LIVE news update: Chartered flights carry money for voters says Mamata Banerjee 

Alleging chartered flights and special helicopters were used by VIPs to carry money for "purchasing voters", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to stop any such attempts during the Lok Sabha poll campaign.

She also requested the poll panel to remove hoardings and posters put up by the Bharatiya Janata Party with armed force personnel's photographs, and ensure withdrawal of Narendra Modi government's advertisements still being screened in cinema halls even after the poll notification and the model code of conduct coming into effect

A day after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the choice before voters in the general elections would be either "Modi or chaos", senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday hit back saying "Modi is chaos".

Jaitley, in a blog, had said Monday the 'Mahagathbandhan' is a self-destructive 'coalition of rivals' and the choice before voters in the general elections would be either "Modi or chaos".

Hitting back at Jaitley, Sibal tweeted: "A Minister on possible outcome of 2019: It's Modi or chaos. Forgetting that Modi is chaos." "Most Obsessive Divisive Individual," Sibal wrote in his tweet in an apparent reference to Modi.

A group of Brexit-supporting MPs asked by their colleagues to examine changes to Britain's EU divorce deal recommended that parliament reject it in a vote on Tuesday.

"In the light of our own legal analysis and others we do not recommend accepting the government's motion today," Conservative MP Bill Cash said on behalf of the group.

They include one lawyer, six Conservative MPs plus Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Centre and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to file response to a plea by the producer of the Bollywood movie "#MeToo" challenging the censor board order asking him to change the name of the film.

The plea, filed by producer Sajid Iqbal Qureshi, sought that the CBFC's November 12, 2018 order be set aside.

Qureshi's counsel Shilpi Jain told Justice Vibhu Bakhru he CBFC has not given proper hearing to film producer and ordered modification of the title of the movie "#MeToo"

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday to elect those leaders in the upcoming general election who would ensure that their voice was heard in Parliament.

"Now that the trumpet of the Lok Sabha polls has been blown, the NC is all geared up. The people of the state want a credible voice to represent their aspirations in the topmost House of the country. Our party is the only credible voice of all the regions of Jammu and Kashmir," Abdullah said, while interacting with party workers from various parts of the valley.

The Lok Sabha member from Srinagar hit out at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying it had unleashed "countless miseries" on the people of the state

West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday declared its list of Lok Sabha poll candidates, dropping 10 sitting MPs, nominating some turncoats and giving 41% representation to women, including a number of Bengali screen celebrities like Mimi Chakraborty and Nusrat Jahan.

Announcing the candidates, Trinamool supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Harvard University professor and eminent historian Sugato Bose - who had earned many plaudits for his speeches during his first stint in parliament - has opted out of the contest as "he did not get permission from his university".

A day after the model code of conduct came into force, police Tuesday seized ₹90 lakh in unaccounted cash from four persons in four different areas here.

They were nabbed and the cash seized during vehicle checks as part of the implementation of the model code of conduct for the coming elections, an official release The police appealed to the public carrying cash while traveling to carry relevant documents since the model code was in force

Regular vehicle checks would be conducted and strict surveillance maintained to check illegal cash flow, it added

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a blog post to mark the 89th anniversary of the Dandi March, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel Tuesday said some people are writing blogs in Mahatma Gandhi's name for "political advantage".

In the blog post, Modi said Mahatma Gandhi "taught us to think of the plight of the poorest person" and "we have seen and thought about how our work impacts that person." The prime minister targeted the Congress and said the "anti-thesis" of Gandhian thought is the opposition party's culture.

The threat of further escalation between India and Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack is over, an internal assessment of the Pakistan government has concluded.

The assessment was shared by a senior official on Monday in a background briefing on the current state of relations between the two neighbouring countries.

"There is a visible de-escalation in tension," the official said.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday will begin the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu from Nagercoil.

Leaders of Congress allies including DMK President M.K. Stalin and others will share the dais with Gandhi at Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district.

Seeking to downplay global pressure on Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Tuesday told his German counterpart Heiko Maas that Islamabad was acting against terror groups under a national plan formulated after a horrific terror attack in Peshawar in 2014.

Qureshi's statement comes at a time when the international community, especially the US, alarmed by the India-Pakistan tensions after the Pulwama terror attack, is pressing Pakistan to take "sustained and irreversible" actions against all terror groups operating on its soil with impunity.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday expressed his confidence that Patidar leader Hardik Patel will not only contest the Lok Sabha polls but also win, soon after the youngster embraced the grand old party and set at rest speculations about his political affiliations.

"Hardik jeetega (will win)," Rahul snapped back at a question if Patel would contest the elections on Congress ticket. The Gandhi scion was speaking to reporters at the Ahmedabad airport after attending the party's working committee meeting here.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission (EC) to furnish the data on addition and deletion of voters from Assam electoral rolls, revised in January 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The electoral rolls are revised every year in January

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's name was not on the list of 687 candidates elected to the regime's Parliament in Sunday's election, the state media announced on Tuesday, although his sister was voted into the rubber-stamp Parliament.

North Korea's parliamentary election is used by Pyongyang to legitimise its rule, but is condemned internationally as a meaningless exercise. Each voting slip has only one state-approved candidate on it.

A day after the poll authority here gagged parties from raising the Sabarimala issue in the run up to the elections, a political slugfest appeared to loom over Kerala's political horizon with the BJP and Congress opposing the move and ruling CPI(M) backing it.

Senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan, who arrived here Monday to a rousing reception after resigning as Mizoram Governor, said the matter was about beliefs and added that the BJP would approach the Chief Election Commissioner on this issue.

"The directive not to use the Sabarimala issue during the time of elections is baseless

The Congress on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "cynically exploiting national security to hide his colossal failures" and resolved at its CWC meet to defeat the "RSS and BJP's ideology of fascism, hatred and divisiveness", saying it would not let Modi divert the country from real issues in the guise of nationalism.

The meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body held in Modi's home state Gujarat for the first time in 60 years, was attended by top party leaders including President Rahul Gandhi, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and newly appointed General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi among others.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued guidelines for setting up of Centre for Women Studies in universities and colleges and has sought proposals.

According to a senior UGC official, "Women studies centres will have special focus on most marginalised and disadvantaged women in the society. These include women from Schedule Caste and Tribes, women with disabilities, women living in unsafe environments, among others."

"A women study centre must pursue a comprehensive, critical and balanced understanding of India's socio-economic realities and governance. Its main components include women's contribution to society and social processes and their perception of their own lives, the broader social reality and their struggles and aspirations," the official said.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to explain in two weeks why it has not set up a permanent mechanism to monitor the undue accretion of assets by elected representatives as directed by it last year.

On Feb 16 last year, the apex court had said the undue accretion of assets by lawmakers was a "sure indicator" of the beginning of a failing democracy, which if left unattended, would lead to the destruction of democracy and pave way for "rule of mafia".

It had then asked for a permanent mechanism to monitor the undue accretion of wealth by lawmakers.

A Bishop of a Catholic diocese in Kerala has urged its priests not to take any political position favouring any sides in the Lok Sabha election, saying 'it will harm us all."

In a circular issued to priests of the Idukki diocese, Bishop Mar John Nellikkunnel said taking sides in the election "will harm us all".

The European Union expanded its tax haven blacklist by 10 countries on Tuesday, adding the United Arab Emirates and Bermuda despite the objections of powerful member states such as Italy.

The list, now 15 countries long, was first drawn up in 2017 in the wake of several scandals, including Panama Papers and LuxLeaks, that pushed the EU into doing more to fight tax evasion by multinationals and the rich. (AFP) SCY

Tightening the screws on a gang that allegedly sexually harassed and blackmailed a 19-year-old woman, police Tuesday transferred the case for probe by Crime Branch-CID and slapped Goondas Act on four of the accused.

The harassment case saw the ruling AIADMK pushed onto the back foot as one of its local functionaries allegedly attacked the victim's brother triggering an outrage with opposition parties latching on to it ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The AIADMK subsequently expelled the functionary who was later arrested in the assault case.

At least 12 people, including three soldiers, have been killed in clashes between government forces and militants in southern Philippines in the past two days, the military said on Tuesday.

Major General Cirilito Sobejana, Commander of a military task force in central Mindanao, said fierce fighting erupted on Monday in a village near the municipality of Shariff Saydona Mustapha in Maguindanao province

Training its guns on India's NSA, the Congress on Tuesday cited a 2010 interview of Ajit Doval to claim that he blamed the BJP government for JeM chief Masood Azhar's release in the IC-814 hijacking episode while Rahul Gandhi alleged that he "escorted" the terrorist to Kandahar in a special aircraft.

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala quoted Doval as saying in an interview to a think-tank that Azhar did know how to fabricate an IED and that he was not a marksman. Training its guns on India's NSA, the Congress on Tuesday cited a 2010 interview of Ajit Doval to claim that he blamed the BJP government for JeM chief Masood Azhar's release in the IC-814 hijacking episode while Rahul Gandhi alleged that he "escorted" the terrorist to Kandahar in a special aircraft.

The Congress spokesperson said Doval also saluted the real "nationalistic policy" of the Congress-UPA to tackle terror. The Manmohan Singh government came out with a categorical policy on hijacking, stating that there would be no concession and no talks in such cases, Surjewala added.

Delhi University has asked students to desist from playing Holi in a rowdy manner with wet colours, balloons or pistons in any of its educational institution and decided to set up control rooms in north and south campus to receive complaints from students during the festival.

The university in its advisory said anti-ragging and anti-eve-teasing provisions would be applied in case students are harassed during the festival, which falls on March 21.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not contest in the upcoming general elections.

Manmohan Singh was "never in reckoning for candidature as he had made it clear that he was not interested in contesting elections", Amarinder Singh told the media here

There were speculations that the former Prime Minister would be fielded as the Congress candidate from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Gandhinagar, Gujarat said, “The result (of Lok Sabha Elections 2019) will be very good in Gujarat as well as at the national level. There is anger among people. Government has failed completely in providing employment to the youth of the country.”

Former Bihar Minister Manju Verma has been granted bail by Patna High Court in connection with Arms Act case linked to Muzaffarpur Shelter Home Case. She was lodged in jail since 20 November 2018.

The CPI and CPI(M) on Tuesday struck an electoral understanding in respect of four Lok Sabha seats in Telangana going to the polls on April 11, a senior CPI(M) leader said.

Accordingly, the CPI would contest Mahabubabad and Bhuvanagiri seats, and the CPI-M Khammam and Nalgonda, said CPI(M) state secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram.

Telangana has a total of 17 Lok Sabha segments.

Power discom BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) has commissioned four solar microgrids with storage batteries in east Delhi which will help in reduction of carbon footprint and provide backup power in case of outages.

Such solar microgrids will also be rolled out in south and west Delhi areas covered by BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BYPL), a BSES spokesperson said.

In east Delhi locations, BYPL has installed rooftop solar plants varying between 5 KW and 7 KW and energy battery storage between 7kWhr and 10 kWhr. The microgrids combine these solar plants with storage batteries, he said.

Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh when asked if there will be an alliance with AAP in Punjab said, “Nothing at all. We have no alliance with Kejriwal or with anybody. We will contest on our own and win.”

Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, “Masood Azhar’s Jaish-e-Mohammed planned Pulwama terror attack. I want to ask Narendra Modi who released Masood Azhar during Kandahar hijacking.”

“Masood Azhar was sent in special aircraft and NSA Ajit Doval accompanied him.”

Narendra Modi removed the CBI director (Alok Verma) within hours because he was going to probe the Rafale deal says Rahul Gandhi.

Referring to the Rafale deal, Rahul Gandhi said, "Modi praises the airforce but Modi never tells that all the money is stolen from their pockets and put into bigger companies."

Rahul Gandhi said, “Within two days Congress party waived of farm loan in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states and we are committed to do that everywhere. Gujarat's innovative spirit where small businesses are the backbone of its success, PM Modi eradicated that in a day.”

All institutions in India are under attack. Unemployment is highest in 45 years, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi said, “There are two different ideologies in this country, on one hand, there is Gandhiji who built this nation, but on the other hand there are forces trying to ruin this country.”

“After years, CWC meeting has taken place in Gujarat. We conducted the meeting here, because there's fight between two ideologies in the country and in Gujarat you will find both the ideologies.”

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday targeted the Modi government, adding she was saddened by what was happening in the country.

She was addressing her first political rally in Gujarat after assuming charge as Congress general secretary.

Priyanka said the Modi government did not fulfil its promises of providing jobs to crores of people in the country.

The Congress held a rally in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state to sound its poll bugle for the crucial Lok Sabha elections.

Priyanka Gandhi said, “Issues which should be raised must comprise as to what is most important for you and how can you move forward. How will youth get jobs, how will women feel safe, what will be done for farmers. These are the issues for elections.”

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress in Gandhinagar, Gujarat said, “This country is made on the foundations of love, harmony and brotherhood. Today whatever is happening in the country is very sad.”

Priyanka Gandhi said, 'Whatever is happening in the country today, makes one sad... your vote is a weapon, but let's not use it to harm others. Let's use this weapon to make us stronger.

Mamata Banerjee announcing TMC candidate list, says six sitting MPs won't contest 2019 polls, they will work for organisation. 41% nominees in our list of candidates will be women

Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to address public meeting in Gandhinagar, Gujarat shortly.

Hundreds of Tibetan activists, who took out a protest march as part of the 60th anniversary of their National Uprising Day were detained by the Delhi Police, officials said on Tuesday.

Around 200-300 Tibetan protesters took out the march around 10 AM from Teen Murti Marg and were headed towards the Chinese Embassy.

They were detained at around 11.30 from near Chanakyapuri police station, a senior police officer said.

Tibetan Uprising Day is observed on March 10 to commemorate the 1959 Tibetan uprising against the presence of the People's Republic of China in Tibet.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who shot to fame by spearheading a quota stir in Gujarat, today joined the Congress in the presence of Rahul Gandhi during the party's Working Committee meet in Ahmedabad.

Patel had made his intention to contest Lok Sabha elections from Gujarat's Jamnagar constituency last week. The Jamnagar Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by Poonamben Maadam of the BJP.

The members of the Congress Working Committee observed a minute of silence to pay respect to the CRPF personnel killed in the Pulwama terror attack on February 14. The CWC has resolved to “defeat the RSS/BJP ideology of fascism, hatred, anger and divisiveness. No sacrifice is too great in this endeavour to defeat the ideology of RSS/BJP; no effort too little; this battle will be won. We will defend constitution and rights of the people.”

“We will tell people of India that BJP has broken the trust of the people. We will defend constitution and rights of the people. If voted to the power we will empower youths and the economy.”

Supreme Court has directed that one hydrologist, from National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee to go to Meghalaya and submit a report after two weeks, in connection with the operation that were being carried out to rescue the miners.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of playing the "victim card" as she said people of the country were the victims of his "wrong policies".

She was speaking at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the Sardar Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad.

She also called for highlighting the achievements of the previous UPA government along with emphasising on the need to move forward in providing a new vision for the country.

“Modi govt used institutions to pursue their political agenda and to take political revenge. It is unfortunate that PM is seeking to divide India ahead of the election. Modi failed and betrayed the country. We will not allow modi to befool the country again,” said Congress President Rahul Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma while addressing a press conference blamed the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dividing the nation for political benefits. Sharma said, "The PM is playing with people's emotion for the electoral bank and we condemn it. Congress reaffirms its fight to uphold values espoused by Gandhiji and fellow freedom fighters of an inclusive India. CWC has endorsed the idea of the minimum support income. "

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked why people were "running after" the firecracker industry when it seems vehicles are a "bigger" source of pollution.

The top court has asked the Centre if there is any comparative study on the "proportion of pollution" caused by firecrackers and automobiles. It observed that people involved in manufacturing of firecrackers have lost jobs and said the court does not "wish to generate unemployment".

"Is there any comparative study on what proportion of pollution is caused by firecrackers and what proportion is caused by automobile? "It seems you are running after firecrackers but bigger pollution contributor is perhaps vehicles," a bench of justices SA Bobde and SA Nazeer told Additional Solicitor General ANS Nadkarni, who is appearing for the Centre.

Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar on Tuesday said his political front will contest all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, a development which comes as a jolt to efforts of the Congress and NCP to forge a 'grand alliance' against the BJP.

Making the announcement in Akola district, located around 590 km from here, Ambedkar said no further talks would be held with the Congress to join the anti-BJP coalition.

Bhim Army's Yatra was forcefully stopped in Deoband by the UP Police. Chandrashekhar and many more Bhim Army activists arrested. Hundreds of Bhim Army supporters are protesting against the arrest.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that BJP's politicization of the "surgical strikes" on terror camps in Pakistan will not help it in the Lok Sabha election in Delhi.

"Whatever happened after the Pulwama attack on India-Pakistan border and the way BJP's conduct was, which politicized it, it is causing damage to the BJP. There's a notion that it is helping it but it is not, at least not in Delhi," he told reporters.

Kejriwal said people were now largely divided between "Modi-bhakts" and those who don't back Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that the Aam Aadmi Party "will do whatever is in its power to defeat Modi".

Civil Aviation Secretary on Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash said, “Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is monitoring the Boeing situation very closely. They are in touch with the manufacturers (Boeing) and FAA. They are also keeping a watch on the action taken by other countries.”

Lt Sangeeta Mall, wife of Rifleman Shishir Mall of Gorkha Rifles who lost his life in action in Jammu and Kashmir while battling terrorists, is commissioned into the Indian Army after passing out from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai.

Congress leaders on Tuesday met in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state to deliberate on poll strategy and discuss key issues like alliances and national security ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

It will also be the first official meeting of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was appointed as Congress general secretary in-charge of western Uttar Pradesh recently.

The Congress leaders, while enumerating the key poll issues at the CWC meeting, said they will also discuss the issue of alliances.

Sources said the CWC is likely to authorise the party president to finalise alliances in key states with other like-minded parties in order to defeat the BJP 'unitedly'.

They said the party was also likely to discuss the issue of national security and pass a resolution condemning terrorism of any kind.

Patidar leader Hardik Patel reaches Sardar Patel Smarak where Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is underway.

The official website of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) was hacked on Tuesday, March 5, morning at around 11:30 am and has been under maintenance since with no signs of any change soon.

No one has come out and taken the responsibility for it yet and there has been no official response from the BJP regarding the hacking of its website.

Supreme Court commutes death sentence of a man held guilty of rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl in 2015. The convict will have to serve 25 years in jail without remission.

Tech titan Google agreed to pay its former India-born top executive Amit Singhal a whopping $45 million as an exit package when he resigned from the company in 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment, according to a media report.

The previously undisclosed amount was in the separation agreement for Singhal, a senior vice president who ran Google's search operations until early 2016.

The amount was revealed on Monday in a shareholder lawsuit accusing the board of directors of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, of shirking their responsibilities by agreeing to pay executives accused of misconduct instead of firing them for cause, the New York Times reported.

Top Congress leadership on Tuesday paid their respect to Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram, ahead of launching the party's poll campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

Party leaders led by its chief Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former prime minister Manmohan Singh sought to give a symbolic message to the people of the country ahead of the general elections by remembering Mahatma and his ideals of non-violence and tolerance.

Supreme Court asks the Election Commission to clarify about the action to be taken regarding the names reflecting in the electoral roll but not in the Assam NRC to be published on July 31.

It also asked the Election Commission to furnish by March 28 details of the addition and deletion of names in electoral roll between Jan 1, 2018 and Jan 1, 2019.

Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attend prayer meet on anniversary of 'Dandi March' at Sabarmati Ashram.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary UP-East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sonia Gandhi arrive at Ahmedabad for Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

The family members of the three persons killed during the Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) agitation last month have demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in the firing.

Risso Kiagung, brother of Risso Tari who was killed in the firing, told a press conference here on Monday that the next of kin of the deceased have submitted a memorandum to Governor Brig (Retd) Dr B D Mishra demanding the arrest of those involved in the firing and to hand them over to the affected families.

Their other demands include, declaration of the deceased as "martyrs", erection of their statues, declaration of the spot where the body of Risso Tari was buried, as "Martyr ground" and declaring February 22 as a state holiday every year in honour of Tari.

Visuals from Sabarmati Ashram on anniversary of 'Dandi March'; Congress party will attend a prayer meet at the ashram and then hold Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at Sardar Patel Smarak.

All India Babri Masjid Action Committee Convenor Zafaryab Jilani calls a meeting of the Committee over Ayodhya matter, in Lucknow, on Tuesday.

The BSE benchmark Sensex on Tuesday jumped over 300 points led by gains in metal, oil and gas, banking and energy stocks amid unabated buying by foreign investors and strong global cues. BSE Sensex was trading 346.60 points, or 0.94 per cent, higher at 37,400.70. Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 86.65 points, or 0.78 per cent, to 11,254.70.

The 30-share index ended at 37,054.10, up by 382.67 points, or 1.04 per cent, in its previous session Monday; and the Nifty closed at 11,168.05 points, up 132.65 points, or 1.20 per cent Top gainers in early trade include PowerGrid, NTPC, RIL, L&T, ICICI Bank, Tata Motors, HCL Tech and Vedanta, rising over 2.60 per cent.

The rupee strengthened its gains by 25 paise to 69.64 against the US dollar in early trade on Tuesday, driven by sustained foreign fund inflows and weaker greenback against key rival currencies overseas. Besides, selling of US dollar by exporters and banks also propelled rupee higher.

The US dollar index — a measure of the value of the American currency relative to a basket of key foreign currencies — was lower by 0.17 per cent at 97.012.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange, the rupee opened at 69.73 against the US dollar and advanced to 69.64, showing a rise of 25 paise over the previous close.