The 2024 Lok Sabha polls will kick off Friday, with voting for 102 seats spread across 21 states and Union Territories (UTs) in the first of the seven phases of the world’s largest electoral exercise, official sources said, Thursday.

 The Election Commission (EC) Thursday said it has resolved the issue of some Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) showing an extra vote in favour of BJP during a mock poll here and that it has convinced political parties/agents about it.

The Supreme Court Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using EVMs with VVPAT. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta reserved its verdict after hearing the response of Election Commission on the pleas.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Thursday said it has attached assets worth around `98 crore, including a bungalow in Pune and equity shares, of actor Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra as part of a money laundering investigation.

The Capital City here Thursday recorded the highest temperature in the state at 43.6 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Eminent Odia actor, director, and playwright Sachchi Das passed away at a hospital in Cuttack, Thursday. He was 91.

Two young poets – Saqti Mohanty and Hemant Dalapati – have been nominated to receive the prestigious Chandra Kumar Mohanty Kabita Puraskar-2024.

NCB deputy director general (DDG) Sanjay Kumar Singh, who headed an SIT that gave a clean chit to actor Shah Rukh Khan's son in the drugs-on-cruise case, has taken VRS.

On the occasion of World Heritage Day, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday asked people to preserve the richness and diversity of Odisha’s heritage.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has identified 33 highway stretches including in Odisha, cumulatively spanning 2,741 km to monetise during the current financial year through toll operate transfer (TOT) and infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) modes.

A woman from Sadha village under this block in Keonjhar district, whose organs were donated following her death with the written consent of her family members, was given a guard of honour during her funeral Thursday by the district administration.

A 23-yearold Youtuber was arrested for allegedly entering the Kempegowda International Airport here, recording a video and later falsely claiming that he spent an entire day there, police said Thursday.

At least 80 Naxals have been killed and more than 125 arrested while 150 have surrendered in this year so far in Chhattisgarh, where 29 ultras were gunned down two days ago in a fierce encounter with security forces, officials said Thursday.

A Delhi court Thursday deferred a hearing concerning the framing of charges against BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, in an alleged sexual harassment case by six women wrestlers.

A set of probing questionnaires awaits the Lucknow Super Giants on their home turf as Chennai Super Kings’ cerebral bowling unit will look to use its variation to the fullest on a two-paced Ekana Stadium track during their IPL clash here Friday.