Punjab

SSM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal will contest from Samrala, and Prem Singh Bhangu from Ghanair. The SSM has ruled out alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party. In a setback to the SSM, its prominent partner at the year-long farm agitation on the national capital borders, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), announced this week that it would neither contest the Assembly elections nor support the SSM.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli said the panel will inquire into causes of the security breach, persons responsible for the breach, and also measures to be taken in future to prevent security breach of the Prime Minister and other constitutional functionaries.

The BJP's allies -- Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt)-- will contest on the remaining 37 seats. A senior BJP leader involved in the election campaign in the state told IANS that seat sharing will be decided between the saffron party and its allies in the next two days.

The SBS Nagar police have also recovered six hand-grenades, one pistol (9 mm), one rifle (.30 bore) along with bullets and magazines from their possession, Director General of Police (DGP), V.K. Bhawra, said here on Monday. Those arrested have been identified as Amandeep, Gurwinder Singh, Parminder Kumar, Rajinder Singh, Harpreet Singh and Raman Kumar, all from Gurdaspur.

The BJP, with the support of 13 councillors and its sitting MP Kirron Kher, got its candidate Sarabjit Kaur elected as Mayor, with Anup Gupta as her Deputy. A total of 28 votes were polled as the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal abstained from voting. The BJP got 14 votes, the AAP 13 while one vote was declared invalid. Gupta won through a draw of lots after votes were tied 14:14 between him and AAP's Ram Chander Yadav.

Bhawra is the third DGP in just three months of the Congress government led by Charanjit Channi. Chattopadhyaya replaced senior IPS officer Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota. The order issued by the state reads: "On the consideration of the panel received from the Union Public Service Commission, the Governor of Punjab is pleased to appoint Shri Viresh Kumar Bhawra, IPS as Director General of Police, Punjab (Head of Police Force)."

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister's rally in Ferozepur had to be cancelled due to a security lapse after some protesters blocked a route and forced Modi's convoy to spend about 15-20 minutes on a flyover. The Prime Minister was enroute the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala when the incident happened. Meanwhile, an MHA team investigating the breach of security reached the spot on Friday to find out the reasons that led to the Prime Minister's cavalcade remaining stranded on the flyover for 15-20 minutes.

"President Ram Nath Kovind met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today and received from him a first-hand account of the security breach in his convoy in Punjab yesterday. The President expressed his concerns about the serious lapse," tweeted the Rashtrapati Bhavan handle after the meeting.

On Wednesday, The Prime Minister's rally in Ferozepur had to be cancelled due to a security lapse after some protesters blocked a route and forced his convoy to spend about 20 minutes on a flyover. The Prime Minister was enroute the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala when the incident happened. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday claimed in a statement that they had planned protests on receiving the news of Prime Minister's proposed visit to Punjab on January 5.

An official spokesperson said the committee would comprise Justice (retd) Mehtab Singh Gill and Principal Secretary (Home Affairs) Anurag Verma. The committee will submit its report within three days. Regretting that Modi had to cancel his scheduled visit to Ferozepur midway, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday said there was no security lapse that led to the cancellation of the Prime Minister's visit to the district bordering Pakistan.