December 18, 2025 08:52 AM IST

First published on: Dec 18, 2025 at 08:52 AM IST

The newly formed Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was leading in 40 out of 100 assembly constituencies from where trends were available. Congress (I) candidates were ahead in 27 constituencies and the United Minority Front (UMF) in 12. The CPI(M) was leading in five and the Regional Plains Tribal Council of Assam in four. But the trends were not necessarily indicative of the final outcome, as in several constituencies, only 20 per cent of the votes polled had been counted till 9 pm.

Gavaskar crosses 9,000 runs

The first cricket Test of the Indian tour of Australia ended in a draw at the Adelaide Oval. India were all out in their first innings for 520 — their highest total against Australia — in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 381. The match was again interrupted three times by rain during the day’s play. Sunil Gavaskar made an unbeaten 166 and became the first player to score more than 9,000 runs in Test cricket. It was also his 31st Test century.

Rajiv and Zia’s commitment

A mutual commitment not to attack each other’s nuclear installations and a series of high-level meetings over the next two months to quicken the process of normalisation, both in political and economic fields, were announced by President Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at a joint press conference in New Delhi after the conclusion of their six-hour talk.

MP winds up gas leak inquiry

The Madhya Pradesh government has wound up the judicial commission headed by Justice N K Singh, which had been inquiring into the Bhopal gas leak for the past year. In a dramatic announcement made in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the Chief Minister, Motilal Vora, said the government had decided not to extend the judicial commission’s term. Opposition members staged a walkout in protest.