Kejriwal banks on Muslim votes to rein in Modi

Lucknow, Mar 20: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal, who will challenge the BJP 's Narendra Modi in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, could make attempts to project ' himself as a secular alternative ' as he tries to woo Muslim voters, who are in sizable numbers in the holy town, to corner the saffron strongman.

Muslims, who constitute around 2.50 lakh in Varanasi constituency, play a crucial role in determining the electoral outcome. A large number of them are from the traditional weaver community and are engaged in making the world famous Benarasi sarees '.

AAP leaders said that one of the primary objectives behind Kejriwal's decision to challenge Modi from Varanasi was to defeat communal forces '. “We do not indulge in the politics of religion but we are dead against communal elements,” said AAP leader Rauf Kaifi. “So far every so called secular party has only exploited the Muslims for their vested interests...they had been treated as vote banks....we talk about progress....ours is inclusive politics,” Kaifi said.

The AAP would like to make sure that Muslims in Varanasi do not get divided among the secular parties ' this time around.

“The young generation of the Muslims are progressive in their outlook...they want development and the AAP is committed to give them and every citizen just that,” the AAP leader went on to assert. Varanasi 's Muslims would whole heartedly support Kejriwal ' said Kaifi, who quit his managerial position at a Delhi-based business group to join AAP.

AAP sources in Varanasi also echoed similar sentiments. The leaders plan to concentrate on Muslim voters along with others during the campaign.

The strategy assumes more significance after reports that Mukhtar Ansari, a mafia don turned politician, currently lodged in jail in connection with a murder case, was planning to contest from Varanasi. Ansari won 1.85 lakh votes in 2009 to finish second; 17,000 votes behind the BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi.

Incidentally, the venue for Kejriwal's scheduled rally in Varanasi on Tuesday was the historic Beniabagh ground which was situated in the midst of the Muslim locality. Modi had addressed his election rally at a venue, which was around 15 km from the town.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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