Donald Trump won the key New Hampshire primary Tuesday, moving him ever closer to locking in the Republican presidential nomination and securing an extraordinary White House rematch with Joe Biden.

With vote counting ongoing, it was unclear if Trump had secured the knockout victory to put his sole remaining challenger Nikki Haley out of the contest.

In a speech following the vote, the former UN ambassador during Trump’s frequently chaotic presidency said the race was “far from over” and told supporters that Democrats “want” to run against her former boss.

“They know Trump is the only Republican in the country who Joe Biden can defeat,” Haley, 52, warned.

With strong turnout in the northeastern state, Haley had hoped for a major upset. But US broadcasters quickly projected her defeat as first tallies came in.

Donald Trump was already the runaway leader in national Republican polling, despite two impeachments as president, and four criminal trials hanging over him since leaving office.

While Haley repeatedly questioned the 77-year-old’s mental fitness and warned another Trump presidency would bring “chaos,” polls indicate her efforts in New Hampshire created little more than a speed bump.

“I think it’s a two-person race now between Trump and Biden,” Keith Nahigian, a veteran of six presidential campaigns and former member of Trump’s transition team, told AFP.

New Hampshire was markedly more Haley-friendly than states she will subsequently face, should she stay in the race, and continuing into February will be a tough sell without a win or at least a narrow loss.

Her next must-win stop will be her home state South Carolina.

Trump won a crushing victory in the first Republican contest in Iowa last week, with Haley a distant third.

What was once a crowded field of 14 candidates narrowed to a one-on-one match-up on Sunday after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out, following his second-place Iowa finish. 

No Republican has ever won both opening contests and not ultimately secured the party’s nomination.

Donald Trump did little actual campaigning in New Hampshire. However, his message — a mixture of personal grievance and right-wing culture war firing his base — has delivered seemingly insurmountable polling leads.

One of Trump’s complaints has been his false claim that Democrats are allowed to vote in the Republican contest in New Hampshire.

However, independents are allowed to vote and Haley had hoped they would revolt against Trump, seeing her as the moderate alternative.

She spent the week hammering the message, backed by polling, that most Americans do not want to see a Trump-Biden rematch.

“Nikki Haley’s supporters will surely feel that Tuesday night in New Hampshire was a reasonably good night. But once the relative shine of the Granite State result wears off… all but the most ardent Haley supporters will be looking through a glass darkly,” said Aron Solomon, a political analyst for legal marketing agency Amplify.

New Hampshire Democrats also voted for their standard-bearer Tuesday, defying a national party order to hold the primary later.

Biden did not file candidate paperwork after a row between national and state party officials.

Broadcasters projected that Biden won as a “write-in” candidate, even though it was not an official Democratic Party primary following the row.

Biden marked the day by campaigning alongside Vice President Kamala Harris in Virginia at a rally for abortion rights. 

With Trump touting his role in the ending of the constitutional right to abortion, Biden told an enthusiastic crowd that the Republican was “hell-bent” on further restrictions.

After the New Hampshire result came through, the Biden campaign said Trump had “all but locked up” the nomination. 

“The election denying, anti-freedom MAGA movement has completed its takeover of the Republican Party,” the campaign said in a statement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Karpoori Thakur, the Former Chief Minister of Bihar, was chosen for the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna yesterday, a day ahead of his birth anniversary. The announcement by the Centre was greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I am delighted that the Government of India has decided to confer the Bharat Ratna on the beacon of social justice, the great Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Ji and that too at a time when we are marking his birth centenary,” he posted on X.

To mark his birth centenary, PM Modi has written a tribute article on the veteran political leader.

Here is PM Modi’s tribute to Karpoori Thakur on his 100th birth anniversary:

Today is the birth centenary of Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Ji, whose relentless pursuit of social justice created a positive impact in the lives of crores of people. I never had the opportunity to meet Karpoori Ji but, I heard a lot about him from Kailashpati Mishra Ji, who worked closely with him. He belonged to one of the most backward sections of society, the Nai Samaj. Overcoming numerous obstacles, he achieved a lot and worked for societal betterment.

Jan Nayak Kapoor Thakur Ji’s life revolved around the twin pillars of simplicity and social justice. Till his last breath, his simple lifestyle and humble nature resonated deeply with the common people. There are numerous anecdotes that highlight his simplicity. Those who worked with him recall how he preferred to spend his own money for any personal matter including his daughter’s wedding. During his tenure as Chief Minister of Bihar, a decision was taken to build a colony for political leaders but he himself did not take any land or money for the same. When he passed away in 1988, several leaders went to his village to pay tributes. When they saw the condition of his house, they were moved to tears- how can someone so towering have a house so simple!

Another anecdote of his simplicity dates back to 1977 when he just took over as CM of Bihar. The Janata Government was in power in Delhi and Patna. That time, Janata leaders had gathered in Patna to mark Loknayak JP’s birthday. Among the galaxy of top leaders walked in Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur Ji, with a torn Kurta. In his own style, Chandrashekhar Ji asked people to donate some money so that Karpoori Ji could purchase a new Kurta. But, Karpoori Ji was Karpoori Ji- he accepted the money but donated it to the CM Relief Fund.

Social justice was most dear to Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Ji. His political journey was marked by monumental efforts to create a society where resources were distributed fairly, and everyone, regardless of their social standing, had access to opportunities. He wanted to address the systemic inequalities that plagued Indian society.

Such was his commitment to his ideals that despite living in an era where the Congress Party was omnipresent, he took a distinctly anti-Congress line because he was convinced very early on that the Congress had deviated from its founding principles.

His electoral career began in the early 1950s and since then, he became a force to reckon with in the legislative chambers, powerfully voicing the struggles of the working class, labourers, small farmers and youngsters. Education was a subject very close to his heart. Throughout his political career he worked to improve education facilities for the poor. He was a proponent of education in local languages so that people from small towns and villages can climb the ladder and attain success. As CM, he took many measures for the welfare of senior citizens as well.

Democracy, debate and discussion were integral to Karpoori Ji’s personality. This spirit was seen when he immersed himself in the Quit India movement as a youngster and it was again seen when he resisted the Emergency tooth and nail. His unique perspectives were great admired by the likes of JP, Dr. Lohia and Charan Singh Ji.

Perhaps one of Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Ji’s most significant contributions to India was his role in strengthening the affirmative action apparatus for the backward classes, with the hope that they were given the representation and opportunities they deserved. His decision was met with heavy opposition but he did not bow to any pressure. Under his leadership, policies were implemented that laid the groundwork for a more inclusive society, where one’s birth did not determine one’s fate. He belonged to the most backward strata of society but he worked for all the people. He had no trace of bitterness in him, which is what makes him truly great.

Over the last ten years, our Government has walked on the path of Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Ji, reflecting in our schemes and policies that have brought transformative empowerment. One of the biggest tragedies of our polity has been that barring a few leaders like Karpoori Ji, the call for social justice was restricted to being a political slogan. Inspired by Karpoori Ji’s vision we implemented it as an effective governance model. I can say with confidence and pride that Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Ji would have been very proud of India’s feat of freeing 25 crore people from the clutches of poverty in the last few years. These are people from the most backward sections of society, who were denied basic facilities nearly seven decades after freedom from colonial rule. At the same time, our efforts towards saturation- of ensuring every scheme reaches 100% coverage echoes his commitment to social welfare. Today, when people from OBC, SC and ST Communities are becoming entrepreneurs due to MUDRA Loans, it fulfills Karpoori Thakur Ji’s vision of economic independence. Likewise, it was our government which had the privilege of extending SC, ST and OBC reservation. We also had the honour of setting up the OBC Commission (which was opposed by Congress, sadly), which is working on the path shown by Karpoori Ji. Our PM-Vishwakarma Scheme will also bring new avenues of prosperity for crores of people belonging to OBC communities across India.

As a person belonging to the backward classes myself, I have much to thank Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Ji for. Unfortunately, we lost Karpoori Ji at a relatively young age of 64. We lost him when we needed him the most. Yet, he lives on in the heart and minds of crores of people due to his work. He was a true Jan Nayak!

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

A 12-year-old boy who went missing from Bengaluru on Sunday was traced to a metro station in Hyderabad this morning after a request on social media prompted a frantic search for him. The two metro cities are about 570 km apart.

Parinav, a Class 6 student of Deens Academy, managed to escape the cops trying to track him for three days and by the time they reached the places he was spotted, he had already left for another.

He was seen leaving a coaching centre in Whitefield around 11 am and then at a petrol pump near Yemlur around 3 pm. He was last spotted deboarding a bus that evening in Bengaluru’s Majestic bus terminus, the fulcrum that connects the city to every other corner in Karnataka and beyond.

His worried parents took to social media to seek help in locating their child. They initiated an online request to find their child along with a CCTV footage showing him walking across a road.

This prompted a frantic search by social media users with a few even volunteering to physically visit Majestic. The boy’s mother had also posted a video urging him to return home.

His posters were widely circulated online and this led a Bengaluru resident visiting Hyderabad identify the boy in the metro.

This is when the social media stepped in. Even as a few people volunteered to go physically to Majestic, many did what they do best – circulate the posters of the boy online.

When confronted, the boy confirmed his identity and was stopped at the Nampally metro station in Hyderabad on Wednesday, three nights after he went missing.

His parents have been informed and are on their way to Hyderabad.

Parinav’s father Sukesh, an engineer, said he has no idea how he ended up there.

“I really want to thank all those nameless strangers who helped us in finding my boy. Without his picture being splashed all over, the person in Hyderabad would never have thought to stop a boy and ask,” he added.