India

Amaravati, May 29 (PTI) TDP president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was unanimously elected as the leader of the Telugu Desam Legislature Party (TDLP) here on Wednesday.

A meeting of the TDLP, attended by the newly-elected MLAs and MPs of the party, was held at Naidu's residence.

The TDP, which ruled the state from June 2014, faced a rout at the hands of the YSR Congress Party in the just-concluded election to the state Assembly, winning just 23 of the 175 seats.

Panaji, May 29 (PTI) The Goa Congress and its legislative wing Wednesday jointly urged Rahul Gandhi to withdraw his resignation from the post of party president and appealed to him to work for strengthening the organisation.

The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) and the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), at a joint meeting here, passed an unanimous resolution urging Gandhi to withdraw his resignation from the top post, senior party leader Chandrakant Kavlekar told reporters.

Bhubaneswar, May 29 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Thursday, officials said.

The newly elected members of the 16th Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) will take oath tomorrow. As leader of the House, the chief minister will be present during the occasion. So, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will not be able to visit Delhi tomorrow to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister and his council of ministers, an official communication issued by the Chief Minister's Office said Wednesday.

Ahmedabad, May 29 (PTI) The Gujarat government Wednesday approved implementation of 10 per cent EWS quota in admissions to professional and medical courses from this academic year, and addition of seats to accomodate the new reservation.

Gujarat thus became the first state in the country to implement the quota, said Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.

The government approved creation of new seats for various professional courses during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar.

New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) On the eve of his swearing-in for a second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a marathon meeting with BJP president Amit Shah as he gave final touches to the shape of his government, which is likely to have representation from most allies and showcase the party's newfound strength in different regions.

New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) After the Lok Sabha polls debacle, the newly-elected MPs of the Congress will meet for the first time on June 1 and elect the new leader of the parliamentary party.

The Congress Parliamentary Party is currently chaired by Sonia Gandhi and all 52 MPs will be present at the meeting, besides its Rajya Sabha members, sources said.

The CPP meeting will be held in the central hall of Parliament and will also chalk out its strategy for the upcoming session.

Ghaziabad, 29 May (PTI) A resident of Mewla Bhatti village here was arrested for allegedly killing his wife over dowry demand, said police Wednesday. Four of his family have also been booked.

Raids were being conducted to nab them, said police.

SP (Rural) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun said Nikita (22) was found dead in a bathroom of her house on Monday morning.

Ghaziabad, May 29 (PTI) The district administration of Ghaziabad and the municipal corporation bulldozed alleged illegally-constructed houses near Arthala lake on Wednesday, officials said.

Nine fully-constructed and six semi-constructed buildings, and boundary walls of four plots were demolished in the joint operation at Balaji Vihar colony. These houses, which were constructed on government land, were illegally sold to buyers, District Magistrate Ritu Maheshwari said.

Bhubaneswar, May 29 (PTI) The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government Wednesday started disbursement of funds to farmers under the 'KALIA' scheme.

"As part of our commitment to farmers, today in our first cabinet meeting, the fund release under KALIA scheme starts with immediate effect, and about 25 lakh additional families will be assisted in a weeks' time," Patnaik told reporters here.

Aizawl, May 30 (PTI) Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Thursday, an official at the Chief Minister's Office said.

Zoramthanga, who is also the president of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), will not be present at the oath- taking ceremony due to "tight official engagements", Lalhmansanga, personal secretary to the chief minister, said.