A voter turnout of 17.87 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of the assembly elections in Assam, where the BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in power, while the Congress is striving to reclaim a state it lost a decade ago.

In the first two hours since voting began for bypolls to two Bagalkot and Davanagere South assembly constituencies, the voter turnout stood at 11.87 percent and 9.01 percent, respectively, on Thursday.

India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met senior US officials here and discussed ways to further deepen the defence and trade relations and exchanged views on the developments in the Indo-Pacific and West Asia.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday appealed to all voters to exercise their franchise in the Assembly polls and take the state to new heights.

A total of 135 stranded tourists have been rescued by the Army from North Sikkim, where multiple landslides have snapped road connectivity, officials said on Thursday.

Nearly 20 per cent of 22,382 electors exercised their franchise in Nagaland's Koridang Assembly bypoll in the first two hours of polling on Thursday, officials said.

Karnataka Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre has instructed authorities to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) for trekking safety, intended to serve as a national model.

A poll official was found dead in Assam's Sonitpur district on Thursday amid assembly elections in the state, officials said.

At least 27.83 per cent of voters in Karnataka's Bagalkot, where polling for a by-election is underway, exercised their franchise by 11 am on Thursday.

The Congress on Thursday attacked the Centre over India withdrawing its bid to host the COP33 climate summit in 2028, and said it reflects the Modi government's true commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement both in letter and spirit.

More than 59 per cent of 22,382 electors exercised their franchise in Nagaland's Koridang assembly bypoll till 1 pm on Thursday, officials said.

 Seven people were held in connection with election-related violence at two places in Assam, officials said on Thursday.

At least 43.75 per cent of voters in Karnataka's Bagalkot, where polling for a by-election is underway, exercised their franchise by 1 pm on Thursday.

The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.

A robot carrying a plate of flower petals welcomed voters at a model polling booth set up at VOC government higher secondary school in the Raj Bhavan constituency during the Assembly polls on Thursday.

Assembly polling across Kerala progressed largely peacefully, but protests were reported at several booths on Thursday over allegations of bogus voting.

The Congress will have to face consequences if it doesn't allow NCP president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar to win the Baramati assembly bypoll unopposed, said minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday.

Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday alleged that the proposed amendment to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in the midst of polls in states including Tamil Nadu appeared to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives.

Posters declaring Samrat Choudhary, the deputy CM of Bihar, as the man who would head the new government in the state, were on Thursday put up outside the BJP office in Patna as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar left for Delhi to be sworn in as a Rajya Sabha MP.

The body of a 30-year-old man, identified as Kaushik Belchad of Kaje Paddaibettu, was found near the bridge across River Gurupura, also called River Phalguni, in Panemangalore on Thursday afternoon.

A musician who performed at Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in the city has found himself caught in a legal issue after his official ID card was allegedly misused for black marketing of match tickets.