Those joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers for the first time include three former chief ministers -- Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Manohar Lal Khattar (Haryana) and H D Kumaraswamy (Karnataka).
Upset over not being projected as Bharatiya Janata Party's chief ministerial candidate for the Delhi assembly polls, Vijay Goel on Sunday staked his claim for the position before the party's top leadership and indicated his opposition against any move to declare Harsh Vardhan's name for it.
'Four years ago, when Gadkari was BJP president, Fadnavis was president of the state BJP, I had gone on a fast unto death demanding separate statehood for Vidarbha.' 'They had come to meet me and promised that once the party comes to power at the Centre and in the state, we will get separate statehood.' 'Four years have passed, but no change is seen on the ground.'
Patole, the MLA from Sakoli in Bhandara district, had resigned as speaker of Maharashtra assembly on Thursday.
Over 65 Union ministers are likely to take oath, going by the visual of the meeting Modi held with his likely council of ministers.
Voters include 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 from third gender. There are as many as 35.67 lakh first time voters, besides 3.51 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years.
"I quit... I believed him... I backed Arvind for principles not horse-trading," she tweeted.
The resignation of Captain Gopinath on Saturday came as a severe blow to the Aam Aadmi Party. "The party has lost its focus and I did not feel the need to continue," said the Air Deccan founder, who had joined the party in January this year.
Sulking Maharashtra Industries Minister Narayan Rane on Thursday said he will quit the Prithviraj Chavan ministry on Monday but has decided to remain in the Congress.
While Tharoor declined to comment on whether he would throw his hat into the ring, he has written an article for Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi calling for a "free and fair" election.
Latching on to the Mahabharta analogy used by L K Advani, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh took potshots at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the turmoil in the party after Narendra Modi's elevation and subsequent resignation of senior leader Advani from key posts.
The discussions on the new Goa CM came to a halt after Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar wanted to be the chief minister.
Sanjay Raut, a key leader of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, on Monday claimed that Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has expressed the desire to quit after the Shiv Sena (UBT) gave a call for a statewide bandh to protest his "insult" to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a claim refuted by the Raj Bhavan.
'Number two' in the cabinet Nitin Patel has emerged as a strong contender.
The combativeness reflects her insistence not to meekly acquiesce to what has been going on in Raisina Hill for years or decades, observes Kartikeya Tanna.
Bundelkhand is thought to be an area where Mayawati has some influence. Both Amit Shah and Shivraj Chouhan believe every weapon in the arsenal must be used to ensure victory.
'More people will come out of the BJP. You just wait and watch.'
Amid efforts to convince L K Advani on declaring Narendra Modi as Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Bihar's BJP chief Sushil Kumar Modi said the veteran leader had failed to gauge the public mood in this regard.
'We will fight for removing the de-classification of coconut trees.' 'We are going to have our own Sound Act so that Goan people are not hounded by the police when they get married.' '80 per cent jobs for locals in the private sector, 100 per cent in government.'
Sitharaman, who was holding the Commerce portfolio (Independent charge), was on Sunday promoted to the Cabinet rank as was Goyal.
The Nationalist Congress Party, which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, on Friday won Aurangabad and Pune graduates' constituencies of the state Legislative Council.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should resign as the term of the existing assembly is ending (on November 9), the Sena spokesman said.
As per the power-sharing arrangement, Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar will be the deputy chief ministers.
Bharatiya Janata Party chief Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met senior party leader L K Advani in a bid to make him agree to Narendra Modi's candidature as the party's Prime Ministerial nominee ahead of the next general election, but appears to have got no assurance of his support on the issue.
The Bharatiya Janata Party appears set to announce the name of Harshavardhan as its chief ministerial candidate for Delhi by the end of this month despite internal squabbles and a virtual threat from state unit head Vijay Goel to quit if a decision to the effect was taken.
Activist-turned-politician and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader from Maharashtra, Anjali Damania, who unsuccessfully contested against former Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari from the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat has quit the party.
Kovind requested Modi to advise him about the names of others to be appointed members of the Union Council of Ministers; and indicate the date and time of the swearing-in ceremony to be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan
The two would-be Dy CMs are Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar.
Under fire for his "rape" analogy, Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha on Wednesday apologised for his controversial remark and said he has deep sense of regard and respect for women and commitment to gender issues.
Here is Rediff.com's selection of some stories from Thursday that you may not have read in the morning newspaper.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut, however, said his party was firm on a written assurance from the senior alliance partner over power sharing, including rotating CM's post for 2.5 years.
The theme of the reshuffle is to fulfill Modi's earlier promise of 'maximum governance, minimum government.' Some key ministries are likely to be merged.
A group of Bharatiya Janata Party workers jostled former Tehelka managing editor Shoma Chaudhury on Thursday and even defaced the nameplate outside her Saket residence, the act inviting sharp criticism from various quarters, including from the party's leadership.
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari puts them out of the ambit of Motor Vehicles Act; experts say some regulation, licensing and driver training will be necessary
Sawant took the oath in Konkani language.
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday attacked Narendra Modi over his Gujarat development story and claimed there is no 'wave' in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime inisterial candidate anywhere in the country.
Four junior ministers - Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahendra Nath Pandey - have resigned ahead of the rejig.
Singh's strong comments are the first public criticism by a ruling party MP against the help extended to Lalit Modi by Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Raje
Syed Firdaus Ashraf traces the trajectory of Lal Kishan Advani from the highs of the 1990s to the present, when he may have to watch the elections from the sidelines.
Portfolios of more than half-a-dozen ministers are expected to be changed.
