Rahul Gandhi, a key leader of the main opposition party the Indian National Congress, will stand for elections from the family bastion of Raebareli after his mother Sonia Gandhi quit electoral politics.
Mr Gandhi, 53, has already been contesting the seat to Lok Sabha, the upper house of parliament, from Wayanad constituency in southern Kerala state in India's elections.
India, the world’s largest democracy, allows all eligible citizens to stand for election as independent candidates or with a political party.
Mr Gandhi is seen as the main challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh has been a stronghold of the grand old party.
Mr Gandhi’s mother and former Congress President Sonia Gandhi represented the seat from 2004 to 2024 before she vacated it in February and moved to Rajya Sabha, the upper house.
The constituency will go to the polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.
The leader was expected to file a second nomination from neighbouring Amethi, a seat he held from 2004 to 2019 before he was defeated by Smriti Irani, the BJP leader and Minister of Women and Child Development.
Mr Gandhi’s centre-left party, which was formed before Indian independence and has given the country three prime ministers, had ruled for a decade until Mr Modi’s BJP stormed to power in 2014.
It has promised higher basic wages, job guarantees, affirmative action for castes and to uphold religious and personal freedom.
The first phase of elections took place on April 19 while the third phase is scheduled for May 7.
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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