Morning Digest | Phase 2 campaign ends on a sour note as PM Modi targets Congress; Pakistan and Iran say ‘Kashmir issue should be resolved through peaceful means’, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on April 25, 2024

As PM Modi targets Congress, phase 2 campaign ends on a sour note

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial speech on the Congress party’s plans to “redistribute wealth” was the highlight of the high-voltage campaign for the second phase of the Lok Sabha election which ended on Wednesday.

A total of 88 seats across 13 States are up for grabs on Friday. All 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, six seats in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Bihar, three seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura, and Jammu and Kashmir would go to polls.

Pakistan and Iran say ‘Kashmir issue should be resolved through peaceful means’

Pakistan and Iran have agreed that the Kashmir issue should be resolved through “peaceful means based on the will of the people” of the region, said a joint statement issued by the two countries after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s maiden visit on April 24.

FIR against BJP’s social media post titled ‘Congress Manifesto or Muslim League Manifesto’

An FIR was registered on April 24 over a social media post by the BJP’s official handle which allegedly sought to promote hatred and enmity between different groups and classes, Election Commission (EC) officials said.