The mass of voters chose Kejriwal and Mamdani for the simple reason that they were sick and tired of the stale promises and repetitive speeches belted out for long by mainstream political personalities, notes M R Narayan Swamy.
While it is evident that the INDIA bloc has not shut its doors on Nitish Kumar, those within the NDA are hopeful that the JD-U's support base would benefit them as well
Winnability to be paramount in selection of candidates, followed by clean public image and proven loyalty to the BJP.
'Rahul Gandhi's problem is that he doesn't think big.' 'He looks more like an activist, while politics is like a game of chess. You attack and then defend and have a game-plan.'
BJP MP Medha Kulkarni stopped a Dandiya event in Pune after receiving noise complaints from local residents during the Navratri festival. She cited disturbances to senior citizens and those with health issues, alleging inaction despite complaints to local authorities.
Senior TMC MP Saugata Roy's comments on the Durgapur gang rape case, advising women to be cautious, have sparked controversy. This follows similar remarks by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, drawing criticism from opposition parties.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that in his personal opinion, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh should be banned as most law and order problems in the country are arising because of the Bharatiya Janata Party-RSS.
Ashok Gehlot convinced the RJD leadership that the Congress had no issue about declaring Tejashwi as the Mahagathbandan's chief minister face.
"Even if it is legally & terribly wrong, I admire your courage, at your age, to take a stand and live by it, irrespective of consequences," Rao said on Tuesday in a post on 'X'.
'Raj Thackeray is working at the behest of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.'
'This campaign reeks of communalism, which is why it is being opposed.'
Popular folk singer Maithili Thakur has indicated her willingness to make her political debut from her hometown Benipatti in Madhubani district ahead of the Bihar assembly elections.
An elderly Dalit man was allegedly forced to lick the ground near a temple on the outskirts of Lucknow after being accused of urinating there. The accused has been arrested, and the incident has sparked political outrage.
A Delhi court refused Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's request to prevent AAP leader Somnath Bharti from representing his wife in a defamation case filed against Sitharaman.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticizes Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of acting like an 'acting Prime Minister' and manipulating the Election Commission. She warns Prime Minister Modi against trusting Shah, suggesting he could become a 'Mir Zafar'.
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor alleges that the BJP pressured three Jan Suraaj Party candidates to withdraw from the Bihar elections, accusing the ruling NDA of threatening opposition candidates and urging the Election Commission to ensure candidate security. The BJP denies the allegations.
The Uttarakhand government has ordered an investigation into alleged demographic changes in the Pachhadun area of Dehradun and other regions, following concerns raised by residents and political parties.
The state Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday lashed out at Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge over the removal of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's publicity material in Chittapur taluk in Kalaburagi district ahead of a major event but the Congress leader alleged the saffron organisation had not taken permission for the programme.
'They are not fear-mongering just for votes, this is the repulsive Hindutva ideology in true form'
Smaller allies of the ruling NDA in Bihar, including HAM and RLM, have expressed resentment over the seat-sharing arrangements announced for the upcoming assembly elections, raising concerns about the alliance's unity.
'Everyone involved in this transaction must be punished and penalised.'
Delhi's air quality deteriorates to 'very poor' levels, sparking a blame game between AAP and BJP over the causes and responsibility for the pollution.
Punjab Police and Chandigarh Police got into a minor scuffle on Tuesday over the custody of a Rajasthan native who is accused of filing his Rajya Sabha polls nomination with forged signatures.
Raghopur assembly constituency in Bihar prepares for a high-stakes election where voters may be deciding the next chief minister. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD's CM candidate, seeks a third term, facing a strong challenge from BJP's Satish Kumar.
Following the alleged molestation of two Australian women cricketers in Indore, a Madhya Pradesh minister advises players to inform local authorities when going out due to their popularity in India.
Following the alleged molestation of two Australian women cricketers in Indore, a Madhya Pradesh minister advises players to inform local authorities when going out due to their popularity in India.
'I disagree with much of Modi's politics, but it cannot be denied that in these years in office, he has carved more than a niche for himself in history,' points out Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author, Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times.
'Without our support Nitish Kumar wouldn't have become chief minister.' 'After the government was formed we became ministers, but our agenda remained the same: Amit Shah had promised reservation for Nishads.' 'He wouldn't listen, so we went to UP and contested 52 seats in the 2022 elections. He didn't like the idea of rebellion.' 'He saw that this man, coming from Bombay, is very sharp. He's made four MLAs now, tomorrow he'll make 40. A time will come when they will make it 125.' 'They bought our MLAs and ousted us from the government.'
Disgruntled BJP leader Jahanzaib Sirwal criticizes his party for allegedly using the plight of displaced Kashmiri Pandits for political gains and calls for meaningful action to address their grievances.
Bihar's upcoming elections are marked by the significant presence of candidates from political families, raising questions about ideological commitments and democratic principles.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United made public the names of candidates for all 101 seats it will be contesting in the assembly polls, with more than half of them from the backward and extremely backward classes.
The BJP's MoSha leadership are past masters in encouraging defections from their allies if it helped their party capture the chief minister's chair. In Bihar, they are not sure if JD-U MPs and MLAs would be willing to cross over to the BJP if the Nitish leadership came on top -- and the NDA crossed the halfway mark together, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra suggests political developments are underway in the ruling Congress party and expects them to culminate after the Bihar assembly polls, hinting at a possible change in Chief Minister.
Less than 10 days are left for filing of nomination papers for the first phase of the Bihar polls.
'I wanted to go for the heart, and at the same time, open the audience's mind.'
'Stalin's intention is plain and simple.' 'The DMK wants to convert what is an 'incumbency-centred' election for the party-led alliance into one more 'Modi/BJP election' after Stalin's successive success in 2019 and 2021, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah and J P Nadda, met with party leaders and allies to discuss the upcoming Bihar polls. Seat-sharing arrangements with NDA partners are expected to be announced soon.
Priti Kinnar, a transgender social worker, is set to contest the Bihar assembly elections from Bhorey seat on a Jan Suraaj ticket, challenging the incumbent Education Minister. Her entry into politics has sparked mixed reactions, with some seeing it as a potential boost for the transgender community and others questioning its impact on the election outcome.
''Now the roads in Bihar are as good as any other Indian state. The power sector has improved.' 'Connectivity, law and order, gender justice...' 'Bihar now stands for all these things that were totally absent when it was under jungle raj.'
A controversy has erupted in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, after a Muslim woman alleged that a doctor at the district hospital refused to treat her on religious grounds. Hospital authorities deny the accusation, and an inquiry is underway. The incident has sparked political reactions and a police investigation into journalists who circulated the video of the allegation.
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