Aug 18, 2025 07:07 IST First published on: Aug 18, 2025 at 07:05 ISTSharePunjab will go to the polls on September 22 to enable a popular government to be installed in the state before October 5, when the present term of President’s Rule expires. The Punjab Assembly, which was earlier under suspended animation, stood dissolved on June 26 last year. The present term of President’s Rule expires on October 5, andto extend it, the Constitution has to be amended.Opposition reactsThe announcement of elections in Punjab evoked mixed reactions from political parties. While the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress (S) welcomed the announcement, the CPI (M) felt it was not a proper decision and “unfortunate”. In separate statements, J P Mathur, member of the national executive of the BJP, and K P Unnikrishnan, Congress (S) general secretary, hoped the decision had been taken after careful consideration of all aspects of the situation. Harkishan Singh Surjeet, CPI (M) politburo member, said the elections should not be held immediately.Agitation continuesAdvertisementThe All-Assam Students Union and the All-Assam Gana Sangram Parishad will continue their non-cooperation with the caretaker government to be formed in Assam after dissolution of the legislative assembly.Sri Lanka massacreOver 200 Tamils were killed in two villages near Trincomalee in Sri Lanka as security men and armed hoodlums went berserk for the second day, violating the ceasefire agreement. According to the Eelam National Liberation Front and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam spokesmen, the securitymen and armed civilians entered the villages, pulled out the residents of the houses and shot them dead.