A cold wave is intensifying across North India, including Delhi-NCR, as temperatures dip following light rain in the plains and snowfall in the mountains. Delhi is grappling with a double threat of pollution and plummeting temperatures, while cold wave and fog conditions persist in Punjab and Haryana. Snowfall and cold wave alerts have been issued for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, with rising cold also being felt in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, with a thin layer of fog enveloping parts of the national capital. On Monday, the minimum temperature stood at 8 degrees Celsius, while the maximum reached 20 degrees Celsius.

Residents of the national capital were seen gathering bonfires to combat the chill, while others took refuge in night shelter homes as temperatures continued to drop in Delhi.

In Rajasthan, the cold weather persisted, significantly impacting daily life due to the falling temperatures. In Bikaner, the temperature was recorded at 9 degrees Celsius, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

Cold wave continues to affect the daily life of the people in Jammu and Kashmir, with temperatures dropping below zero in many areas. Srinagar recorded a temperature of -5.2 degrees Celsius at 5:30 am on Tuesday. Other recorded temperatures included -0.6 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg, – 6.8 degrees Celsius in Pahalgam, – 0.8 degrees Celsius in Banihal and – 4.6 degrees Celsius in Kupwara.

On Monday, Srinagar experienced a minimum temperature of -7 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of 7 degrees Celsius, as reported by the IMD.

As per the IMD, a cold wave is considered when the minimum temperature of a station is 10 degrees Celsius or less for plains and 0 degrees Celsius or less for Hilly regions.

The IMD forecasts a severe cold wave in Jammu and Kashmir starting from December 24. Additionally, dense fog conditions and a cold wave are expected to prevail from December 23 to 25 in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and other states.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital was classified in the ‘severe’ category on Tuesday, with visibility limited by the fog. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI was recorded at 401 at 8 AM. On the previous day, the AQI also fell into the ‘severe’ category, measuring 403 at 7 AM.

Specific AQI readings included 417 in Alipur, 423 in Anand Vihar, 425 in RK Puram, and 402 at ITO.

An AQI rating is categorized as follows: 0-50 (good), 51-100 (satisfactory), 101-200 (moderate), 201-300 (poor), 301-400 (very poor), and 401-500 (severe).

(With inputs from ANI)

Tonk, Rajasthan:

Congress leader Sachin Pilot exuded confidence in the names announced by the party for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and said that those who have a good chance of winning have been given the opportunity.

After 10 Congress candidates were announced in Rajasthan’s second list, Sachin Pilot said that candidates who can win have been fielded from the state after a careful study by the All India Congress Committee.

Mr Pilot stressed the Congress’ optimism for the upcoming elections, citing instances of sitting Lok Sabha MPs from Haryana and Rajasthan leaving the BJP to join Congress. He mentioned that the main contest, especially in north India, will be between Congress and BJP.

“A sitting Lok Sabha MP in Haryana left BJP and joined Congress. In Rajasthan too, a sitting Lok Sabha MP left the BJP and joined Congress. So, sitting MLAs and MPs are coming to us. Former legislators are going to the BJP. People should understand this. People who are accepting the Congress ideology and expressing trust in our leadership are being welcomed and given an opportunity. I am happy that the party has given opportunity to people on the basis of their performance and commitment to the party. I have visited several states, and a good atmosphere for the INDIA bloc is forming,” he said.

On Rajasthan MP Rahul Kaswan jumping ship and joining the Congress ahead of elections, Mr Pilot said it is a good thing that current BJP MPs have joined the party after considering its long history and ideology.

Criticising the BJP, Mr Pilot said, “The BJP talks about crossing 300 or 400 seats. But if they are so confident, why do they need to bring opposition members into their party and contest elections?” They say one thing but their actions suggest otherwise, he said, adding, “If they are so confident, then why the need to bring our former ministers, former MPs, and MLAs into their party?”

Asked about former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son being given a ticket from Jalore-Sirohi despite losing the previous election from Jodhpur in 2019, Mr Pilot said, “In politics, defeats and victories continue. Whatever ticket distribution has happened, it has been done by the central leadership of the Congress. The party has looked at the region and also considered the demand of the public. Whoever contests from wherever will contest with strength. The entire party will unite and fight together,” he said.

The Congress on Tuesday announced the second list of 43 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in which some prominent names including Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath, Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi have been mentioned.

Among the 10 names announced from Rajasthan, Rahul Kaswan who joined Congress after quitting BJP has been fielded from Rajasthan’s Churu, Brijendra Ola from Jhunjunu, Lalit Yadav from Alwar, Sanjana Jatav from Bharatpur, Harish Chandra Meena from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Karan Singh Uchiyarda from Jodhpur.

Vaibhav Gehlot, the son of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, has been fielded from the Jalore seat. The party has fielded Tarachand Meena from Udaipur and Udaylal Ajana from Chittorgarh.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)