Rajasthan bypolls: Congress leading in Ajmer, Alwar seats

Agencies

February 1, 2018

Jaipur, Feb 1: The Congress was leading in Ajmer and Alwar parliamentary seats while the BJP was leading in Mandalgarh Assembly seat, according to initial trends in the counting of votes for the bypolls.

The counting began at 8 am today amid tight security.

Sources at the State Election Department said in Alwar, Congress' Karan Singh Yadav was leading by 61,500 votes over BJP's Jaswant Yadav.

In Ajmer, Congress's Raghu Sharma was ahead of BJP's Ram Swaroop Lamba by 3,398 votes, they said.

In Mandalgarh, BJP candidate Shakti Singh Hada was ahead of independent candidate Gopal Malviya by over 3,000 votes. Congress' Vivek Dhakad was trailing, they said.

Chief Election Officer Ashwani Bhagat said the results would be declared before noon.

There was enthusiasm at party offices of both the BJP and the Congress as they were upbeat about the initial trends.

A total of 42 candidates were in the fray for the bypolls to the three seats, the election to which was held on Monday.

The bye-elections on the seats were necessitated after sudden deaths of BJP MP from Ajmer Sanwarlal Jat, MP from Alwar Mahant Chand Nath Yogi and Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari.

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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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