As the political atmosphere in Andhra Pradesh is hotting up ahead of assembly elections, one and a half year away, there is fresh speculation over Telugu matinee idol Chiranjeevi's entry into politics.
Chief Justice of AP High Court G S Singhvi administered the oath of office to the new governor at a simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan.
As the assembly elections loom large over Andhra Pradesh, a race of sorts has already begun among the political parties to offer sops and make populist promises.
Counting of votes in the crucial by-polls held in Andhra Pradesh for one Lok Sabha constituency and 18 Assembly seats began today amid tight security arrangements.
A 37-year-old government contractor in Navi Mumbai died by suicide due to severe financial strain from unpaid bills for completed work. Opposition parties in Maharashtra have accused the state government of negligence, demanding a culpable homicide case against the administration and highlighting a pattern of such incidents among Marathi contractors.
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YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said that he would undertake an indefinite fast in Hyderabad from on Saturday against the Centre's decision to divide Andhra Pradesh.
The government has dismissed speculation of an imminent increase in petrol and diesel prices, assuring citizens that there are no plans for a hike despite rising crude oil costs.
The Congress, which had initially wanted the by-elections to be conducted first, now feels that the local body polls should be held first, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
Telangana Forest Minister Konda Surekha was dropped from the state cabinet, leading her to accuse Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of "blackmail politics." Surekha claims her removal was due to critical remarks made by her daughter against the CM and other party leaders, despite the Congress high command not favouring her ouster. She has written to top Congress leaders seeking intervention.
The union human resource development ministry has sanctioned an Indian Institute of Technology to Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy said in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Lack of women in Karnataka's new council of ministers has put the spotlight once again on women's under-representation in politics and policy.
This is also the first time that Naidu has been arrested on corruption charges in his political career spanning over 40 years.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy unveiled a statue of TDP founder N T Rama Rao in Hyderabad, aiming to appeal to TDP supporters ahead of upcoming civic polls. The move is seen as an attempt by the Congress to gain ground in areas with a significant Andhra Pradesh-native voter base.
The Andhra Pradesh assembly will on Wednesday start discussions on the Telangana bill before sending its report to the President on January 23.
Newly appointed Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon has outlined his plans to strengthen the party in the state, aiming for a majority in the 2027 assembly elections. He criticised the ruling AAP government and promised to address key issues such as crop diversification and law and order.
In a clear message that the people of Telangana want a separate state, both the Congress and Telugu Desam Party were rejected by the electorate in the region, reports Mohammed Siddique
Capping a day-long acrimonious debate in the Assembly that went on till the wee hours of Saturday, the motion was defeated by 84 votes in a head count by division.
The "Sky Factory" will be one of the world's largest for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), a manufacturing and assembly process to make electric aircraft that can take off, hover, and land vertically. It will put India on the "map of next-generation aviation" and marks one of the most ambitious eVTOL initiatives in the world, said a state government statement.
"However, if the Lok Sabha elections are held early next year, assembly elections could be held simultaneously," Reddy told media persons, in the backdrop of intense speculations that the Lok Sabha elections could be advanced because of the possible break up of UPA-Left ties over Indo-US nuclear deal.
The Election Commission of India is considering launching the final phase of its special intensive revision of voters' lists in the remaining states and Union territories after the assembly elections conclude.
Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde spoke to Kavita Chowdhury on the logical steps that follow from the passing of the contentious Telangana Bill in Parliament and the future course of action in Andhra Pradesh in view of the coming general polls. Edited excerpts:
The Andhra Pradesh assembly took up the marathon debate on the no-confidence motion tabled by the main opposition TDP against the Congress government. This is the first time that the present government is facing a no-trust motion even as it completes four years in power. The TDP attacked the Congress government for alleged acts of omission and commission.
The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has completed one year, leading to the deletion of nearly six crore voters across 19 states and Union territories. This exercise, which began in Bihar, has faced opposition criticism but was upheld by the Supreme Court. The purification drive has significant implications, including linking voter data to social security benefits in some states.
In a last ditch effort, Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday appealed to Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to "use his good office" to keep Andhra Pradesh united till an amicable solution is reached on the issue of creation of separate Telangana.
The Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress is heading towards a major crisis. Several leaders of the party are reportedly planning to walk out after the Congress's dismal showing in the assembly polls in four states.
It is not just film stars who are spicing up the poll scene in Andhra Pradesh, but also corporate honchos who are jumping on to the political bandwagon to try their fortunes in Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
After 16-hour-long bitter and tedious debate in the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly, the Telugu Desam sponsored no-trust motion against the Kiran Kumar Reddy government was defeated squarely.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday requested the Centre to follow "established practices and conventions" and refer the bifurcation issue to the state assembly for "appropriate resolution".
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea by senior advocate Kapil Sibal challenging the interpretation of the Tenth Schedule's 'deemed merger' provision, which allows MLAs and MPs to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law, citing its 'huge repercussions on our polity'.
The spiralling agitation over the NEET issue saw protests and counter-protests by Congress and BJP across the country on Wednesday, with clashes and tense face-offs at many places, a day after Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders were forcibly removed from a dharna outside the prime minister's residence.
Tamil Nadu's new government, led by C Joseph Vijay, is committed to advancing the ~38,000 crore shipbuilding project with HD Hyundai in Thoothukudi, securing bipartisan support from the Opposition DMK, despite initial industry concerns about policy continuity after the change in leadership.
Supporters of TVK chief Vijay gathered in large numbers outside his residence, demanding he be invited to take the oath as Chief Minister amid ongoing political uncertainty in Tamil Nadu. The gathering highlights the pressure on the TVK leadership to clarify its roadmap for the upcoming elections and its position on the ongoing government formation deadlock.
Despite aggressive expansion, India's solar power sector faces significant hurdles from rising regional disparities in installed capacity and a looming manufacturing glut due to overcapacity in domestic solar equipment production, potentially leading to consolidation and pricing pressures.
Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to be elected to Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh in the by-election slated for July 3.
'They want to sabotage the caste census and bury Muslim backward classes, Hindu backward classes, Sikh backward classes and Buddhist backward classes.'
In a major embarrassment for the Congress party, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy's resolution to reject the bill was passed unanimously.
Nara Lokesh, once heavily criticised, has risen to become the National Working President of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), marking a significant generational transition within the party.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleagues Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, J P Nadda and several other leaders and prominent personalities were present at the ceremony.
