Mumbai is at 4th position among 46 cities globally in terms of price rise of luxury residential properties, according to Knight Frank.

Real estate consultant Knight Frank India on Wednesday released ‘Prime Global Cities Index Q3 2023’ and said Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi recorded an increase in average annual prices of prime residential or luxury homes in the July-September period.

“Mumbai recorded the 4th highest year-on-year growth in prime residential prices in Q3 2023. The 6.5 per cent increase in prime residential prices has moved the city up by 18 places from 22nd rank in Q3 2022,” Knight Frank said.

New Delhi and Bengaluru also recorded an upward movement in their index rankings.

NCR moved to 10th in the third quarter (July-September) of 2023 with a growth of 4.1 per cent year-on-year from 36th rank in the year-ago period.

Bengaluru’s rank increased to 17th rank in the quarter under review against 27th rank in the third quarter of 2022, a year-on-year growth of 2.2 per cent.
 

Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday asserted that members of the INDIA bloc will sit together and decide the Prime Ministerial face if voted to power in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

“After being elected, all of us will sit together and decide the Prime Ministerial face,” Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma.

The INDIA bloc is an alliance of 28 political parties formed to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

However, the mega alliance is yet to brainstorm on its Prime Ministerial face.

Speaking on the Chhattisgarh assembly polls, the Congress president said, “We will cross 75 (seats), not less than that. We will provide free education to children from primary to post-graduation, will give cylinders to women… The elected MLAs will decide who will hold the Chief Ministerial post”.

Earlier today, Mallikarjun Kharge also held a public gathering in the Sukma district where he threw brickbats at the BJP stating that the latter “fooled” people in the name of caste and religion.

“They fooled people in the name of religion and caste. They trick people by saying that they made a woman belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) President. They should know that the Congress party gave the first woman Prime Minister to the country. The Congress empowered the backward classes”, Mr Kharge said.

Praising the previous Congress governments, he said, “The BJP keeps asking what Congress has done for the country. There were no schools, no banks and no jobs. It all was done by the Congress. Modi Sahab (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) asks what we have done in the past 70 years. We have built the country. We constructed schools, public sectors, banks, industries, etc. Did Modiji construct schools in Chhattisgarh?”

Chhattisgarh is scheduled to hold polls in two phases on November 7 and 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3 in all five poll-bound states.

Earlier in the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress came to power with a landslide victory, winning 68 seats out of 90.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government in Telangana over “corruption” and alleged that there was collusion between BRS and BJP.

Addressing a rally in Nagarkurnool, Rahul Gandhi expressed confidence of Congress forming government in Telangana in assembly polls later this month and said it will question BRS leader and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao about “the loot of public money”.

Rahul Gandhi said that the election in Telangana is between BRS and Congress.

“The truth is that BRS, BJP and AIMIM are working together. Just like we punctured the tyre of the BJP here, we are going to puncture their tyre across India. First, we have to win in Telangana, MP, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh and then we are winning in the country in 2024. We all together are going to defeat BRS here and then defeat BJP in the Centre,” Mr Gandhi said.

The Congress leader also took potshots at BJP over disqualification from Lok Sabha following a criminal defamation case with his conviction later stayed by the Supreme Court.

“There are ED, CBI, IT and vigilance cases on opposition leaders. I have 24 cases against me. I was disqualified from the Lok Sabha. My official house was taken away. I happily gave my house away. Entire India and Telangana is my home. They register cases and attack whoever fights them but your Chief Minister has no cases against him. This is because PM Narendra Modi and your Chief Minister are together,” he said.

“On the other side, there is AIMIM. Wherever Congress contests an election, be it Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, AIMIM candidates appear there by magic…AIMIM people provide help to the BJP,” he alleged.

Mr Gandhi made light of remarks of BJP leaders about the party making an OBC leader next Chief Minister in the state.

“BJP leaders come here (Telangana) and say that they will make an OBC the Chief Minister of the state. You (BJP) will get 2 per cent votes here, how are you going to do it?” he said.

Telangana is among five states going to the polls this month. Polling will be held in the state on November 30 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.