After missing the post of Chief Minister, the suspended Congressman Narayan Rane on Saturday said he would topple the government if "provoked".

"If I wish, I can prevent the new government from taking charge or topple it when it is formed. It is not in a majority and I can prove it on the floor of the house, even if the opposition does not seek a trust vote," Rane said.

Rane was suspended from Congress after his outburst against the party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Welcoming his suspension, Rane termed it as a good omen. "In 1997, Vilasrao Deshmukh was suspended from the party for six years and in 1999 he became the chief minister," he said.

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Rahul Bose, Soha Ali Khan

Director: Anil Senior

Rating: **

The latest entry to the cinema halls, Dil Kabaddi, directed by Anil Senior, did not fetch as well as expected. It is inspired by, or rather copied from Woody Allen’s classic, Husbands and Wives, which had won the hearts of millions by its humorous theme.

The counting of votes of five states, which went to poll in Nov and Dec would be taken up on Monday.

Elations were held in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh and Mizoram. 

The elections were held in the midst of economic meltdown and the Mumbai terror strikes, making the campaign a lackluster affair. 

The Rajasthan poll outcome would be a test for Chief Minister Vasudhanra Raje government's performance in the state. 

Besides Raje, AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot and PCC president C P Joshi are among the prominent leaders who entered the fray. Elections to the 200-member assembly saw a 68 per cent turnout. 

The four jawans of Orissa State Armed Police (OSAP) who were abducted by a group of armed Maoists in Malkangiri on Friday were released on Saturday afternoon. 

The four returned to their camp at Janbai safely at around noon, Malkangiri district Superintendent of Police Satyabrata Bhoi said. 

The jawans were returning from Chitrakonda market to their camp at Janbai under Papermetla police station area, about 80 km from district head quarter, on Friday evening when the Maoists abducted them, Bhoi, said. 

Following the incident, combing operation and patrolling by security forces have been intensified in the entire area, which border Andhra Pradesh, to track down the ultras, police said. 

Mercedes-Benz cars, owned by the German automaker, Daimler, has shown a drop of 25% in sales in November. Sales in the units, which include the Mercedes-Benz, AMG, Smart and Maybach brands, fell from 113,000 cars worldwide in November 2007, to 84,500 vehicles.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), India’s top utility vehicle and tractor manufacturer has announced that it intends to cease five of its plants temporarily between 3 to 6 days.