New Delhi, May 2 (PTI) These are the top stories from the northern region at 8.45 pm

These are the top stories from the northern region at 8.45 pm LUCKNOW ELN17 UP-LD MAYAWATI Lucknow: Hitting out at both the BJP and the Congress, BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday accused the two national parties of having a tacit understanding in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls and unitedly working against the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh. JAIPUR ELN35 RJ-LD RAHUL Jaipur: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said his party’s government will not work for a handful of top businessmen, calling the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “masters”.

RAE BARELI ELN15 UP-PRIYANKA-SNAKE Rae Bareli (UP): Far from the rough and tumble of hectic electioneering, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday met snake charmers in Raebareli constituency of Uttar Pradesh and boldly held a reptile, saying "it's fine". NEW DELHI ELN21 PRIYANKA-LD INTERVIEW Amethi/Rae Bareli (UP): True nationalism means love of the people and for the country but the BJP mirrors neither love nor respect in anything it does, says Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

LUCKNOW ELX1 UP-POLL MALKHAN Lucknow: His name used to send shivers down the spine in ravines of Chambal in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in the seventies. GORAKHPUR ELN32 UP-RAVI KISHAN Gorakhpur: Bhojpuri film star Ravi Kishan, the BJP candidate from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur parliamentary constituency, has said that contesting the 2014 general election on a Congress ticket was a mistake and that the saffron party is his last destination. FAIZABAD ELX4 UP-CONG-KHATRI-INTERVIEW Faizabad (UP): Senior Uttar Pradesh Congress leader and Faizabad candidate Nirmal Khatri on Thursday claimed that the Ayodhya dispute was no longer an election plank in the Lok Sabha election and said the BJP was distancing itself from the issue.

CHANDIGARH ELX11 PB-TEWARI-COMPLAINT Chandigarh: Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, seeking action against those indulging in "false and malicious" propaganda against him and his family on social media. GURDASPUR ELX8 PB-DEOL-CAMPAIGN Gurdaspur: Actor Sunny Deol, the BJP candidate from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat, Thursday offered prayers at the Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak here before hitting the campaign trail.

NEW DELHI DES4 DL-KEJRIWAL-SON-RESULT New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's son Pulkit Kejriwal has secured 96.4 per cent in the CBSE Class 12 exam, results of which were announced Thursday. NEW DELHI ELX7 DL-SEX WORKERS-ELECTIONS New Delhi: Hope battles cynicism every hour in the grimy corridors of Delhi's red light area where scores of women eke out a tenuous existence as sex workers, alternating between despair at a political system deaf to their demands and yearning to be heard in the great election bazaar of 2019.

NEW DELHI ELN28 DL-CONG-CAMPAIGN New Delhi: The Congress's campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in Delhi will reach its climax in the coming days with party president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressing rallies and taking part in roadshows. NEW DELHI ELX15DL-DIGVIJAY CHAUTALA-INTERVIEW New Delhi: Digvijay Chautala, JJP candidate from the Jat-dominated Sonipat Lok Sabha constituency, says his party will fight for change and only a party with a progressive mindset will rule the country.

NEW DELHI ELX3 DL-SMALL PARTIES New Delhi: The three biggies, BJP, Congress and AAP, might be occupying ad space and mind space as campaigning for Delhi's Lok Sabha elections gathers pace but a host of smaller parties have also put their hats in the poll ring -- not to win maybe but just to make people aware that alternatives can exist. NEW DELHI DEL28 CBSE-LD TOPPERS New Delhi: Ghaziabad's Hansika Shukla, who has topped the CBSE class 12 examination with 499 marks has only one regret--scoring 99 in English.

KAUSHAMBI ELX28 UP-AKHILESH-MODI Kaushambi (UP): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the "chaiwala" has betrayed people by going back on his promises. RISHIKESH DES20 UKD-AIIMS-HARASSMENT Rishikesh (U'kd): A junior resident expelled from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh has accused its director of sexually harassing her, a charge rubbished by him as a desperate attempt to damage his reputation. PTI ASH ASH.