The first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections saw a record voter turnout of 91.78 per cent, the highest since Independence, according to the Chief Election Commissioner. Polling took place in 16 districts with women voters outnumbering men. The Election Commission attributed the high turnout to voter-friendly measures.
Ashok Lahiri, a distinguished economist with experience in government, the private sector, and electoral politics, has been appointed as the new Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, tasked with strengthening India's reform trajectory and policy-making.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that Sonia Gandhi had asked him to decide on his swearing-in date as CM in 2014, but the situation changed after Rahul Gandhi intervened. Sarma, who later joined the BJP, believes the events led him to a better position to serve Assam and Sanatan dharma.
'The reason why they rushed through the bill was they wanted to avoid using the 2026 Census because the 2026 Census by their own decision will be a caste census.' 'The BJP knows that a significant share of the OBCs who will get captured in the census, for the first time after the 1931 Census, are against the BJP. Only a segment of the OBCs are in their favour.' 'So they wanted to avoid the OBC reservation among women, which is a demand of a lot of Opposition parties.'
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Pune district, Maharashtra. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured a fast-tracked trial and pushed for the death penalty for the accused, amid public outrage and protests.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised the government's handling of the women's quota bill, accusing them of political maneuvering and neglecting the rights of OBCs.
Tamil Nadu's AIADMK, leading the NDA in the state, has released its first list of 23 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections, renominating key leaders and fielding experienced legislators from their traditional strongholds.
Responding to a query, Mathur said there is no "formula" for electing the chief minister.
Call it political opportunism or sagacity, his moves, in effect, have not allowed the Bharatiya Janata Party to appoint its own chief minister to date, despite enjoying a near hegemonic status nationally and the best performance in recently held assembly polls where the saffron party bagged 89 seats, followed by the Janata Dal-United with 85.
Several opposition parties on Wednesday decided to jointly oppose the delimitation provisions in the Constitution amendment bill in Parliament, even as they reiterated support for women's reservation, with Mallikarjun Kharge alleging the move is politically motivated.
Petitions have been filed in the Patna High Court challenging the election of 45 members of the Bihar legislative assembly, including Speaker Prem Kumar.
'Nitish Kumar may be marginalised as an office-holder, but that is not the same thing as the disappearance of Nitish Kumar's politics.'
The Opposition in Maharashtra boycotted the government's customary tea party on the eve of the Winter session, citing its failure to appoint leaders of the opposition (LoPs) in both houses of the state legislature.
The BJP is considering having two deputy chief ministers in the new Delhi government to represent the city as a "mini" India, party leaders said. The move is aimed at accommodating MLAs from different castes, communities, and regional backgrounds. The proposal is under consideration by the national leadership, which will also decide on the chief minister and other ministers. The process of government formation is expected to gain momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from his foreign visit over the weekend.
The Indian government and opposition parties are set for a showdown in Parliament over a Constitution amendment bill concerning the implementation of the women's quota law and the delimitation exercise. The Opposition is concerned about the potential impact of delimitation on the political representation of southern states.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, is set to enter politics, with a formal announcement expected from the JD(U). Party leaders express enthusiasm and anticipate a significant role for Nishant within the party.
Over 130 Lok Sabha and 63 Rajya Sabha MPs have signed notices seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging partisan conduct and obstruction of electoral fraud investigations.
The Congress has 40 MLAs while the BJP has 25 in the 68-member state assembly. The remaining three seats are held by independents.
Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, suspended from the party over sexual misconduct allegations, attended the Kerala Assembly session, claiming his presence was not in defiance of the party. The move has drawn criticism and sparked reactions from various political leaders.
A controversy has erupted in Karnataka following allegations that the police disrobed a BJP woman functionary while arresting her in connection with an attack on government officials. Police deny the charge, claiming the woman disrobed herself and attacked the officers.
'It is not as if Hindus are not being touched at all, and only Muslims are.'
The suspension of 18 Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs from the Karnataka Legislative assembly for six months has been revoked, Speaker U T Khader said on Sunday.
Winnability to be paramount in selection of candidates, followed by clean public image and proven loyalty to the BJP.
Key witness Zaheera Sheikh had alleged that Waghodia MLA Madhu Srivastav threatened of 'dire consequences' if she testified against him in the trial.
'If all of us (all the 57 Shiv Sena MLAs) stand together we can change the dynamic. We are not afraid of anyone.'
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MLC Eknath Khadse and his daughter have been booked for allegedly cheating an elderly woman out of her land in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarifies the separation of powers between the legislature and executive branches following a directive to suspend a Satara Superintendent of Police. He emphasised that while the executive is accountable to the legislature, the legislature cannot assume the executive's role.
The Rajya Sabha witnessed a heated debate between the opposition and the government regarding a discussion on the West Asia crisis, with accusations of political maneuvering and failure to uphold the dignity of parliamentary positions.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday sprang surprises with its first list of 71 candidates for the Bihar assembly polls, denying a ticket to Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav, a seven-term MLA, while fielding Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary in a direct election after over a decade.
Eighteen BJP MLAs were suspended for six months from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly for disrupting the budget session and disrespecting the Speaker. The incident occurred on the last day of the budget session, when the opposition BJP MLAs staged a massive protest over the allocation of a four percent reservation to Muslims in public contracts. The MLAs climbed onto the podium where the Speaker's chair is situated and threw papers at him.
The absence of NCP-SP leaders from a key Maha Vikas Aghadi meeting in Maharashtra has ignited concerns about opposition unity ahead of the crucial budget session and upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
The Maharashtra government has requested information regarding the utilization of funds by the Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI), led by Sharad Pawar, prompting criticism from the NCP (SP). The government insists it's a routine process, while the opposition alleges political targeting.
Maharashtra legislative council's privileges committee has summoned comedian Kunal Kamra and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare for a hearing over alleged insulting remarks against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The hearing has been rescheduled to February 17 after both expressed their inability to attend the initial date.
Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti has been disqualified from the state legislative assembly after being convicted in a bank fraud case involving the tampering of bank records. The disqualification has sparked a political row, with the Congress party alleging a violation of democratic process.
Nitish Kumar's decision to contest the Rajya Sabha elections signals the end of his long-standing tenure as Bihar's Chief Minister, paving the way for a potential BJP leader to take the helm.
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.
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta has ordered a forensic probe into a video allegedly showing Leader of Opposition Atishi insulting Guru Tegh Bahadur. The BJP has accused Atishi of making insensitive remarks, while Atishi denies the charges and accuses the BJP of manipulating the video.
The Assam Congress has filed a police complaint against the BJP for circulating a controversial video of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on social media, alleging it incites communal disharmony.
'Workers are the people who create all the wealth in this country. How can you call them anti-national?'
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MLC Eknath Khadse and his daughter have been booked for allegedly cheating an elderly woman by assuring a sugar factory on her land and taking its possession with the help of forged papers in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district.
