The Congress party will have an elected president by June 2021, with the party's working committee on Friday approving holding the internal election after the assembly polls.
Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge, a staunch Gandhi family loyalist from Karnataka, has become the Congress' first non-Gandhi president in 24 years.
Puran Krishan was attacked near his residence in the Chowdhary Gund area of south Kashmir district, they said, adding that doctors declared Krishan brought dead after he was shifted to Shopian hospital.
In a jolt to the Congress ahead of Himachal Pradesh polls, senior leader Anand Sharma on Sunday resigned from the chairmanship of the party's steering committee for the state, saying he was left with no choice after the 'continuing exclusion and insults'.
From the 'group of 23' leaders, who had written letter to Gandhi seeking Congress' overhaul, Azad and Sharma continue to be regular members of the CWC,
Provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of J&K, were abrogated by the Centre on August 5 last year.
The party is divided on the leadership matter with a section demanding collective leadership and another reposing faith in the Gandhi family.
It was after a gap of two decades that saw such an occasion where MPs of the upper house enthralled their fellow colleagues at a dinner hosted by Chairman and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu for 72 retiring members.
They also demanded that if any discrepancy is found during VVPAT verification, 100 per cent counting of the paper slips of VVPATs of all polling stations of that particular assembly segment should be done and compared with the electronic voting machine (EVM) results.
Rahul Gandhi, in turn, thanked all the leaders for reposing faith in him and said he would apply his mind on their request of becoming the Congress president, the sources said.
Scindia, who is now with the BJP and took oath as a member from Madhya Pradesh, greeted his bete noire before taking oath. Scindia and Singh had differences that led to Scindia quitting the Congress. Scindia also greeted Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The former party donated Rs 54,000 between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020.
Chaos is expected to return to Parliament on Wednesday with the Opposition prepped to target Education Minister Smriti Irani in both Houses.
Congress put up five demands at the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with leaders of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday including early statehood, conducting polls to restore democracy and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits.
To a question whether his party will not forge a coalition with any political party, Azad said, "If any political party is willing to accompany the Congress, and the Congress feels that it can fight the BJP, then it will be definitely accommodated."
The Congress will reach out to various parties in this regard.
'Putra-moh Congress ko nasht kar raha hai (Sonia Gandhi's love for Rahul Gandhi is destroying the Congress).'
Naidu routinely expunges any remark found unsuitable from Rajya Sabha's records after going through the proceedings of the day.
After Parliament's nod, SC's sanctioned strength will go up to 33, plus the CJI.
Sources said Sonia Gandhi referred to Azad and others twice during her brief address and the issues raised by them.
The long-awaited Rahul Gandhi touch to the All India Congress Committee was imparted today with the induction of a few general secretaries and the dropping of some
Amid threat to pull out Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ministers and quit the United Progressive Alliance coalition on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, party chief M Karunanidhi made a fresh demand insisting that Parliament adopt a resolution incorporating the two amendments he had suggested to the government to be moved on the US-backed resolution at the UNHRC.
Anand Sharma said weaponisation of laws and their use to target and humiliate people should not happen.
Sharing pictures and videos on Facebook, Khurshid wrote, 'I hoped to open these doors to my friends who have left this calling card. Am I still wrong to say this cannot be Hinduism?'
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's battles. Ghulam Nabi Azad's DLF connection. Team Rahul avoiding Vadra spotlight. The Kejriwal angle in Cabinet rejig. All this, and more, in this week's Dilli Gupshup
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was at Palghar in Maharashtra on Wednesday to launch the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram as part of the National Rural Health Mission scheme, got a flowery surprise.
Amid reports that decision on the contentious Telangana issue will be taken this month, Congress on Monday said it was not against creation of smaller states including Telangana, but admitted it was a difficult matter to resolve and time consuming too.
He also asked why anyone seeking to contest the Congress president's election should go to the PCC office to get the electoral roll as this does not even happen in a club election.
The deceased policeman was identified as assistant sub-inspector Mushtaq Ahmad.
Ruling out any differences between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said Sharad Pawar is the biggest "supporter and well-wisher" of the United Progressive Alliance government. "There are no differences with Sharad Pawar. He is the biggest supporter and well-wisher of the UPA," Azad told reporters.
The issue of Telangana assumes importance as Andhra Pradesh is the only major state where the party is in power on its own. A spectacular victory in Andhra Pradesh in 2004 and 2009 has helped Congress to come to power at the Centre in 2004 and 2009.
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday said the elevation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has "strengthened" the Congress while dealing a set back to the Bharatiya Janata Party as its allies were running away.
Mistry said the election authority is in the process of finalising the AICC delegates who will vote in the crucial election for the top party post.
The decision on Telangana will be taken only after more consultations with senior leaders, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said in New Delhi on Sunday evening. He said leaders from both Rayalseema-Andhra and Telangana will be invited to Delhi for talks before a final decision is taken.
Hyderabad remained tense on Sunday in anticipation of an announcement by the Centre on the creation of a separate state of Telangana by Sunday evening. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde is expected to meet party chief Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders before making a final announcement on Telangana by Sunday evening.
As part of efforts to improve falling sex ratio, 436 cases have been registered for violation of anti-sex selection laws in the last two years against 789 cases in past over 14 years, indicating better monitoring and effective enforcement by authorities.
In a telephonic message to reporters late Wednesday night, Rao, popularly known as KCR, recalled that they had termed the all-party meeting convened by the union home minister on December 28 as a "futile exercise".
With the crisis continuing over the issue of chief ministership in Uttarakhand, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today held deliberations with newly sworn-in chief minister Vijay Bahuguna and senior party leaders to resolve the matter.
Union Ministers Dr Farooq Abdullah, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh and G K Vasan have complained to Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth about the rude behaviour of the Special Protection Group personnel at 7 Race Course Road.
