Top events on November 20: Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections, stock market shut, Redmi A4 5G launch in India, and more

Top Events Today: On November 20, 2024, several key events will unfold: Maharashtra's elections will see 4,136 candidates competing for 288 seats, while bypolls will be held in 15 assembly seats across multiple states. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the ASEAN Defence meeting in Laos, and the AAP will appoint 1 lakh grassroots-level workers for Delhi polls. Additionally, Mumbai Metro will extend services, Prasar Bharati will launch a streaming platform, and the Delhi court will hear Engineer Rashid's case.

Maharashtra Elections 2024: Government Declares Statewide Holiday

As many as 4,136 candidates are vying for 288 seats in Maharashtra today. The contest is primarily between the Mahayuti alliance and Maha Vikas Aghadi, as 9.7 crore eligible voters head to 1,00,186 polling stations across the state.

Assembly bypolls in 15 Assembly Seat

Bypolls in 15 assembly seats spread across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Uttarakhand will be held on Wednesday, November 20. Bypolls will be held for the Palakkad seat in Kerala and Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. In Punjab, bypolls will be held in four assembly seats – Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala. In Uttar Pradesh, polling will be held in Katehari, Karhal, Meerapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki. Ninety candidates are in the fray in these seats with the maximum of 14 in Ghaziabad.

Second phase of Jharkhand Assembly Elections

Voting is set to begin from 7 AM across 38 assembly seats during the second and final phase of the assembly elections in Jharkhand. Altogether 528 candidates including 472 men, 55 women, and a third gender person, are in the fray. In 2019, JMM bagged 30 seats and the BJP secured 25, down from 37 in 2014. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won a comfortable majority with 47 seats.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh to attend ASEAN, meet China's ministers

Rajnath Singh will visit Vientiane, Lao PDR from November 20-22, 2024, for the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus). He will address regional and international security issues and hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from Australia, China, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, and the USA.

AAP to enroll 1 lakh office bearers at grassroots-level by today

With Delhi Assembly polls approaching, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will appoint one lakh grassroots office bearers by November 20 to oversee election duties across the capital. These booth-level officials will receive their assignments during district conventions held from November 11 to 20. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is also intensifying the campaign with the second phase of his 'padayatra' from Rajouri Garden, while addressing meetings across 14 districts with booth, mandal, and district-level officers in attendance.

CM Stalin to chair DMK meeting for 2026 Assembly polls

The ruling DMK will hold a high-level executive meeting on November 20 to discuss preparations for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. The meeting, chaired by DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the party headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, will be attended by senior leaders, including General Secretary S. Duraimurugan. The DMK has already appointed full-time workers for each of Tamil Nadu's 234 Assembly constituencies, with half of them selected from those who worked on the successful 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, which saw the DMK-led INDIA Bloc win all 39 Tamil Nadu seats and one in Puducherry.

Mumbai Metro Timing Changes for November 20

Metro One (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar) and Maha Mumbai Metro Operations Corporation Ltd (MMMOCL), which runs Metro Lines 2A and 7, have announced extended services on November 20, 2024, for voters and election duty staff. The first trains will depart at 4 am from key stations, with the last trains running at 1 am on November 21, 2024. A total of 19 additional trips will be scheduled, increasing daily services from 243 to 262 trips. Metro One will also operate extended hours, with the first trains from Versova and Ghatkopar at 4 am and the last at 1 am.

The Indian stock market will remain shut today

The stock markets will remain closed for trading on Wednesday, November 20, due to elections in Maharashtra. The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and BSE have announced a trading holiday due to polling across the state, including Mumbai. No trading activities will take place in the equity, Futures & Options (F&O), and Securities Lending and Borrowing (SLB) segments on this day.

Pan-India coastal defence exercise Sea Vigil to be conducted

The fourth edition of the biennial coastal defence exercise titled Sea Vigil-24 will be held on Wednesday and Thursday (November 20 and 21) on the Kerala and Lakshadweep coasts, in order to take stock of 'Maritime Security including Coastal Defence and Offshore Security' in the region.

Prasar Bharati to launch its own streaming service

New Delhi Indian public broadcaster Prasar Bharati is gearing up to launch its own streaming service at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on November 20, its top official said. The streaming platform will be simultaneously released for Android on Play Store, for iOS on App Store, and as a website.

Redmi A4 5G to Launch in India Today

Xiaomi will officially launch the Redmi A4 5G smartphone on November 20 in India. Showcased already during the India Mobile Congress 2024, the upcoming Redmi A4 5G will be priced below ₹10,000 for the mass segment adoption and their transitioning into 5G.

Delhi court to decide Engineer Rashid’s case today

A Delhi court will decide on November 20 whether the alleged terror funding case against jailed Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid should be transferred to the MP/MLA court. Rashid, who surrendered to Tihar jail on October 28 after his interim bail ended, was granted bail in September to campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. His bail was extended until October 28 due to his father's health, with no opposition from the NIA. Rashid has been in Tihar since 2019, arrested under the UAPA in the 2017 terror funding case.

2025 Volkswagen Tiguan To Break Cover Today

Volkswagen has announced that it will debut the US-Spec 2025 Tiguan today. The next-generation mid-size SUV will be unveiled during the 2024 LA Auto Show. The brand has released a teaser image that gives a glimpse of the new Tiguan's taillight. It also reveals that the US-Spec 2025 Tiguan will essentially be the new Tayron SUV sold in Europe.

BTS' Jin to make his solo performance debut on 'The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon'

BTS's Jin is set to make history as the first member to appear solo on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' on November 20th. This appearance comes just days after the release of his debut solo album 'Happy' on November 15th, featuring six tracks including singles 'Running Wild' and 'I'll Be There'.