from Iran, according to local media reports.
The relevant authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah confirmed that a fire has broken out in the FOIZ, resulting from a drone attack coming from Iran, the state-run WAM news agency reported.
Fujairah Civil Defence teams immediately responded to the incident and are continuing efforts to bring the fire under control, it added.
Three Indian nationals sustained moderate injuries after the fire broke out on the FOIZ, the Khaleej Times reported, quoting authorities in Fujairah.
The injured were taken to the hospital for treatment, it added.
In a post on X, the UAE's Ministry of Defence said that Iran launched four missiles toward various areas across the country. "Three were successfully engaged over the country's territorial waters, while one fell into the sea," it said.
The ministry urged the public to comply with all public safety procedures when warning messages are issued to the public.
Authorities have urged the public not to circulate rumours and to rely only on official sources for information, Gulf News reported.
