There is some respite from the intense cold wave in most parts of Uttar Pradesh on Monday with bright sunlight at many places.

Icy winds, however, continued to blow here and in neighbouring areas. Twelve more deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, an official said.

The victims included a bus conductor and a young passenger on board the Amrapali Express in Unnao.

The Met forecast a two degrees dip in temperatures in Lucknow and adjoining areas. It also termed the sunny weather on Monday a “temporary phenomenon” to be replaced by cold conditions soon.

The Regional Met office Director J.P. Gupta said that at many places the humidity levels were 100 per cent which could lead to heavy fog and further dip in temperatures.

Schools at many places opened on Monday but the district administration has ordered the timing of the schools to be changed to 10 a.m. for all classes.

More than two dozen trains have been hit by fog and were running hours behind their schedules.

Officials of the Northern Railways (NR), Northern-Central Railways (NCR) and North-Eastern Railways said all possible facilities were being given to passengers waiting at the stations.

The trains that were running late include Kisan Express by five hours; Duplicate Punjab Mail (four); Lucknow Mail (three); Kaifiyat Express (21); Marudhar Express (15); Barauni Express (11); Sabarmati Express (17) and the Vaishali Exprs which is running 17 hours behind schedule.

The fog and cold wave conditions have also hit the road traffic and the Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has cancelled 18 buses owing to poor occupancy.

The AC and non-air-conditioned buses that have been cancelled include buses on the Lucknow-New Delhi, Lucknow-Varanasi, Lucknow-Allahabad and Lucknow-Gorakhpur routes.

Air traffic has also been hit by poor visibility and fog. More than 12 flights of the Air India, Indigo, Go Air and Jet Airways were delayed on Sunday.

Lucknow was the second coldest district on Sunday at 2.6 degrees Celsius while Bahraich was at 2.4 degrees Celsius.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has decided to go ahead with its plan to not mark their attendance as the administration insisted on introducing a mandatory attendance rule.

During a meeting with the JNU vice chancellor this morning, JNUSU president Geeta Kumari said, “we explained to the administration how such a surveillance is going to curtail academic freedom and destroy JNU culture”.

“We explained how students of the campus attend lectures not just at classrooms, but also at dhabas and hostel mess.

Learning is a 24X7 process for us. The VC, however, insisted on the adoption of compulsory attendance model of IITs,” Kumari said, after submitting a memorandum with around 2,500 signatures.

JNUSU joint secretary Shubhanshu Singh said that they have started a campaign on the move in some classes.

“Some professors are also taking part in the campaign,” Singh said.

However, JNU Teachers’ Association president Ayesha Kidwai said that the teacher’s body would decide its course of action at its General Body Meeting which is scheduled for January 10.

The JNUSU had yesterday announced for a boycott of attendance.

A group of Americans of Indian, Afghan and Baloch descents has protested outside the Pakistani embassy here against the “inhumane” treatment of the wife and mother of Indian death row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav during their recent visit to Islamabad.

Braving freezing cold, the protesters also brought along sandals to give them to the Pakistani embassy officials.

“The trial of Kulbhushan Jadhav violated all norms of international law as it was conducted by a military court,” said Ahmar Mustikhan, founder of the American Friends of Baolchistan, which organised the unique event named as “Chappal-Chor Pakistan” (slipper-thief Pakistan).

Both Jadhav’s wife and mother were asked to remove their sandals, mangalsutras and bindis before they were allowed to meet him, and the sandals were subsequently stolen, Mustikhan said.

The protesters said that Pakistan meted out “inhumane” treatment to Jadhav’s wife and mother during their tightly- controlled interaction with the 47-year-old Indian national on December 25 in the Pakistan Foreign Office.

During the meeting, whose pictures were released by Pakistan, Jadhav was seen sitting behind a glass screen while his mother and wife sat on the other side. They spoke through intercom and the entire 40-minute proceedings appeared to have been recorded on video.

“The recent episode of Pakistan makes a mockery of humanity. By not returning the slippers of Smt. Kulbhushan Yadav and asking them to remove even Bindi and Mangal Sutras and changing their dresses as well, it is just another sleazy activity Pakistan has done to a Bharata Soubhagya Nari (married Indian woman),” said Krishna Gudipati, local Hindu community leader in USA.

Carl Clemens, volunteer with several local community organisations alleged that the treatment given to the mother and wife by Pakistan foreign office typified the “petty vindictiveness and humiliation” that is the prevalent culture in Pakistan.

“They have humiliated the religious and faith symbols of Hindu womanhood. Because of this sort of behaviour Pakistan has found itself on a watch list. This behaviour will lead to Pakistan’s own destruction,” said the protester Dhananjay Shevilkar.

Pakistan on December 25 had issued a video of Jadhav in which he was purportedly seen thanking the Pakistan government for arranging a meeting with his wife and mother.

India has asserted that Jadhav appeared coerced and under considerable stress during the tightly-controlled interaction.

Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April, following which India moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in May.

Pakistan says he was a commander rank officer in the Indian Navy. But India says Jadhav was a former naval officer.

New Delhi also says Jadhav was kidnapped in Iran where he had legitimate business interests, and brought to Pakistan.

A 10-member bench of the ICJ on May 18 restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case.

It is expected to hold another hearing in March or April.

An Australian nurse jailed for 18 months for running a surrogacy clinic in Cambodia had her sentence upheld yesterday in a prominent case highlighting the country’s role in the lucrative trade.

Tammy Davis-Charles, a nurse in her early 50s from Melbourne, was arrested in November 2016 with two Cambodian colleagues weeks after the country passed an edict forbidding commercial surrogacy.

She was convicted of sourcing clients and falsifying documents, although she said in her trial that she simply provided medical care to the Cambodian mothers.

Appeal Court Judge Kim Dany upheld the verdict during a brief hearing in Phnom Penh, saying the court had “already given a lenient sentence”.

Dressed in a blue prisoner uniform, Davis-Charles did not react to the ruling or speak to reporters afterwards. She has a final chance to appeal the sentence in front of the Supreme Court.

Cambodian authorities moved to curb the surrogacy trade after prospective parents – many from Australia – turned to the impoverished country in the wake of bans in Thailand and India.

Critics of the practice say it leaves women with few economic choices open to exploitation.

Police said Davis-Charles moved from Thailand to take advantage of the continued demand after several scandals in the neighboring country prompted a government crackdown.

More than 20 Cambodian surrogate mothers were paired with clients in the Davis-Charles clinic, and they received around USD 10,000 each.

The nurse’s two Cambodian colleagues were convicted of the same charges and also jailed for 18 months.

With cheap medical costs, a large pool of poor young women and no laws excluding gay couples or single parents, countries in Southeast Asia were for years attractive destinations for the surrogacy trade.

Cambodia defended its decision by saying it did not want the country to become a “factory” for making babies.

Laos has emerged as the next frontier in the “rent-a- womb” business, which still exists through shadowy unregulated networks in Cambodia and other countries.

Manchester United keeper David de Gea, widely regarded as one of the world’s finest shot-stoppers, has a surprisingly modest list of aims for 2018.

“My aims for 2018? Health is the most important thing for everyone and we want to win a trophy. We will try to play really well and fight for everything including the Champions League and the FA Cup. And the World Cup, of course,” de Gea responded when asked by MUTV what his goals for the new calendar year were.

United are the midst of a hectic winter schedule and while Spaniard admitted that the frenetic nature of the English top-flight can get a bit much, he added that that’s part of the allure of the Premier League.

Must read: Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker savages teammates after FA Cup upset

“It’s a bit crazy with a lot of games at this time but we have to play and have to try to win,” the 27-year-old opined.

“It’s always a special time for everyone. They (my friends in Spain) think everyone is on holiday but we play (games) and this is England – this is the history of the Premier League.”

United manager Jose Mourinho has opted to use Sergio Romero for cup competitions (EFL Cup and FA Cup) this season, but de Gea insisted he was at peace with the Portuguese’s decision.

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“It is good to have some rest to recover after so many games. It’s good for the team and for the players to have some rest to relax, recover and train,” de Gea stated.

“Of course, as a player, I want to play every game in every competition. Of course, the FA Cup is a special trophy and I want to play every game but I know there are other players who want to play as well and have a chance to play.”

Also read: Manchester United ride late goals to beat Derby County

“It’s good to have a bigger squad with a lot of players so, when we have a lot of games, we can change the players and it’s good to use the squad,” the 27-year-old added.

Manchester United jet off to Dubai for a week-long warm weather training camp on Monday as their next game in the Premier League is on January 15, with manager-less Stoke City.

Released on January 7, 2018 on the official Youtube channel of White Hill Music, Nimrat Khaira’s new Punjabi song Brobar Boli gained around 1.6 million views in just one day of its release and currently ranks as No.1 in trending videos.

This song was her third song after Suit and Designer.

Brobar Boli was produced by Gunbir Singh Sidhu and Manmord Sidhu, presented by Gurpreet Baba and directed by Sukh Sanghera.

Check Out the Video :

Bollywood superstar Anushka Sharma was recently spotted at Mumbai airport after returning from Cape Town where she was accompanying her husband Virat Kohli for the on-going three-match Test series against South Africa.

The most celebrated duo of India got very little time after their marriage in Italy on 11 December, as Virat returned to lead Indian side in Test series against the Proteas. After their honeymoon in Newlands, Anushka spent some quality time with Virat in Africa where the duo was spotted with other couples on the tour.

The explosive Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan and Aesha Dhawan was considered closest to the duo, as they were spotted with Anushka and Virat on many occasions.

Recently, Shikhar’s wife Aesha had shared a photograph of her daughter with Anushka on Instagram. In the picture they were seen training in the gym and in her post Aesha mentioned that Anushka would be soon flying out to Mumbai.

“Friends that train together stay together!! Going to miss our training partner @anushkasharma #friendslikefamily #threestooges 🏼🏼🏼,” wrote Aesha.

Friends that train together stay together!! Going to miss our training partner @anushkasharma #friendslikefamily #threestooges 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

A post shared by Aesha Dhawan (@aesha.dhawan5) on Jan 6, 2018 at 12:32am PST

Earlier, before the series, newly-wed Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma were spotted doing some shopping and sight-seeing in the rainbow nation.

Indian skipper had also shared a picture on photo-sharing website Instagram saying, “Cape Town is such a beautiful place and even more beautiful with my one and only!.”

Cape Town is such a beautiful place and even more beautiful with my one and only! 👌❤

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) on Jan 2, 2018 at 10:11pm PST

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he was extremely privileged to work with veteran actress Waheeda Rehman in Adalat.

“41 years of my film Adalat. Great times. Huge influence of The GodFather, and the passion of Narinder Bedi and the extreme privilege of working with Waheedaji,” Amitabh tweeted.

T 2585 – 41 years of my film ‘Adalat’ .. great times .. huge influence of The GodFather , and the passion of Narinder Bedi .. and the extreme priviledge of working with Waheeda Ji pic.x.com/0LYlQpAxj6

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) January 7, 2018

Directed by Bedi, the film clocked 41 years of it’s release on Sunday.

It revolves around Dharma, a villager, who goes to Mumbai in order to lead a better life but things take an ugly turn when the police arrest him in connection with a criminal case.

The cine icon, 75, also tweeted about his film Wazir, which clocked two-years of it’s release in the Hindi filmdom.

Wazir two years complete and the first film where I never leave a chair. And of course working with Farhaan, who was virtually born in front of me,” Amitabh tweeted on Sunday night.

The film revolves around Daanish (Farhan Akhtar), a cop, who swears to seek revenge from terrorist, who killed his daughter. He finds a confidante in Pandit (Big B), an unassuming grand master, also mourning the loss of his daughter.

Currently, Big B has three films in his kitty — 102 Not Out, Thugs Of Hindostan and Brahmastra.

The 75th edition of Golden Globes, which took place on Sunday evening (January 7), saw some surprising and deserving wins, and even witnessed some first ever wins for actors like Gary Oldman and James Franco.

The award show was also noticeable for its silent protest against the spate of sexual harassment scandals that have rocked Hollywood by celebs walking the red carpet in their black outfits.

The Shape of Water received the most nominations in the evening with seven while both Big Little Lies and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won the most awards with four.

Here is the complete list of winners at the 75th Golden Globes:

Best Motion Picture Drama: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Performance in a Motion Picture Draman (Actor): Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour

Best Performance in a Motion Picture Draman (Actress): Frances McDormand as Mildred Hayes in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy: Lady Bird

Best Performance in a Motion Picture Musical/Comedy (Actor): James Franco as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist

Best Performance in a Motion Picture Musical/Comedy (Actress): Saoirse Ronan as Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson in Lady Bird

Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture Musical/Comedy/Draman (Actor): Sam Rockwell as Officer Jason Dixon in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture Musical/Comedy/Draman (Actress): Allison Janney as LaVona Golden in I, Tonya

Best Director: Guillermo del Toro- The Shape of Water

Best Screenplay: Martin McDonagh- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Original Score: Alexandra Desplat- The Shape of Water

Best Original Song: This is Me (Justin Paul and Benj Pasek)- The Greatest Showman

Best Animated Feature Film: Coco

Best Foreign Language Film: In The Fade (Germany/France)

Television

Best Series Drama: The Handmaid’s Tail

Best Series Musical/Comedy: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Performance in a Television series Drama (Actor): Sterling K Brown as Randall Pearson in This Is Us

Best Performance in a Television series Drama (Actress): Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne/Offred in The Handmaid’s Tail

Best Performance in a Television series Musical/Comedy (Actor): Aziz Ansari as Dev Shah in Master of None

Best Performance in a Television series Musical/Comedy (Actress): Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam Midge Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Best Performance in a Miniseries or Television Film (Actor): Ewan McGregor as Emmit and Raymond Stussy in Fargo

Best Performance in a Miniseries or Television Film (Actress): Nicole Kidman as Celeste Wright in Big Little Lies

Best Supporting Performance in a Television series Series/Miniseries/Television Film (Actor): Alexander Skarsgard as Perry Wright in Big Little Lies

Best Supporting Performance in a Television series Series/Miniseries/Television Film (Actress): Laura Dern as Renata Klein in Big Little Lies

Best Miniseries or Television Film: Big Little Lies

The Hockey India came under limelight for the poor facilitates provided to the athletes at the Hockey India Senior Men’s National Championships in Imphal, starting January 7. In the photos that went viral on the internet, the condition and ‘facilities’ provided to the players are pathetic.

The hockey players, who had come to participate in the nationals, have no bed to sleep and the players were spotted sleeping on mattresses on the floor. The players even complained that they were not provided blanket and their washroom were drowned in the water.

Meanwhile, Hockey India got aware of this situation three days ago and they immediately went into the action mode. The association CEO, Elena Norman, went to the location to take stock of the situation.

While talking to ANI, Norman said, “We have done the assessment and there are some areas of improvement required which is being addressed by the organising committee and state officials. We have been assured that it will be rectified.”

While talking about the facilities, Praveen Singh, Manipur Youth Affairs and Sports Director, said that the hockey players had gone into the wrong rooms and now they have been shifted to the rooms that were assigned for them.

“When players arrived, they saw unused areas in hostel and assumed those are for their use. Things were sorted when they saw the designated rooms. We have provided heaters, blankets, carpets and mattresses. They’re comfortable now,” Singh said to ANI.

The Senegalese government vowed on Sunday to be “relentless” in tracking down and bringing to justice those responsible for the execution of 13 people in the southern region of Casamance.

Gunmen ordered a group of men and youths, out looking for wood, to lie on the ground deep in the forest before opening fire, a survivor said following the first upsurge in violence in the isolated Senegalese region in years.

President Macky Sall, condemning an “armed attack of rare barbarity”, summoned his national security council and ordered a ministerial delegation to the scene.

“A hard and relentless hunt will be conducted to find the perpetrators of this despicable act,” interior minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye told Senegalese press agency APS during a visit to survivors at the hospital in Ziguinchor, the region’s capital.

The attack happened yesterday in Borofaye forest in the commune of Boutoupa-Camaracounda.

According to the government, ten of the 13 killed were shot dead, two were stabbed to death and one was burned. Half a dozen more were wounded, with the most seriously hurt being transferred to Dakar for treatment.

The as yet unidentified group stopped the young men and rounded them up before shooting them coldly, survivors told AFP.

“They made us lie face down and started firing,” a 45- year-old father of two with two wives said on Sunday at Ziguinchor Ayib Ly hospital as he received treatment for injuries to his back and foot.

“Injured people trying to escape were finished off” by the attackers, said another survivor, Amadou Diallo.

Ibrahima Daffe, described being hit by “two bullets in the back”, fired by men “in military uniforms”, wearing “rangers” type boots and speaking the local language.

A source in Ziguinchor said 13 youths were killed, while army spokesman Abdou Ndiaye told AFP seven others were injured.

The Senegalese Press Agency said the assailants would have passed a buffer zone between the Senegalese army and separatist rebels of the Movement for Democratic Forces in Casamance (MFDC).

Abdoulaye Balde, a former armed forces minister and deputy mayor of Ziguinchor, told AFP those responsible were likely “not fully associated with the peace process” in a region where rebels began fighting in December 1982 — though they have long ceased attacks on soldiers.

Actor Sterling K. Brown created history by becoming the first African-American male actor to win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama for the role of Randall Pearson in hit series “This Is Us”.

He thanked “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman for giving him the opportunity to be part of the series.

“Now, Dan Fogelman, throughout the majority of my career, I’ve benefited from colour-blind casting, which means, ahey, let’s throw a brother in there’. That’s always really cool,” Brown said while accepting the award here on Sunday.

He continued: “But Dan Fogelman, you wrote a role for a black man that can only be played by a black man. So what I appreciate so much about this is that I’m being seen for who I am and being appreciated for who I am, and it makes it that much more difficult to dismiss me or dismiss anybody who looks like me.”

Along with complex emotional storyline which switches time periods, the show is drawing praise for handling issues like diversity, race and male stereotyping in showbiz in a very mature and subtle way. The show is aired in India on Star World and Star World HD.

After making history, Brown told ew.com that he is honoured with the accolade.

He said: “I was thinking I’ve never been the first brother to do anything. I was the fourth black student council at my high school, I was the second black JV captain of my basketball team. To finally be the first of something is interesting because I never consider myself a trailblazer I try to stand in my truth all the time.

“If I come from a place of truth all the time, then I can’t worry about trying to be Jackie Robinson or anybody else. I’m honoured that they chose to honour a little network show and a character that gets 45 minutes to tell their story when other shows have 60. I feel a tremendous amount of pride and I look forward to seeing someone else stand up here and hold this trophy not 75 years from now.”

Brown previously won an Emmy for his performance — a historic win as it made him the first black actor to win the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series since 1998.

A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man in a village in Alapur area here, police said on Monday.

The incident took place yesterday. When the girl was playing outside her house, the accused, identified as Mohammad Sohrab, took her to a secluded place and raped her, they said.

As the girl did not return home, the family members started searching for her and found her in a cane field.

Police have registered an FIR. The accused is on the run.

Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Rajya Sabha candidate N. D. Gupta’s candidature has been approved, quashing Congress complaints, AAP said here on Monday.

On Saturday, the scrutiny of nomination was put on hold till Monday by the Returning Officer over Congress allegations of Gupta holding office of profit.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh termed the complaint as a “cheap publicity stunt”.

The nomination of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) two other candidates – Sanjay Singh and Sushil Gupta – for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha were approved on Saturday.

The scrutiny of nomination of N.D. Gupta was deferred following Congress complaint with the Returning Officer Nidhi Srivastava – its second complaint – saying that Gupta had not resigned as chairman of the Audit Committee of the National Pension Scheme (NPS) Trust.

In a letter to the Returning Officer, Delhi Congress Chief Ajay Maken had said that Narayan Dass Gupta was appointed as the chairman from September 8, 2015 and “Gupta has not resigned from the post till date”.

First, the Congress had alleged that Gupta had been appointed as trustee of the NPS on March 30, 2015. Following the complaint, the Returning Officer had written a letter to Gupta.

In his detailed reply, Gupta referred to various exemptions under the office of profit and also said that he had resigned from the Trust on December 29, 2017.

Three Rajya Sabha vacancies had come up in Delhi due to the end of tenure of Congress members later in January.

AAP is set to win the three seats due to its majority in the Delhi assembly.

The last date of withdrawal of candidature is Monday.

The Trump administration believes that it is time to try something new other than maintaining strategic patience and offering inducements to Pakistan to prevent it becoming a safe haven for terrorists from where they can attack the US and its allies, a senior official said on Monday.

He said the policies followed by the successive US administrations post 9/11 vis- -vis Pakistan have not worked.

The US is committed to not allowing either Pakistan or Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists from where they can attack the US and its allies, said the senior Trump administration official who spoke to a group of reporters on condition of anonymity.

“These sanctuaries really threaten stability in the region and they continue to fuel the overall terrorism problem that we’re facing,” he said.

Noting that the “previous administrations have tried to exercise what they might call strategic patience or offering inducements like Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill which gave billions of dollars to Pakistan”, the official said none of it has worked so far.

Terrorists continue to operate freely inside Pakistan and there is a relationship between terrorist organisations and the establishment, he said.

“This administration believes it’s time to try something different. We simply can’t ignore the sanctuaries if we’re going to make progress in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that “the president has been clear about his commitment to stabilising Afghanistan”.

Last week, the Trump administration suspended approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan, resulting in an outrage from Islamabad.

The Pakistan Foreign Minister, in an interview to The Wall Street Journal, had said that America was no longer an ally of Pakistan.

About President Donald Trump’s comprehensive South Asia strategy for regional diplomacy announced in August last year, the official said, “It looked at India-Pakistan relations, encouraging better ties between the two countries and reducing tensions between them”.

The policy is not about looking at Pakistan through the lens of Afghanistan, but it is about looking at the region and the future of the US, he said.

“9/11 attacks you know had their roots in this region.

We’ve invested a lot of blood and treasure in Afghanistan. We are committed to not allowing the Taliban to dominate Afghanistan and we are committed to not allowing Afghanistan or Pakistan to become a safe haven from which terrorists can attack the US and its allies,” the official said.

“So, I wouldn’t classify it is looking at Pakistan through the Afghanistan lens. I think that’s too narrow of a viewpoint. I think this is about the region and the future of the region. And the fact that these continued sanctuaries really threaten stability in the region and they continue to fuel the overall terrorism problem that we’re facing,” he said.

Former Speaker of the US House of Representative, Newt Gingrich, in an interview to AM970 in New York said that Trump has “shocked the elites” by freezing US aid to Pakistan.

“It has so thoroughly shocked the elites that we actually are going to protect America, and defend America, and that we’re actually going to render judgement,” he said.

“If you kick us in the shin, we’re not going to pay you,” Gingrich said.

The West Bengal unit of the BJP was left red-faced after former TMC MLA Manju Basu turned down the saffron party’s offer to contest the upcoming Noapara assembly bypoll.

The BJP central leadership had announced Basu’s name as the party’s candidate for the byelection yesterday evening.

Hours later, Basu told reporters that she is still with the TMC.

“I am a loyal soldier of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee. I am still with the TMC and have full faith on Mamata Banerjee,” Basu said.

Sources in the BJP said Basu had given a missed call to the party’s toll-free number to get a membership. There was no official announcement on her joining the saffron party.

The two-time TMC MLA from Noapara assembly seat, however, chose to speak little on the matter and said it was her personal decision to decline the BJP’s offer.

“You can have offers from various political parties.

But whether you will accept it or not is a personal decision.”

Basu, known to be a close associate of Mukul Roy during his stint with the TMC, was seen holding regular talks with the BJP in the past few days after being denied a ticket from the seat by the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

A senior BJP leader claimed that Roy, who had joined the saffron party in November last year, had pitched for Basu even as a section of state BJP leadership was not very keen on giving her the ticket.

A visibly-embarrassed BJP tried to put up a brave face yesterday and accused the ruling party of arm-twisting its candidate.

“We were aware that she was being threatened by the TMC. That’s the reason She was forced to backtrack,” BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu said.

The TMC has announced the name of Sunil Singh as its candidate from Noapara.

The Noapara assembly seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MLA Madhusudan Ghose a few months ago.

The bypoll has been scheduled for January 29 and counting of votes will take place on February 1.

Hyderabad Hunters routed Awadhe Warriors 6-(-1) in a Premier Badminton League (PBL) clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here on Sunday.

The men’s doubles pair of Markis Kido and Yoo Yeon Seong beat Or Chin Chung and Tang Chun Man 14-15, 15-6, 15-11 to make it 1-0 for Hyderabad.

South Korean Lee Hyun II made it 2-0 as he ended Parupalli Kashyap’s unbeaten run in the PBL with a 13-15, 15-9, 15-14 victory.

From 8-14 in the final game, Kashyap saved six match points but Lee Hyun held his nerve to take the golden point.

In the second men’s singles match, B. Sai Praneeth stunned Kidambi Srikanth 15-10, 15-10 in Awadhe’s ‘Trump Match’ to give Hyderabad a four-point advantage. Srikanth’s defeat left the Lucknow-based side with a negative total.

Olympic 2016 champion Carolina Marin crushed Olympic 2012 bronze medallist Saina Nehwal 15-5, 15-7 in Hyderabad’s ‘Trump Match’ to make it an unassailable six-point lead.

In the mixed doubles match, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Pia Zebadiah demolished Hendra Setiawan and Christinna Pedersen 15-9, 15-9 to make it one of the worst performances of Awadhe.