Morning Digest: Netanyahu calls attempt on his life a ‘grave mistake’; RJD, Left parties unhappy with seat split for Jharkhand polls, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on October 20, 2024

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday (October 19, 2024) accused Iran-backed Hezbollah of trying to assassinate him, with the Middle East already on edge after Israel had vowed retaliation for an Iranian missile barrage. Mr. Netanyahu’s office said a drone was launched toward his residence in the central town of Caesarea but he and his wife were not home at the time and there were no injuries.

The INDIA (Indian National Inclusive, Developmental Alliance) bloc on Saturday (October 19, 2024) announced the sharing of seats for the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly election between the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the Left parties. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, accompanied by Jharkhand Congress party in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir in Ranchi, announced that the JMM and the Congress would contest in 70 seats, and the RJD and Left parties would contest in the remaining 11 seats.

The seat-sharing talks among constituents of the ruling Mahayuti in Maharashtra have almost been finalised after an almost three-hour long meeting with Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah in New Delhi till the early hours on Saturday (October 19, 2024). “Talks are still going on for over 20 seats,” sources told The Hindu. The discussions were held between Mr. Shah, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar with the BJP slated to take the lion’s share of the pie between 155 to 160 seats. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will likely get around 80 to 85 seats and Ajit Pawar’s NCP will contest in 50-55 seats.

On a day when 20 bomb threats were issued to multiple airlines, the aviation security regulator, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), held a meeting with various airline CEOs to discuss ways to minimise disruptions from hoax bomb threats to flights which continued to be made for the sixth consecutive day.

Vikash Yadav — the former Indian government official charged by the U.S. authorities for his alleged role in a foiled plot to murder Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil — was arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell in December 2023 in an unrelated kidnapping and extortion case. He was granted interim bail by a Delhi court in March 2024, and regular bail a month later.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chosen party State general secretary C. Krishnakumar as its candidate in Palakkad Assembly byelection. He will take on United Democratic Front (UDF)’s Rahul Mamkootathil and Left Democratic Front (LDF)’s P. Sarin in a keenly awaited contest. The BJP has fielded Mahila Morcha leader Navya Haridas in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. She will be pitted against Congress’s national leader Priyanka Gandhi and the LDF’s Sathyan Mokeri.

President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday left for home after wrapping up her three-nation visit to Algeria, Mauritania and Malawi, establishing new benchmarks in India-Africa relations. It was the first visit by an Indian Head of State to the three African nations.