'Most pollution boards across the country have unused funds. There is practically no reason why pollution should not be a political priority.'
Former chief justices of India, who have conveyed their views to a parliamentary committee on the bill proposing simultaneous polls, have endorsed the constitutionality of the 'one nation, one election' concept but have raised concerns over its various aspects, including the power given to the Election Commission, and offered suggestions.
A flip-flop by a Bharatiya Janata Party leader that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will campaign in the Bihar assembly elections on Monday set off fresh strains in the party's ties with Janata Dal-United, which threatened to review the alliance between the two parties.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy secured another term as Secretary (Administration) of the Constitution Club of India, defeating Sanjeev Balyan in a closely watched election that saw participation from prominent political figures.
Narendra Modi takes centre stage, but not a PM candidate yet, says Business Standard.
Unfortunately, the best man does not always win, but I feel enriched by the experience of the campaign and getting to know Rajeev Chandrasekhar, says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
Frank Simoes-Tag and Utopia have won the contract for the media campaign from among 12 leading advertising companies. The final approval came from the Media Campaign Committee headed by BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley.
Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said he has differences of opinion with some in the party leadership, but he is not going to speak about them in light of the bypoll in the Nilambur constituency.
'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.'
Now it's all jibes about his chameleon-like politics and fading grip on the administration. But there was a time Nitish had the BJP trembling in the state, points out Aditi Phadnis.
Facing mounting opposition to the introduction of Hindi language in Maharashtra schools from classes 1 to 5, the state cabinet on Sunday decided to withdraw two GRs (government orders) on the implementation of the three-language policy.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's appointment as the Bharatiya Janata Party's Campaign Committee chief and the chain of events triggered by this announcement indicate that despite the recent patch-up efforts initiated by the party's ideological mentor, the Rahstriya Swayamsevak Sangh, all is not well in the saffron outfit.
Bharatiya Janata Party was in a dilemma on Saturday over anointing Narendra Modi as campaign committee chief for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in the absence of patriarch L K Advani and other senior leaders, who have not turned up for the ongoing national executive meeting in Goa as they are said to be opposed to such a move.
Only in the event of the RSS managing to force Modi into accepting a consensual candidate, will the party not continue to 'being' the 'next Congress', observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
With local body elections approaching in Maharashtra, a significant portion of the Congress party is advocating for contesting independently to regain lost ground amidst the BJP's growing influence. The party is currently part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said the Centre's decision to include caste enumeration in the next census has exposed the difference between the Modi government's 'true intentions' and the 'empty sloganeering' of the Congress.
Seat sharing and campaign is likely to be top of the agenda, they added.
'There are differences over certain issues between the JD-U and BJP but we are in alliance and continuing.'
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'.
The Congress on Wednesday released a list of 40 leaders who would be the party's star campaigners for the May 10 assembly elections.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday hailed the party's performance in the Gujarat and Punjab bypolls, calling them a 'semi-final to 2027' and a clear sign that voters would reject both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.
The delegation demanded that those responsible for the act should be brought to book as the issue was serious.
While the BJP went back to the drawing board to recraft its political and governance outreach and regained momentum by notching up surprisingly big wins in a string of assembly polls, the burst of fresh optimism in the main opposition Congress and other INDIA bloc parties fizzled out.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was given a rousing welcome by thousands of people, including United Democratic Front leaders and workers, at Kalpetta in Wayanad on Wednesday as she prepares to make her electoral debut by filing nomination papers for the coming Lok Sabha bypoll.
Atishi, a prominent leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has retained the Kalkaji Assembly seat in the Delhi elections. She defeated her BJP rival, former MP Ramesh Bidhuri, by a margin of 3,521 votes. Atishi's win comes as a relief for the AAP, which suffered major losses in the polls. She had previously served as the Chief Minister of Delhi for a short period last year. Atishi's victory is significant as she is one of the few AAP leaders to win in the elections. Her win is likely to solidify her position within the party.
Rekha Gupta, a former DUSU president and a long-time member of the RSS, has been chosen as the Leader of the House in the Delhi Assembly and will become the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi. She won the Shalimar Bagh seat in the February 5 Assembly polls, defeating her AAP rival Bandana Kumari. Gupta, a BCom graduate and lawyer, has a long history of working for women's welfare, having served as the national secretary of the BJP's youth wing and the national vice-president of BJP Mahila Morcha. The BJP has returned to power in Delhi after over 26 years, ending the 10-year rule of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP.
Priyanka Gandhi led the party's charge in Himachal Pradesh with several rallies and was also closely involved in strategy planning for the polls.
Opposed to Narendra Modi's elevation in the party, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Saturday stayed away from the national executive which looks set to make the Gujarat chief minister the chief of campaign committee.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday greeted 'good friend' and her Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi on his elevation as Bharatiya Janata Party's election campaign committee chief, but declined to comment on the development, insisting it was that party's internal matter.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday made the BJP campaign committee chief despite senior leader L K Advani's reservations on the issue.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was on Sunday made the BJP campaign committee chief despite senior leader L K Advani's reservations on the issue.
Senior Congress leader and Maharashtra assembly poll candidate Balasaheb Thorat has asserted that the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will win a clear majority and also indicated his chief ministerial aspirations. Thorat, who is among the senior leaders in the MVA after NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar, said he enjoys cordial relations with leaders of the alliance. He also criticized the ruling Mahayuti coalition, accusing it of corruption and communal politics.
Vijay said the TVK respected all languages but would not give up its self respect for another language.
'We have taken technology to the mandal and booth level.'
The party has fielded sitting MLA Rajendra Singh Joon from the Bahadurgarh seat.
Maurya's remarks assume significance as they came barely a couple of weeks after his statement that the party organisation will always be bigger than the government caused a flutter.
He said that the Congress government has fulfilled 98 per cent of the promises made in its manifesto and the next manifesto will be prepared on the basis of the 'Vision 2030' document.
As Nitish Kumar's party is all set end its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party today, it is going to be anything but a "happy divorce."
A star-studded week of poll campaign awaits Meghalaya with heavyweights Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi set to address election rallies while film star Shatrughan Sinha and Jaya Prada are slated to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party respectively. The Prime Minister will address an election rally in Shillong on February 27, while All India Congress Committee president Sonia Gandhi will campaign at Jowai.
Narendra Tandon quit the party just days ahead of Delhi polls.