Speaking during a visit to Mata Bhadrakali Temple in Kapurthala, Saini congratulated Dhillon on his appointment as the party’s Punjab chief and praised his leadership abilities.

Responding to objections raised by former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh over Dhillon’s appointment, Saini said the BJP’s state leadership was united and that Dhillon enjoyed the goodwill and blessings of senior leaders, including Capt Amarinder Singh.

Asked about the party’s prospects in Punjab following the recent local body elections, Saini asserted that the BJP would contest the next Assembly elections independently.

“BJP will fight the Punjab elections on its own. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party will register a one-sided victory. The people of Punjab have made up their minds in favour of the BJP,” he said.

Saini added that welfare schemes and development initiatives being implemented in Haryana under the BJP government could also be extended to Punjab in the future.

Praising the new state president, Saini said, “Keval Singh Dhillon is a very capable person. Under his leadership, the BJP will strengthen its presence across Punjab. The party has entrusted him with a major responsibility, and I wholeheartedly welcome his appointment.”

On speculation that leaders from other political parties were in touch with the BJP, Saini said the party’s focus remained on connecting with the people of Punjab rather than pursuing political defections.

Commenting on the issue of extortion and law-and-order concerns in Punjab, the Haryana Chief Minister alleged that criminal activities had increased under the present state government and claimed that people were living under fear of extortion threats.

His remarks come as political parties begin intensifying preparations for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

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However, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have not been included in the third phase.

The Election Commission said the schedule for these regions will be announced later, keeping in view the weather conditions in hilly and snow-bound areas.

According to the schedule, the final electoral rolls in Punjab will be published on October 1, while Chandigarh’s final voter lists will be released on September 22. In Delhi, the final electoral rolls will be published on October 7.

State-wise schedule announced

The Commission said final electoral rolls for Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur will be released on September 6.

Final voter lists for Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli will be published on September 11, while Uttarakhand will release its final rolls on September 15.

The final electoral rolls for Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh will be published on September 22.

Punjab and Telangana will release final voter lists on October 1, followed by Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi on October 7.

Meanwhile, Nagaland and Tripura will publish their final electoral rolls on November 22 and 23 respectively.

Over 3.9 lakh BLOs to conduct door-to-door verification

The Election Commission stated that more than 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door verification during the third phase of the SIR exercise to cover nearly 36.73 crore voters.

The exercise will also be assisted by around 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by various political parties.

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The government has directed all striking employees to immediately resume duty, but the nursing staff has refused to comply and decided to continue their agitation.

The strike, which began on March 26, has been called over long-pending demands, primarily the restoration of ₹4,600 grade pay. Nurses across the state are protesting under the banner of the United Nurses Association of Punjab.

Association president Ramanjeet Singh Gill said the protest was not sudden, adding that the nursing staff had been raising their demands for the past five to six years. He said the grade pay was reduced from ₹4,600 to ₹2,800 in 2021, significantly impacting salaries and causing widespread resentment among the nursing cadre.

Gill added that while multiple meetings with successive governments acknowledged the demand as justified, no concrete action has been taken so far.

Despite ESMA being enforced by the Medical Education Department, nursing staff at government medical colleges in Amritsar, Patiala and Mohali continued their protest, warning that the agitation would intensify if their demands are not met soon.

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Replying to a question by MP K. Saren Kherwal, Union agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the average outstanding loan per agricultural household in the country stands at ₹74,121.

According to the data shared in the House, the average debt per farming family in Punjab is ₹2.03 lakh, while in Haryana it is ₹1.83 lakh. Andhra Pradesh tops the list with an average debt of ₹2.45 lakh per household, followed by Kerala at ₹2.42 lakh.

Among other states, Rajasthan has an average farm household debt of ₹1.13 lakh, while Himachal Pradesh stands at ₹85,825 and Jammu and Kashmir at ₹30,435.

At the lower end of the spectrum, Nagaland recorded the least average debt at ₹1,750 per farming household, followed by Meghalaya at ₹2,237 and Arunachal Pradesh at ₹3,581.

The figures highlight wide regional variations in farm indebtedness across states, even as agriculture continues to remain a primary source of livelihood for millions of households in the country.

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Addressing a joint press conference after the meeting, both chief ministers said the discussions were held in a positive atmosphere and expressed hope that meaningful outcomes would emerge in the coming days. Mann said continuous dialogue at the officers’ level would now begin, with officials from both states sharing details of their meetings. Based on these deliberations, further discussions would be held at the chief ministerial level.

Mann said the intention behind the official-level talks was to find a solution to the decades-old dispute. “No one’s rights should be compromised. This is an old, complicated issue, and we want it to be resolved,” he said. Responding to a question on the construction of the canal, Mann remarked that the water-sharing issue needed to be settled first, adding that “the canal can be built later”.

Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini echoed similar sentiments, saying the talks were conducted in a constructive environment and that officer-level meetings would begin soon to take the process forward.

While no concrete breakthrough emerged during what was the sixth round of talks between the two states, the decision to hold a joint press conference and the absence of aggressive posturing by either side indicated a cautious approach, particularly in view of the upcoming Punjab assembly elections.

Bhagwant Mann attended the meeting with a 16-member delegation, including water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal and principal secretary Krishan Kumar. Haryana chief minister Saini was also accompanied by senior officials.

The previous meeting between the two chief ministers was held on August 5, 2025. Earlier, river water issues were deferred during the Northern Zonal Council meeting in Faridabad on November 17, 2025, chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah. Punjab has consistently maintained that it is facing a severe water crisis, with officials noting that 115 of the state’s 153 blocks have already slipped into the red zone.

The 214-kilometre-long SYL canal has remained incomplete for decades, with 122 kilometres falling in Punjab. The Supreme Court, in January 2002, had directed Punjab to construct the canal as per existing agreements, but the issue has remained mired in legal and political disputes ever since.

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Ferozepur SSP Bhupinder Singh said the accused were offered ₹1 lakh each to carry out the killing. He added that Khalistani group Sher-e-Punjab Brigade has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they “have reformed the leader of the Hindutva gang”.

According to the SSP, accused Kanav and Harsh conducted a recce of Naveen and planned the entire murder at Kanav’s house. “Four people are directly involved in this murder. Of them, Kanav and Harsh were arrested from Ferozepur on Wednesday. Both have confessed to the conspiracy during interrogation,” he said.

The SSP added that two accomplices are still absconding and police teams have been formed to trace them.

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Officials said the flight carrying Anmol landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, where he was taken into custody. He will be produced before the Patiala House Court under tight security and the NIA will seek his transit remand.

Anmol had been absconding since 2022 and is the 19th accused arrested in the ongoing NIA investigation.

The agency filed a chargesheet in March 2023 saying Anmol helped Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi carry out several major crimes across the country between 2020 and 2023.

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Sources added that he had previously worked at Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, which is also linked to the main suspect in the “white collar terrorist module” case.

On Friday, two doctors from Haryana’s Nuh district were also taken into custody for questioning.

One of them had recently completed an apprenticeship at Al Falah University, which ended on November 2, after finishing his MBBS course.

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Their families came to know about the deaths only yesterday after being informed by relatives of one of the youths.

Sahib Singh’s father, Surjit Singh, said the families had sold land and borrowed Rs 50 lakh to pay a travel agent in Haryana. The agents in Guatemala reportedly held the youths hostage and sent videos demanding $20,000 from the families. “When we contacted the agent, he switched off his phone,” Surjit Singh added.

Following complaints, Dasuya police registered a case against travel agent Davinder Singh and his wife Ramandeep Kaur. ASI Sarabjit Singh said Davinder Singh has been arrested and sent to jail, while his wife remains absconding.

Surjit Singh said he had not been in touch with his son for months and only recently learnt about his murder through relatives in Haryana.

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Rohit Kumar, the son of Prem Kumar, said his father has been bedridden for the past 10 months and is undergoing treatment for kidney failure. “My father was picked up by the rural police three days ago and sent to jail. We were not even told why he was arrested,” Rohit said, holding back tears.

He added that police informed him later that his father had been named in a gangrape case. “They told me that the car in which the girl was raped was driven by my father. But my father only knows how to ride a bicycle. He doesn’t even know how to drive a scooty. The whole village knows this,” Rohit said.

Shiromani Akali Dal’s Jalandhar city president, Iqbal Singh Dhindsa, also joined the protest and reportedly had an argument with police officers at the site.

Rohit further questioned how a man in his father’s condition could commit such a crime. “He is 60 years old, has kidney failure, and has been bedridden for months. He can’t even move properly. How can an elderly man like him be accused of rape?” he said.

The family has demanded Prem Kumar’s immediate release and a fair investigation into the case.

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