Rahul Gandhi to Visit Pahalgam Attack Survivors; Congress to Hold Candlelight Marches Nationwide

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will visit Jammu and Kashmir on Friday to meet those injured in the Pahalgam terror attack, Congress sources confirmed on Thursday. Gandhi is scheduled to visit the Government Medical College (GMC) in Anantnag to check on the health of the victims.

The attack, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon near Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, left at least 26 people dead, mostly tourists, with several others injured when terrorists opened fire at a meadow.

Gandhi also participated in an all-party meeting called by the government to brief political parties on the horrific attack.

In solidarity with the victims, Congress workers across the country will hold candlelight marches on Friday to express unity against terrorism. The party has also decided to postpone its scheduled “Samvidhan Bachao” rallies on April 25 and 26, with plans to resume them on April 27, according to Congress General Secretary in-charge K C Venugopal.

AIMIM Poised for Victory in Telangana MLC Polls

The results for the MLC election in Telangana’s Hyderabad Local Authorities’ constituency are expected on Friday. The Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM is poised for victory after a direct contest with the BJP, following the boycott of the election by the main Opposition party, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

Polling took place on Wednesday with a high turnout of 79%, as 88 out of 112 voters cast their ballots. AIMIM secured 49 votes, while the BJP obtained 29. The political atmosphere became heated in the lead-up to the polls, with BJP accusing Congress and BRS of helping AIMIM win by abstaining from the contest.

JNUSU Elections to Resume After Brief Suspension

After a pause due to incidents of violence and vandalism, elections for the central body of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) will take place on Friday. This election sees the Left student bodies, All India Students’ Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), competing against each other for the first time in a decade. Their rivalry stems from disagreements over the presidential candidate.

The conflict between these groups raises questions about whether the ongoing rift could provide an opportunity for the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) to gain a foothold at the university.