FirstUp: Modi-Mamata meet, Congress kicks off 'UP Jodo Yatra'.... today's top stories

It’s Wednesday.And it’s going to be a big day for news.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will meet in New Delhi.Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court will hear arguments on an ED chargesheet against arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.The Congress is set to kick off its ‘UP Jodo Yatra’ from today.In the Congo, millions of citizens are set to vote in the much-anticipated polls.Let’s take a look at today’s big-ticket items:Modi-Mamata meetWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today.This, after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) agreed to Banerjee's request for an appointment with Modi.

Banerjee will seek the release of financial dues to the state, a top official said.

The meeting will occur around 11 am.The meeting comes a day after Mamata attended the meet of the INDIA bloc meeting on Tuesday.Mamata and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's name as the opposition INDIA bloc's PM candidate during the meet.Congress’ 'UP Jodo Yatra'The Congress is set to begin its ‘UP Jodo Yatra’ today.The yatra comes more than a year after the grand old party launched its ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in September 2022 and in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.That yatra was led by a whole host of Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi.[caption id="attachment_13458352" align="alignnone" width="640"] Rahul Gandhi had led the Bharat Jodo Yatra.[/caption]The UP Jodo Yatra, which will kick off from Saharanapur, is likely to see party bigwigs including Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi, and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge participating, as per The Times of India.It will also likely witness some members of the INDIA block participating.The yatra is slated to cover 15 parliamentary seats across 10 UP districts, as per The Times of India.As per The Hindu, the party is expected to reach out to Muslims in a major way during the yatra.Delhi HC hears ED pleaThe Delhi High Court is set to hear arguments on an ED chargesheet against arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and others as part of a money laundering investigation.

Bhandari, an alleged middleman, is currently based in the UK.

The ED filed its first charge sheet against Bhandari in 2020.Bhandari is stated by the ED to have “absconded” to the UK in 2016 and he has been declared a proclaimed offender by a special PMLA court in the money laundering case linked to possession of alleged undisclosed assets abroad.The UK government approved Bhandari’s extradition to India in January – acting on the legal request made by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation which are probing charges of money laundering and tax evasion against Bhandari for holding alleged undisclosed assets abroad.The ED filed a criminal case of money laundering against him and others in February 2017, taking cognisance of an Income Tax Department charge sheet filed against him under the anti-black money law of 2015.His alleged links with Robert Vadra, the businessman husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are also under the scanner of the ED.Congo pollsCongo is set to go to the polls today.Around 44 million people — almost half the country’s population — are expected to vote for Congo’s next president.

This is its fourth election since civil and regional wars ended in the early 2000s.

Locals and experts say the election is facing enormous logistical problems sparking concern it could impact its credibility.Thousands of polling stations might not have the materials they need upping the chances of contested results.[caption id="attachment_13515652" align="alignnone" width="640"] Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, center, flanked by his wife Denise Nyakeru, greets supporters at a rally in Goma, Eastern Congo, on 10 December, 2023. AP File[/caption]While initial fears of unrest surrounding the elections stemmed from the Opposition rejecting the vote because of it being too close, now there are worries it won’t accept the results due to the chaos surrounding them, said Richard Moncrieff, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.“There could be suspicions of fraud, it could cause delays and there could be frustration with people trying to vote, all which could give huge amounts of ammunition to the opposition who could use that to reject the outcome,” he said.On this day…In 2015, the late Queen Elizabeth II became the UK’s longest-reigning monarch.She surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months.Elizabeth, who passed away on 8 September 2022, sat on the British throne for 70 years.In 2016, Elizabeth also became the longest-reigning monarch in the world with the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.In 2022, she became the second-longest-reigning monarch in world history, behind 17th Century French King Louis XIV, who took the throne at age four.Apart from Elizabeth and Victoria, only four other monarchs in British history have reigned for 50 years or more: George III (59 years), Henry III (56 years), Edward III (50 years) and James VI of Scotland (58 years.)With inputs from agencies