Express daily briefing: BJP may rethink strategy for Jharkhand polls; Lone voter from Gujarat’s Gir dies at 69; more

Congress leaders threw in towel even before elections: Ashok Gehlot

Acknowledging that the Congress leadership in Maharashtra and Haryana threw in the towel even before the state polls were held last month, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the party should now fight elections with its “full might”, not with a “defeatist mindset”. He was speaking at The Indian Express Idea Exchange Friday.

Hit by Delhi’s smog, Bangladesh cricketers mask the agony: ‘Not ideal but won’t moan’

Burning eyes, sore throats, heavy breathing and that all-pervading smog — rarely does a cricket team or its doctors have to factor in all these elements before an international match. But post-Diwali, Delhi welcomed Bangladesh with the most unusual concerns ahead of the series-opening T20 match. The tourists didn’t complain, but Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo did admit that the situation was “far from ideal” for an international fixture.

Editorial: WhatsApp breach violates rights of Indian citizens

As inviolable as it is, national security must not be used as a shield by either governments or private players to justify the violation of fundamental rights. How the government deals with the aftermath of the hack will demonstrate its commitment to saving a citizens’ right to privacy as well as other rights enshrined in the Constitution.

After recent poll dent, BJP may rethink strategy for Jharkhand

The Jharkhand Assembly elections will be held in five phases beginning November 30. The results will be announced on December 23. In the 82-seat House, the BJP currently has 48 MLAs. After its minor setback in Haryana and Maharashtra, will the party rethink its strategy? Sources told Liz Mathew it is likely to be careful in its ticket distribution and campaign strategy.

Ujda Chaman movie review: Sunny Singh film tests your patience

The strain of premature balding playing across Chaman Kohli’s (Sunny Singh) largely expressionless face for two hours of Ujda Chaman taxes the patience of the audience, writes Shubhra Gupta. Meanwhile, Shalini Langer describes ‘The Current War’ as a stately and rich period film. Cumberbatch and Shannon bring out what puts their characters Thomas Alva Edison and George Westinghouse apart well, she adds.

J&K: PDP expels sole MP for attending L-G swearing-in event

The People’s Democratic Party expelled party leader and Rajya Sabha member Nazir Ahmad Laway for attending the swearing-in ceremony of Jammu and Kashmir’s first Lt Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu, on Thursday. Laway, however, questioned who had issued the order saying that the party president in presently in jail. He told The Indian Express, “We are being directed to do this and that. But who is giving these directions?”

Bharatdas Darshandas, lone voter from Gujarat’s Gir Forest, dies at 69

Bharatdas Darshandas, a 69-year-old priest who was the lone voter from Banej district of Gujarat’s Gir forest, died in a Rajkot hospital on Friday after prolonged illness. For the past two decades, the Election Commission had been setting up a polling station deep inside the forest for him to vote during every major election.