Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav today said his party’s alliance with the Congress is “off to a good start” with 11 “strong” Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.

The state sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament and elections are due in April-May.

“Our cordial alliance with the Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats. This trend will move forward with the winning equation. ‘INDIA’ team and ‘PDA’ strategy will change history,” Mr Yadav said in a post in Hindi on ‘X’.

The development comes at a time amid strong indications that Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar may do yet another volte-face and return to the BJP-led NDA.

Mr Kumar had joined hands with RJD, founded by his former arch-rival Lalu Prasad, in August 2022 after he severed ties with the BJP.

The longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar, thereafter, embarked upon a drive to bring together all parties across the country to take on the BJP that culminated in the formation of the opposition bloc INDIA.

In case Nitish Kumar decides to return to the NDA fold, the opposition united front will take a massive hit.
 

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

A guided-missile destroyer of the Indian Navy has responded to an SOS call by a merchant ship struck by a missile in the Gulf of Aden, the navy said in a statement today.

There are 22 Indian and a Bangladeshi crew on board.

INS Visakhapatnam took the distress call of the merchant vessel Marlin Launda after it reported a missile hit. The vessel caught fire.

The Indian Navy said INS Visakhapatnam is helping with firefighting on the cargo ship.

“Indian Navy remains steadfast and committed towards safeguarding merchant vessels and ensuring safety of life at sea,” the navy said in the statement.

The missile strike comes amid growing concerns over Houthi militants stepping up attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Admiral R Hari Kumar issued instructions to firmly deal with such maritime incidents.

On January 18, a merchant vessel with Indian crew members came under attack by drones in the Gulf of Aden. After receiving a distress call, India deployed INS Visakhapatnam, which intercepted the vessel and gave assistance.

Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India’s west coast on December 23.

Besides MV Chem Pluto, another commercial oil tanker that was heading to India came under a suspected drone strike in the Southern Red Sea on the same day. The vessel had a team of 25 Indian crew.

The grandeur of the Filmfare Awards returns! As the evening unfolds, the 69th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2024 with Gujarat Tourism will honour the finest talents of Hindi cinema. The two-day celebration opens with a star-studded Curtain Raiser at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Walking down the red carpet tonight are hosts Karishma Tanna and Aparshakti Khurana along with film director Onir, fashion designer Nikhil Mehra of Shantnu & Nikhil and choreographer Ganesh Acharya with wife Vidhi Acharya.

Karishma Tanna looked stunning in a white gown, while Aparshakti Khurana looked dashing in a black suit.

Check out the pictures here: