Baytoo Shifted To Barmer; Gudamalani, Dhorimana To Balotra

JAISALMER/JAIPUR: In a controversial move, the Rajasthan govt has overnight redrawn the boundaries of the Barmer and Balotra districts, prompting significant administrative shifts and igniting political row over the timing and intent. A revenue department notification dated December 31, which surfaced publicly on the night of January 2, has altered sub-divisions and shifted thousands of voters in a region bordering Pakistan. Under the revised boundaries, the Baytoo sub-division has been transferred from Balotra back to Barmer, while Barmer’s Gudamalani and Dhorimana sub-divisions have been reassigned to Balotra. Following this reorganization, Balotra district now consists of five sub-divisions-Balotra, Sindhari, Siwana, Dhorimana, and Gudamalani-along with nine tehsils and five sub-tehsils. In contrast, Barmer will now include seven sub-divisions-Barmer, Gadra Road, Chohtan, Ramsar, Baytoo, Sedwa, and Sheo-along with eleven tehsils and seven sub-tehsils. The move has drawn attention because it comes just as administrative boundaries have been frozen from Jan 1 due to the Census process, with restrictions continuing until May 2027. Critics allege the govt acted just before the freeze to make the order harder to reverse and to shield it under census-related rules, also linking the reorganisation to future delimitation and electoral calculations. Balotra was carved out of Barmer as a separate district on August 7, 2023, by the previous Congress-led govt. The current BJP-led govt says the latest changes follow fresh recommendations of the Panwar committee, a high-level panel set up to review the 17 new districts and three new divisions created earlier. A revenue department official denied political pressure behind the decision. The notification went viral Friday night, with some initially claiming it appeared edited, before political reactions poured in from both sides. BJP workers celebrated the decision, while Congress members protested and called it anti-people and politically motivated. The boundary shift is expected to affect around 2.5 lakh voters across the impacted tehsils and could reshape local political equations. In Baytoo assembly constituency-Baytoo, Patodi and Gida tehsils-earlier all three were in Balotra; now Baytoo has moved to Barmer while Patodi and Gida remain in Balotra. In Gudamalani assembly-Gudamalani, Dhorimana and Nokhda tehsils-Gudamalani and Dhorimana have moved to Balotra while Nokhda remains with Barmer. Congress MLA Harish Chaudhary, who contests from Baytoo, alleged the tehsils were broken for political purposes and posted a poetic comment on X: “Send me here or send me there. Playing with maps, send me wherever you want. I won’t fear or bow to the changing borders. I stand with my people, send me wherever you want.” Barmer MP Ummeda Ram Beniwal termed the decision a “Tughlaq-like decree,” while former minister Hemaram Chaudhary questioned the practicality of shifting Dhorimana and parts of Gudamalani, saying the changes do not match ground realities or public convenience. He said a peaceful protest is underway in Dhorimana against the state govt’s decision on the Dhorimana and Gudamalani sub-divisions.

NEW DELHI: The New Year evening was streaked with blood with three almost back-to-back stabbings leaving an equal number of people dead in Delhi.Bihari Lal, 50, was fatally attacked by a group of juveniles in northwest Delhi’s Lal Bagh area after he asked them to stop shouting and playing loud music.

A tailor by profession, Lal had just returned home Thursday evening from his job in Shastri Nagar when he confronted the noisy group of revelers. “This led to a heated exchange, during which one of the juveniles stabbed Lal,” a police officer said, adding that one of the boys kicked the victim several times during the fight.Bihari Lal was rushed to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.Police have arrested one juvenile in connection with the killing and recovered the weapon used. A search is ongoing for the others involved in the attack.An FIR was registered at Adarsh Nagar Police Station, with investigators reviewing eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage from the area.Bihari Lal’s family and neighbours alleged that the group involved was notorious for causing disturbances in the locality. “He had just returned from duty and was parking his cycle when they came and started abusing everyone, throwing buckets, boxes and people’s belongings. Bihari Lal only told them not to use abusive language and shout, as there were women and children around. That was all he said,” Dimple, a neighbour, recounted. Pushpa, a relative, alleged that the group had been terrorising residents for some time. “They keep throwing bottles, stones and sticks, and nobody does anything. We complained earlier, but no action was taken. The police never did anything,” she said. Pushpa said four boys were involved in the attack and “they stabbed him three times.” Hours later, in outer Delhi’s Mangolpuri, an e-rickshaw driver, Vikas, was stabbed during a fight.Police said Vikas and his friend Sandeep, a 20-year-old daily-wage labourer, were sitting together when a group of youths initiated the altercation. “During the altercation, one of the accused stabbed Vikas, causing fatal injuries. Sandeep also suffered a minor lacerated wound,” an officer said.Both were rushed to a nearby hospital, where Vikas was declared dead.Police said preliminary investigations revealed bad blood between the victims and the attackers.All six accused, including four juveniles, have been apprehended, police added.On the same evening, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death in nearby Sultanpuri.Police said they were informed around 11:30 pm that a group of men had attacked the minor with a knife. “A police team rushed to the spot and found the injured boy lying on the road with multiple stab wounds,” an officer said.The victim, whose identity was not disclosed, was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.Police arrested Vikram, around 30, with a history of crime, for allegedly killing the boy.During questioning, Vikram, who has six prior convictions, revealed that two others were with him during the stabbing. Authorities are searching for them.The boy’s mother alleged that her son had been threatened multiple times by the attackers, but police had taken no action. “My son had gone out only to get some juice when a few people started abusing him, and a fight broke out. I ran downstairs from my sister’s house and begged them not to harm my son. Instead, they took out a knife and attacked me. I somehow ran into a shop, where I saw my son being stabbed in front of my eyes,” the boy’s mother, Bali, said. She said that the accused had earlier also entered her house armed with weapons. “I informed the police, but no action was taken.” The boy was her only son.Police said the motive for the killing is yet to be ascertained.(With agency inputs)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally announced the ODI squad of the India National Cricket Team for the upcoming series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team on Saturday, January 3.

Ajit Agarkar & Co. met in Mumbai for the selection meeting and took some bold decisions while naming the India ODI squad for the three-match series against the Kiwis.

India vs New Zealand ODI series schedule

The New Zealand tour of India 2026 consists of a three-match T20I series and a five-match ODI series. India and New Zealand will start the series with 50-over matches and end it with the 20-over games, which will help them prepare for the T20 World Cup 2026.

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The BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara, will host the ODI series opener on Sunday, January 11, and the second 50-over game will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Khandheri, Rajkot, on Wednesday, January 14.

Meanwhile, the ODI series will conclude with the match at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 18.

This will be the first ODI series between the Men in Blue and the Kiwis since 2023 when the hosts beat the BlackCaps by 12 runs, 8 wickets and 90 runs across Hyderabad, Raipur and Indore to register a 3-0 whitewash.

Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant’s fate sealed as ODI squad announced

Shubman Gill has achieved full fitness and has been named as India’s captain for the ODI series against the Kiwis. His deputy, Shreyas Iyer, is also only a path to recovery and has been named in the line-up, but his availability is subject to fitness.

Iyer’s inclusion in the squad meant that Ruturaj Gaikwad, who smashed a century in his last ODI, had to be dropped, while Yashasvi Jaiswal has retained his place.

Rishabh Pant has also been retained despite heavy rumours about his ODI axing, and there is no place in the squad for the likes of Dhruv Jurel and Ishan Kishan.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been given a rest from the ODI series to manage his workload, and a similar case is with Jasprit Bumrah. A major name missing from the squad is Mohammed Shami, who has once again been snubbed despite his sensational performances in domestic cricket.

“Note: *Shreyas Iyer’s availability is subject to fitness clearance from BCCI COE,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.

“Hardik Pandya has not been cleared by the BCCI COE to bowl 10 overs in a match, and considering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to follow, his workload is being managed,” BCCI stated.

India’s ODI squad vs NZ:

Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC)*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal

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