AAP leader Raghav Chadha has predicted a “historic and decisive” win for the INDIA bloc in Thursday’s Chandigarh mayoral election, and billed the INDIA vs BJP contest as the perfect curtain-raiser for the Lok Sabha election due in April/May. “This will be an election where, for the first time, it will be INDIA vs BJP. After this election, the scorecard will be INDIA 1 – BJP 0,” he declared.

“INDIA will fight the Chandigarh mayor elections with all its strength, and register a historic and decisive victory. Don’t consider this an ordinary election. This will be the first time it will be INDIA vs BJP (and) after this, the scorecard will be INDIA 1, BJP 0,” Mr Chadha told reporters this morning.

“We think the clean sweep on January 18 will be the beginning for the 2024 Lok Sabha election…”

#WATCH | Delhi | AAP MP Raghav Chadha says, “INDIA Alliance will fight the Chandigarh Mayor elections with all its strength and register a historic and decisive victory. Don’t consider this an ordinary election. This will be an election where for the first time it will be INDIA… pic.twitter.com/l7d4Ej1kpg

— ANI (@ANI) January 16, 2024

Mr Chadha vowed that INDIA – a bloc of over two dozen opposition parties that will rely on a united front to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP from claiming an unprecedented third term – will “liberate the people from the dictatorial and useless government at the centre”.

“This will set the tone… as to what will be the outcome of the upcoming India vs BJP contest. I believe this will prove that when INDIA contests together, one and one are not two… but eleven”.

Mr Chadha’s assertion comes amid signs of a thaw in relations between the AAP and the Congress over seat-sharing for the general election. The two parties had seemed poles apart on the topic, underlining rifts in the INDIA bloc amid squabbles over seats just weeks for polling booths open.

This week, though, the Congress and the AAP said they had arrived at a consensus for the mayoral election – one that will see the AAP contest the mayor’s post and the Congress for the two deputies.

Confirming the division of seats, Congress leader Pawan Bansal told reporters, “The result of this will be that our candidates from the INDIA bloc will be successful with a good majority.”

READ | “Ball-By-Ball Commentary…”: Raghav Chadha On Congress Alliance Talks

The AAP and the Congress have been discussing seat divisions for days now, with Mr Chadha part of a series of meetings last week in Delhi. Speaking after the second of those meetings, Mr Chadha told reporters jokingly, “… it is not like a cricket match, where we can give you ball-by-ball commentary.”

The AAP and the Congress (and the INDIA bloc) will hope accord in the mayoral election will aid talks over seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha election. The AAP is in power in Delhi and Punjab, where it ousted the Congress in a statement win in February last year, and is reluctant to give up ground.

READ | AAP’s Punjab Unit Says “Won’t Ally” With Congress For 2024 Poll: Sources

In December the AAP’s Punjab unit threw a spanner in INDIA’s works and said it is unwilling to ally with its former rival. The final decision, however, depends on party boss Arvind Kejriwal.

Concerns over seat-sharing within INDIA were first red-flagged after the Congress’ dismal showing in last year’s Madhya Pradesh Assembly election; the party was expected to run the ruling BJP close but wound up the wrong side of a landslide win, prompting finger-pointing of its snubbing INDIA ally Samajwadi Party’s request to contest six of the state’s 230 seats. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, whose ruling Trinamool is also wary of sharing seats with the Congress, led that charge.

READ | Seat Sharing “Settled” In Maharashtra, On Track In UP: Congress

In addition to the Madhya Pradesh defeat, losses in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – both previously ruled by the Congress – were seen as eroding the national party’s ability to dictate terms in talks.

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A man on board a Delhi-Goa IndiGo flight service, where a passenger assaulted the captain after hours-long delay, shared a first-hand account of the incident on Monday.

Taking to his X account, Sanal Vij said he “doesn’t support violence”, but IndiGo took advantage and “hid all their mismanagement and mistakes in lieu of what the passenger did”.

He said that flight 6E2175, which was scheduled to take off at 7:40 AM, departed at 05:35 PM after facing “multiple delays”.

“As a co-passenger, I feel compelled to share my first-hand account of the incident. Before I proceed, it’s crucial to clarify that I do not support violence. I intend to share my experience and shed light on the events,” he wrote.

“Boarding commenced around 12:20 PM (after a delay of 5 hours due to bad weather) with approximately 186 passengers, including infants, young children, and elderly individuals. Despite completing boarding by 12:40 PM (approx), the flight doors remained open till 2:50 PM, with ground staff attributing the delay to ATC (air traffic control) not clearing the flight because of the congestion,” Mr Vij said.

ALSO READ | IndiGo Flier Who Hit Pilot Made “Honeymoon” Claim. What Cops Said

He said the pilot announced at 1:30 PM that they were waiting for a crew member and the flight would depart shortly. It became evident that ground staff and crew provided “misinformation”, Mr Vij said.

He alleged that the crewmembers of the flight were “observed being unprofessional”, engaging in lengthy conversations with the ground staff. Mr Vij also claimed that “multiple requests” from elderly passengers for water were “ignored” as they were “busy in their conversations”.

“The delayed crew member arrived at 2:40 PM (approx), and the plane doors closed. However, the plane did not push back for some time, leading to passenger inquiries and a verbal altercation with crew members,” he said.

.@DGCAIndia @MoCA_GoI @JM_Scindia @IndiGo6E I don’t support violence, but the airline took advantage and hid all their mismanagement and mistakes in lieu of what the passenger did. Below is a first-hand account of the incident. #DelhiAirport #Indigoairlines #Indigo pic.twitter.com/tNQBKQKwSi

— Sanal vij (@sonalchinioti) January 15, 2024

“Around 3:20 PM, the assistant captain came out to address the passengers on the delay when the assault occurred: Violence is unacceptable, but what about Indigo’s mismanagement, unprofessionalism, and 185 passengers stranded without food for hours?,” Mr Vij said, adding that the food was provided to them after 4:00 PM.

ALSO READ | Video: Passengers Eat Food On Tarmac, Next To Plane, After 12-Hour Delay

“The incident raises questions about the handling of the situation by IndiGo. Shouldn’t authorities investigate the unprofessional conduct and ensure such mismanagement doesn’t recur?,” he wrote further.

Man arrested for hitting IndiGo flight captain

Sahil Kataria, who assaulted the flight captain, was arrested last evening and was released on bail shortly afterward.

ALSO READ | “Pilot Blamed Passengers”: What Russian Woman Said On Viral IndiGo Video

In the video filmed on the flight from Delhi to Goa on Sunday, the 28-year-old was seen charging at Anup Kumar, the flight’s co-captain, and hitting him.

“Chalana hai chala, nahi chalana mat chala, khol gate (fly if you want to, otherwise open the door),” he can be heard shouting at the pilot before being dragged away by another passenger.

IndiGo’s official statement

In an official statement, IndiGo said the passenger had been declared “unruly” and the airline was considering including him in the no-fly list.

“The incident is being referred to the independent internal committee for appropriate action and inclusion of the passenger on the ‘no-fly list’ as laid down in regulatory guidelines. The safety and security of our passengers and crew are of paramount importance, and we maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any such unacceptable behaviour,” IndiGo said.

#ImportantAnnouncement pic.twitter.com/bA09EJTQfN

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 15, 2024

Hundreds of flights have been disrupted over the past few days because of fog in north India.

In new rules to tackle the airport chaos, the aviation ministry has asked airlines to cancel flights delayed beyond three hours.