Quicktakes

EC nod for hike in poll expense limitNEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday gave its nod for raising the ceiling on election expenses...

int(4)

EC nod for hike in poll expense limit

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday gave its nod for raising the ceiling on election expenses by candidates in the coming Lok Sabha elections up to Rs 15 lakh but said the commission should be given powers to do it from time to time. The commission made it clear it would have no objection to government raising the election expenditure up to Rs 15 lakh for bigger parliamentary constituencies and Rs six lakh for Assembly seats in the ensuing polls.

Delhi blast kills 3

NEW DELHI: At least three persons, including a woman, were killed and nearly 25 injured in a powerful bomb blast in a bus in Punjabi Bagh area of west Delhi on Tuesday evening, police said. The three later succumbed to injuries in hospitals. They were yet to be identified. The injured were rushed to hospitals where the condition of some of them was described as serious.

Stadium stampede

Story continues below this ad

PUTTAPARTHI: Thirty-nine cricket enthusiasts were injured, five seriously, in a stampede hours before the scheduled start of a cricket match at a new stadium, inaugurated here by Prime Minister I K Gujral on Tuesday. A sudden surge of cricket fans, who had queued up in thousands since last night, towards the stadium gate when it was opened in the wee hours, caused the stampede, police said. Cricket fever had gripped Puttaparthi, the abode of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, with people here and in surrounding areas flocking to the stadium .

Port project

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has expressed his anger at the Vadhavan residents opposition to the $1 billion all-weather port project by P&O Australian Ports Pvt Ltd near their village. In an interview to Reuters, Thackeray said such attitude may drive away the investors from State.

Pak election

ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday allowed ruling Pakistan Muslim League’s presidential candidate Muhammad Rafiq Tarar to contest the elections to be held on Wednesday. A three-judge bench passed an interim order confirming the stay on the Election Commission’s rejection of Tarar’s nomination papers.