AAP makes stunning debut, BJP short of majority in Delhi

December 8, 2013

New Delhi, Dec 8: Newcomer Aam Admi Party today made a stunning debut in electoral politics by winning or leading in 27 of the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi and stopping BJP short of a majority in an election that toppled the three-time Congress Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Following the trends that showed that Congress was facing a rout in the assembly, Dikshit conceded defeat sending her resignation to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and said the party will analyse what went wrong in the election.

As per results and trends, BJP was all set to get around 32 seats while AAP, whose entry in the fight added a third dimension to the otherwise two sided contest, was likely to get around 27 seats.

"We accept our defeat and we will analyse what went wrong. We respect what the people of Delhi have decided and thank them for supporting us for last 15 years," Dikshit told reporters at her residence during a brief appearance after sending her resignation to Jung.

The three-term Chief Minister herself lost to Arvind Kejriwal by a huge margin of 25,864 votes in the New Delhi constituency in a shocking defeat.

A number of Congress heavy-weights including cabinet ministers lost in the election as AAP, born following the civil society movement against corruption by Anna Hazare, made a strong dent into Congress' support base.

BJP's chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan thanked people of Delhi for giving the party the maximum number of seats.

"I am confident that we will be able to serve the people of Delhi," he said, declining to take questions about the formation of next government as the party looked short of majority in the assembly.

Vardhan extended his wishes to Arvind Kejriwal of AAP and the outgoing Chief Minister."I will congratulate Kejriwal on the good show of his party against expectations. I will also offer my thanks to Dikshit for serving Delhi for 15 years," he said.

Vardhan won from the Krishna Nagar constituency with a whopping margin of over 43,150 votes.

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India’s Tougher Pilot Fatigue Rules: Why IndiGo’s Operations Crashed Into Turbulence

News Network

December 6,2025

New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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