A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Voting for 2019 General Elections to be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19, counting on May 23: Assembly elections for Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim will be held simultaneously.
  2. Patidar leader Hardik Patel to join Congress on March 12: It is not yet clear if he will contest the Lok Sabha elections.
  3. Four Indians are among 157 killed in Ethiopian Airlines plane crash, says Sushma Swaraj: The deceased are Vaidya Pannagesh Bhaskar, Vaidya Hansin Annagesh, Nukavarapu Manisha and Shikha Garg, she said.
  4. ‘Should jawans count the dead?’ Sushma Swaraj suggests a reply for those doubting Balakot casualties: The Union minister was speaking at an event for Bharatiya Janata Party’s women workers in Mumbai.
  5. All political ads on social media will need prior certification, says Election Commission: All provisions of the Model Code of Conduct will be applicable to content on social media too, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said.
  6. J&K parties criticise decision not to announce state poll dates: Omar Abdullah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ‘surrendered to Pakistan, the militants and the Hurriyat’.
  7. Two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants killed in encounter in Tral, say J&K police: The identities of the terrorists are being ascertained.
  8. Biju Janata Dal will give 33% tickets to women in Lok Sabha polls, says Naveen Patnaik: The state sends 21 members to the Lower House of Parliament.
  9. Pakistan asks global watchdog FATF to replace India on panel, says it will ensure fairness: Islamabad cited ‘India’s animosity towards Pakistan’ and its ‘motivation to hurt Pakistan’s economic interests’.
  10. ‘India’s claims meant only to satisfy domestic audience,’ says Pakistan on air skirmishes: The Pakistani Foreign Office again refuted India’s claim that the Indian Air Force had shot down a Pakistani F-16 jet.