EC issues notification for January 28 Jind bypoll

Chandigarh: The EC set the ball rolling for the Jind Assembly bypoll, scheduled for January 28, by issuing a formal notification on Thursday. Nomination papers can be filed till January 10, while scrutiny of papers will be held on January 11. Candidates can withdraw their papers till January 14. Counting of votes will take place on January 31.  TNS

Soldier from HP killed in Poonch avalanche 

Jammu: An avalanche hit the Mukhiar post of 40 Rashtriya Rifles in Saujiyan sector along the LoC in Poonch district on Wednesday evening, killing Lance Naik Sapan Mehra of Kangra. Sepoy Harpreet Singh, who belongs to Punjab, was injured. The area receives heavy snowfall every winter. The 744-km-long Line of Control with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) continues to be volatile with Pakistan regularly violating the ceasefire agreement and pushing militants into India. TNS

Dakha legislator Phoolka quits Aam Aadmi Party

Chandigarh: Dakha legislator HS Phoolka has resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party with immediate effect. There was speculation that he may join the BJP. Taking to Twitter, he said he would reveal the reasons for his resignation as well as his future plans at a press conference in Delhi on Friday. Appointed Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Phoolka had resigned from the post, saying he needed to focus on the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases. TNS