Election 2014 is significant for Maharashtra for a number of reasons. It is the first Lok Sabha election after the death of Bal Thackeray and many see it as a decider for the question: who is the true inheritor of the Shiv Sena founder's legacy — son Uddhav or nephew Raj? Second, this election marks the debut of the newbie Aam Aadmi Party in the state, which could upset equations for the main players. Third, the poll outcome may well decide whether the Congress-NCP combine stays together after sharing power for 15 years.

SRINAGAR: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba infiltrators were killed along a junior commissioned officer (JCO) and two policemen in an armed encounter at Chowkibal in Jammu & Kashmir's Kupwara district on Tuesday.

JAYAL (NAGAUR): BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi came down heavily on Sonia Gandhi and Rahul at his first political rally in the state ahead of the forthcoming general elections. The Congress had failed to fulfill its promises of curbing inflation, generating employment or providing electricity, he said.

NEW DELHI: Imitation is the best form of flattery and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has more than its share of clones. In the months before the Delhi assembly elections, splinter groups from AAP formed political outfits like Gareeb Aadmi Party (GAP) and Bharatiya Aam Aadmi Party (BAAP). Now this has spread across the country to states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.

LUCKNOW: The AAP suffered a jolt on Tuesday with its candidate Justice (retd) Fakhruddin withdrawing from the electoral fray in Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency where Congress president Sonia Gandhi is a candidate.

NEW YORK: Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi has declined to provide a copy of her passport to a US court, saying that government of India had denied her permission to do so.

SRINAGAR: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and two terrorists were killed, while four policemen were injured in an encounter between security forces and ultras in Kralpora area of Kupwara district.

NEW DELHI/GHAZIABAD: Film actor Jaaved Jaaferi will be the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) candidate in Lucknow against BJP chief Rajnath Singh as the party on Monday announced its 13th list of candidates for 22 Lok Sabha constituencies.

SHIMLA: Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided to contest all four seats in Himachal Pradesh. Having already fielded candidates from Kangra and Hamirpur parliamentary seats, AAP will announce candidates for remaining Mandi and Shimla seats shortly as names are already under consideration, thus making the contest triangular in all four seats.

AGRA: Following the footprints of senior leaders Jaswant Singh and Lalmuni Chaubey, BJP leader from Fatehpur Sikri, Udaybhaan Singh is preparing to contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate. Singh, a two-time MLA from Sikri, is allegedly upset about Chaudhary Babulal being given the party's ticket from the seat.