The National Democratic Alliance on Thursday got another jolt in the Presidential race with the Janata Dal-United becoming the second NDA ally after Shiv Sena to break ranks with Bharatiya Janata Party to support United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
Reconciling with division within the National Democratic Alliance over Presidential poll, Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday announced its support to P A Sangma to pit him against United Progressive Alliance candidate Pranab Mukherjee.
After division in the National Democratic Alliance ranks, the Bharatiya Janata Party and some other allies appeared set to back P A Sangma, who quit the Nationalist Congress Party, ignoring its direction not to contest the Presidential poll against United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee.
The Janata Dal-United on Friday virtually put its foot down on the issue of the National Democratic Alliance taking any stand on Abdul Kalam, projected as Presidential candidate by the Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress, following which the opposition alliance deferred its decision.
The Telugu Desam has decided to abstain from voting in the July 19 Presidential election, a statement from party president N Chandrababu Naidu said on Tuesday night.
After Raj Babbar's comment -- that a hearty meal in Mumbai can be bought for Rs 12 -- another Congress leader on Thursday claimed that just Rs 5 was sufficient for a meal in Delhi.
The Congress on Sunday said other National Democratic Alliance partners need to take cue from Janata Dal-United which has insisted on a prime ministerial candidate having a "secular credibility beyond doubt"
Union Agriculture Minister and key United Progressive Alliance leader Sharad Pawar on Sunday favoured a non-political candidate as the next President in view of the fact that UPA and National Democratic Alliance did not have the strength to elect their own nominee.
The 2014 Lok Sabha election saw the Bharatiya Janata Party led by Narendra Modi storm to power at the Centre with a "triple century", giving the National Democratic Alliance an unexpected 336 seats in the Lok Sabha .
Rediff.com's Reuben NV captures the contrast in moods from the party headquarters in the national capital.
However, a majority in the Council of States will continue to elude the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
Congress leaders paid their tributes to India's first woman prime minister Indira Gandhi on her 98th birth anniversary.
'The BJP's use of nationalism was a major factor in its likely victory,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday claimed that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had 'begged for forgiveness for past betrayals' before his parents, party supremo Lalu Prasad and ex-CM Rabri Devi, before they allied with the Janata Dal-United president in 2022.
'JD-U wants to emerge as the single largest party in Bihar after the next assembly polls by contesting more seats than the BJP.'
'Elections are fought to win.' 'In our party, the leadership takes the final decision, and our leaders are very clear about it.'
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday started probe against 24 companies and public officials in connection with alleged irregularities in coal block allocations between 1993 and 2004, including during the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance regime.
Seeking to capitalise on the poor performance of the Congress in the assembly polls, the National Democratic Alliance on Sunday decided to add another partner to the alliance by taking in its fold Janata Party headed by Subramnian Swamy.
The major players in Bihar are the ruling alliance of the Janata Dal-United and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Opposition alliance of mahagathabandhan led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal with the Congress and three Left parties.
As suspense over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir continued, Peoples Democratic Party on Monday said the idea of a grand alliance with the National Conference and Congress was an option for forming a stable government in the state.
'We must do all it takes to protect the rights and freedoms that our Constitution guarantees'
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Accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation to target political opponents, Narendra Modi on Wednesday said it will be the agency that will fight the coming assembly and Lok Sabha elections and not the Congress party.
Kumar will be administered the oath of office by Governor Phagu Chauhan at a simple ceremony inside the Raj Bhavan at 2 pm.
Ahead of counting of votes, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday said his party was open to the idea of taking support of Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party to form government in the Union territory.
Tharoor said Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha following his conviction in a 2019 defamation case has generated a 'surprising wave of Opposition unity' with many parties having begun to feel the truth of the adage -- united we stand, divided we fall.
Chautala said that the loss/gain of the break-up with the BJP would also be known only after the polls.
The Indian National Lok Dal on Sunday rejoined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and announced that it will contest the coming Lok Sabha elections in Haryana in alliance with the BJP.
"NDA is a beautiful rainbow of regional aspirations... So nation's development through the development of states... At a time when we are working for a developed India, NDA is taking the lead in showing the spirit of sabka prayas," he said.
Sarma's name was proposed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and seconded by BJP state party president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and newly elected Haflong MLA Nandita Garlosa.
The road to Raisina Hills appears to be smooth for United Progressive Alliance Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee with the veteran Congress leader assured of support from parties, which have a vote value of at least 6.29 lakh, much above the requisite figure.
The TDP and JD-U will have a lot to answer inside Parliament, day after day, session after session, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Please promise, especially those millions who trust you with their hard-earned money, never to let your voting preferences determine your actions on the markets. The most appalling and scary phenomenon was fund houses and brokerages going out on election yatras and writing copious reports promising more than 300 for the BJP. That was your wish as voters. Your investors are paying for it now, points out Shekhar Gupta.
More than 40 per cent of the 908 candidates contesting the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are Independents, leading to claims that a large number of them have been propped up by the Bharatiya Janata Party to divide votes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level meeting on Tuesday to review the situation in Jammu and Kashmir which is witnessing violent clashes between security forces and protesters in the aftermath of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen's poster boy Burhan Wani.
The ruling National People's Party (NPP) in Meghalaya won 26 seats, but fell four short of the halfway mark of 31.
Former National Security Adviser Brajesha Mishra in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government has said both the BJP and Congress were indulging in "petty" electoral politics on terror attacks.
"I will personally on Friday, May 31 at 10 am will come before the SIT and will cooperate with the investigation and will respond to it (charges). I have faith in court and I am confident I will come out of false cases through court," Pajwal said in a video statement aired on Kannada TV channel Asianet Suvarna News.
Former chief minister Lal Thanhawla beat his nearest rival, United Democratic Alliance nominee J Lalchhuana by a margin of 96 votes in South Tuipui and UDA candidate C Lalramzauva, an advocate, by 736 votes in Serchhip.
Reacting sharply to reports that the Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to name late Pramod Mahajan in the spectrum scam, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said this shows how the Congress has taken the 'misuse' of official agencies to the 'lowest ebb for its political vendetta'.
The results for bypolls to seven assembly seats in six states will be declared on Friday in what is being seen as a major test for the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of the polls in five states later this year and Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
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