BJP's candidate from northwest Delhi constituency Hans Raj Hans, Union minister and Chandni Chowk candidate Harsh Vardhan and other party leaders were also present.
'I repeatedly contacted the party leadership, but they didn't take my calls. The District Congress Committee offered no assistance.' 'I waited for a long time, and when no response came, I decided to quit the party.'
Total number of 722 candidates are in the fray for 126 seats.
The Congress party has called on the BJP-led government to adopt a unified national approach to restore India's role as a voice for peace, criticising the government's foreign policy and its impact on India's global standing.
Members of lottery 'king' Santiago Martin's family are contesting in the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Assembly elections through three different political parties.
Indian tennis icon Leander Paes has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), marking a significant transition from his celebrated sports career to the political arena, ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal.
Assam is set to hold elections for its 126-member assembly, with a direct contest expected between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led opposition. Key candidates and constituencies are in focus as the state prepares to vote.
'The BJP's tally may dip, but the NDA is likely to retain power.'
Small parties have the capacity to play both ends against the middle. Puducherry could be heading that way, points out Aditi Phadnis.
Four Assam Congress workers have been arrested for allegedly possessing and transporting pamphlets containing allegations against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, sparking controversy and accusations of undemocratic action.
Crorepati Candidates: Congress (61). BJP (52). CPM (52).
A Bengaluru court has sentenced Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni to life imprisonment for the murder of BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar. The court also sentenced 15 others to life imprisonment in connection with the 2016 murder case.
In a surprising turn of events, BJP corporator Sangeeta Khandekar was elected as the mayor of Chandrapur Municipal Corporation with the support of Shiv Sena (UBT), dealing a blow to the Congress party's aspirations.
Puducherry witnessed a historic voter turnout of 89.87% in the recent Assembly elections, the highest since 1964. The election saw a contest between the NDA and Congress-led bloc, with other parties also vying for influence. Polling was largely peaceful, with a minor clash reported.
The alliance between Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) and AIMIM in West Bengal has collapsed following allegations of a multi-crore deal with the BJP, leading to AIMIM's withdrawal and both parties planning to contest the elections independently.
Maharashtra BJP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission regarding illegal hoardings allegedly put up by the NCP and other parties in Pune ahead of the civic body polls.
The Opposition had the numbers to win one Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar. As it turned out, four MLAs skipped the voting, helping the NDA to sweep the polls.
Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah joined the BJP, marking a significant political shift ahead of the upcoming Assam assembly polls.
'I could have accepted the humiliation if I wanted to remain as an MP. But I decided to leave.'
The Congress party has expelled Navjot Kaur Sidhu after she publicly criticized Rahul Gandhi. The expulsion follows her earlier suspension and a series of posts on X where she attacked the party leadership and questioned their commitment to Punjab.
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar defends the Congress party's right to contest the Baramati assembly bypoll, criticising his grandnephew Parth Pawar's remarks against the Congress candidate. Pawar cites the importance of electoral contest and questions Parth's political maturity.
Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry and Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh also witnessed a tense atmosphere amid confrontation between the party workers.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini criticised the Aam Aadmi Party's governance in Punjab, citing issues such as drug addiction, crime, and financial instability. He promoted the BJP as an alternative, highlighting their development agenda and commitment to fulfilling promises.
Bhupen Borah's resignation and swift switch to the BJP has dealt the Congress a major setback in Assam just weeks before the Assembly elections.
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.
'Secularism or social development or social justice is no longer part of development, according to the youth in Kerala.' 'They are concerned about material wellbeing and material welfare, and they believe that Narendra Modi is capable to giving them that kind of development.' 'So, they don't have any ideological hesitation in voting for him.'
The RSS has filed police complaints against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly comparing the organisation and the BJP to a 'poisonous snake' during an election rally in Assam.
'Jan Suraaj Party was the BJP's 'B' team. It is proven now.' 'You have seen their performance and it proves that they only worked to dent Opposition votes by working for the BJP.'
A BJP functionary in Latur, Maharashtra, attempted suicide after being passed over for a nominated corporator position in the municipal corporation, highlighting internal party tensions.
The Chhattisgarh assembly was disrupted by Congress protests over alleged illegal opium cultivation on a BJP functionary's farm, leading to the suspension of several MLAs.
The BJP has strongly criticized the Congress party after youth wing workers staged a protest at the India AI Impact Summit, alleging the demonstration was orchestrated to tarnish India's global image.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the BJP's manifesto for West Bengal, promising a Uniform Civil Code, a Bengali chief minister, and improved governance.
Tension flared outside the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Kolkata following a confrontation between Trinamool Congress supporters and police over alleged voter list manipulation, with accusations of illegal voter enrolment from other states.
The Congress party has accused the government of using women's reservation as a pretext to push through delimitation, arguing that the women's quota law should be implemented immediately based on the current Lok Sabha strength.
'The Congress has no positive vision for the country. The truth is that today the Congress has become the Muslimleegi Maowadi Congress -- MMC. The Congress' entire agenda revolves around this, so now a new faction is emerging within Congress itself, which is uncomfortable with this negative politics.'
Prateek Bordoloi's withdrawal after his father's BJP switch underscores Congress' mounting challenges ahead of the Assam elections.
Breaking the nearly three-decade-old dominance of the undivided Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday emerged as the single largest party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, and also triumphed in Pune, where it made mincemeat of the alliance of Nationalist Congress Party factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar.
AIADMK has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement with key NDA alliance members, including the BJP, PMK, and AMMK, for the upcoming elections, as announced by AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.
The Congress party experienced a significant decline in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, winning a mere 15 seats out of 227. Analysts attribute the poor performance to strategic missteps, infighting, and a failure to connect with voters amidst linguistic and religious polarization.
Paes had joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021 and campaigned for the party during the Goa elections in 2022.
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