As Narendra Modi appeared set for a hat-trick in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday parried questions on whether he will be the party's prime ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha elections.
Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday staked claim to form the next government in Haryana, hours after he was unanimously elected as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party legislature party in the state.
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday took a dig at Narendra Modi over his remarks that Bharatiya Janata Party will turn Uttar Pradesh into a Gujarat, reminding the BJP's prime ministerial nominee that "atrocities and massacres" were carried out in the state ruled by him.
The Janata Dal (United) MLC Devesh Chandra Thakur on Tuesday said his party would sever ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party if the latter projected a 'communal' person as the party's prime ministerial candidate in next Lok Sabha election in an apparent reference to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Shortly after senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha said that he thinks his party should name Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate for 2014 general elections, BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's largest ally Janata Dal-United sought to downplay Sinha's remarks by stating that it wasn't BJP's official stand.
President's rule was imposed in Manipur on Thursday, with the state assembly put under suspended animation following the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. The decision came after months of ethnic violence that claimed over 250 lives. Singh's resignation was attributed to his handling of the violence and allegations of instigating conflict. The imposition of President's rule was met with a sense of hope by the Kuki-Zo community, who expressed distrust of the Meitei leadership.
Asom Gana Parishad President and former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Wednesday kept open his party's option of joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party for Lok Sabha polls, saying a decision will be taken soon.
Can Nitishbabu create an anti-BJP phalanx like Jayaprakash Narayan did in 1977 or will his efforts come undone by Opposition leaders' political ambitions and, of course, the BJP's agency-aided campaign of intimidation?
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday snubbed the Rashtriya Janata Dal, headed by his arch-rival Lalu Prasad Yadav, stating that he had forged alliances 'by mistake' with the opposition party which 'did nothing' while in power.
In the midst of the poll heat, the Congress has heaped praise on A B Vajpayee to attack Narendra Modi, asking how can a person whom the tallest leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party "wanted removed" as the chief minister in the wake of Gujarat riots be the party's PM candidate.
BJP leaders Manohar Lal Khattar, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Ravneet Singh Bittu may be among the new faces in the Union council of ministers which will be sworn on Sunday evening along with Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi.
Ignoring the strong reservations of ally Janata Dal United's leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will be the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance if the party won the forthcoming assembly elections in Gujarat.
The amicus curiae report on Zakia Jaffrey case drew sharp reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party which rejected its conclusion that Naredra Modi can be prosecuted for "promoting enmity" during the 2002 Gujarat riots while the Congress insisted it has removed all doubts about his role.
Accusing the Janata Dal-United of betrayal, Bihar BJP on Sunday said it had walked out of National Democratic Alliance despite repeated assurances that it would be consulted whenever the prime ministerial candidate is chosen.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday took a dig at the BJP's anointment of L K Advani as its next prime ministerial candidate, saying it was done because the party feared "danger" from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
He said it is evident that the crisis has touched all segments of the economy and the society and that it 'could assume the proportions of an economic emergency unless it is handled with determination, clarity of thought and creative new approaches'.
Congress on Friday downplayed Narendra Modi's anointment as BJP's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, while the Samajwadi Party said his "dream will never come true".
With 12 MPs, the JD-U is the second biggest Bharatiya Janata Party ally after the TDP's 16, and leaders of the saffron party are in touch with allies over ministerial berths and other issues.
In 2009, the Congress won all seven Lok Sabha seats in New Delhi. This election, the party may not even win one.
In an indirect reference to the Janata Party-United raising objections on announcing Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party, senior saffron party leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said it is not appropriate for the ally to comment on the Gujarat chief minister now.
Dismissing his call for a debate on Article 370 of the Constitution, Congress on Monday advised Narendra Modi to discuss the issue first with Sangh Parivar, saying there is already "clarity" in the ruling party about it.
Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday asked the BJP to announce the seat from where Narendra Modi would be contesting the Lok Sabha election and sought to know if he was "scared" to take on their leader Arvind Kejriwal.
For months now, the Washington Post reports, a core group of political strategists, computer specialists and management graduates have been poring over Obama's speeches and web site, his campus of change and, of course, the rhetoric of change, to nail down how Advani's campaign can be run to inspire India's untapped potential of young voters
Hardening its stand against the Shiv Sena leadership, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said that negotiations on seat-sharing for the coming Lok Sabha elections could not begin unless statements made by a Sena leader that his party would back Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar for the prime ministerial post are publicly retracted by senior Sena leaders.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea questioning the clean chit given to Narendra Modi by the Special Investigation Team in its probe in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The debate on prime ministerial candidate is futile and leaders should talk about this only before the Parliamentary board, says Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan in an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Thursday said Narendra Modi could change the secular credentials of the Constitution on the pretext of reviewing it and give it "Hindutva colour", if he came to power.
The Janata Dal United on Sunday reacted cautiously to the elevation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to the Bharatiya Janata Party's parliamentary board, saying it is an "internal matter" of its ally. "It (elevation of Narendra Modi) is an internal matter of the BJP at the national level," JD-U spokesman Niraj Kumar said.
A day after Bharatiya Janata Party released a video attacking Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav defended Vadra and accused the BJP of blowing the issue of the land deals out of proportion. He also slammed the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, saying Narendra Modi's name meant model of diving India.
Ruling out himself as his party's prime ministerial candidate, Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari on Sunday favoured Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the top job and promised to back his candidature as party chief.
Ahead of assembly polls, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasahev Thackeray president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday declared he will support any chief ministerial candidate announced by allies Congress or Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar to 'save' Maharashtra, repeating a demand for the second time since August.
"Leaders like Vajpayee, Advani treated me with respect," the JD-U leader said.
Top leaders of Opposition parties will brainstorm at a meeting in Patna on Friday to chalk out a roadmap for the formation of an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with sources saying that they would look to avoid the prickly leadership question and emphasise on common ground.
The Congress on Tuesday dismissed as 'day dreams' the projection of the likes of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and senior leader Sushma Swaraj as the party's prime ministerial candidates, and said Delhi is 'still distant' for the opposition party.
Amid a debate on the Bharatiya Janata Party projecting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate, senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said the party would only take a call on the issue before the 2014 general elections.
The Nagpur violence may have been prevented had the police considered the dangerous potential of the VHP/Bajrang Dal's demonstration; had they immediately stopped the burning of the chaddar and arrested the demonstrators; and had they fanned out to counter the rumours that spread among Muslims, observes Jyoti Punwani.
Congress masterstroke foiled by Vajpayee niece's failure. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has weakened the Bharatiya Janata Party's plank of protesting at Congress president Sonia Gandhi Figuring in all central government advertisements at the exchequer's cost.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is being projected by some in BJP as its Prime Ministerial face for 2014 elections, on Sunday asked his party cadres to work hard to present an alternative to the UPA government.
A senior JD-U leader said Lallan Singh has expressed his desire to give up the top party post.
