Rush Hour: Rahul Gandhi flags donations to ‘anonymous parties’, 30 killed in Jammu landslide & more

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has urged the Election Commission to respond to a media report claiming that ten “anonymous parties” in Gujarat received funds of Rs 4,300 crore in five years, even though they rarely contested polls. The little-known parties allegedly received these funds from 2019-’20 to 2023-’24, a period that included the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2022 Assembly polls.

The parties fielded only 43 candidates in the polls, collectively securing a mere 54,069 votes. While they officially reported expenses of only Rs 39.02 lakh, their audit reports showed expenses of Rs 3,500 crore.

Gandhi asked the poll body how these parties received thousands of crores of rupees and where the money went. Read more.

At least 30 persons have died after heavy rainfall triggered a landslide near the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra. The pilgrimage to the shrine was suspended after the landslide, which occurred at around 3 pm on Tuesday.

The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has urged devotees to reschedule their pilgrimages in view of the incessant rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department has asked residents in...

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