The Muslim League had orchestrated two deadly attacks on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1939 but the Congress establishment 'quietly' kept the story buried for 86 years because it was an 'uncomfortable truth', the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Friday, launching a blistering attack on the opposition party.
A seasoned politician and two-term Member of Parliament, Dr Shakeel Ahmad, who has served as a Union minister and senior Congress leader, resigned from the Congress party, marking the end of his decades-long association with an organisation that his family has been part of for three generations. In an interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff he speaks why he quit the party.
Chirag Paswan has warned the BJP-led NDA that it will settle for nothing less than 40-plus seats in the 2025 Bihar polls, even threatening to contest all 243 constituencies independently if sidelined.
With nominations for the first phase of Bihar elections closing soon, the INDIA bloc is struggling to finalize seat sharing, while the NDA has announced its candidates. Key political figures are actively campaigning.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday challenged Home Minister Amit Shah to debate with him on his three press conferences in which the Congress leader alleged 'vote chori' by the Bharatiya Janata Party in collusion with the Election Commission.
According to the Pune city police, the FIR has been filed under provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules, 1959, for allegedly violating restrictions applicable to protected monuments.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and forest minister Ganesh Naik on Monday held a janta darbar in Thane, the home turf of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, rejecting speculation of one-upmanship in the Mahayuti alliance.
''Now the roads in Bihar are as good as any other Indian state. The power sector has improved.' 'Connectivity, law and order, gender justice...' 'Bihar now stands for all these things that were totally absent when it was under jungle raj.'
BJP MP Medha Kulkarni stopped a Dandiya event in Pune after receiving noise complaints from local residents during the Navratri festival. She cited disturbances to senior citizens and those with health issues, alleging inaction despite complaints to local authorities.
Amidst speculation over the NDA seat-sharing deal in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar distributed JD(U) tickets, while the BJP announced its first list of candidates. The INDIA bloc also faces internal challenges as parties prepare for the upcoming elections.
Nitish Kumar was chosen as the leader of the JD(U) legislature party and is expected to be chosen as the leader of the NDA alliance in Bihar. He will take oath as Bihar CM for a record 10th time.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that singing 'Vande Mataram' will be made compulsory in every school and educational institution of the state.
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan demands a time-bound and impartial probe into the death of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, alleging caste oppression and harassment within the administrative system. He has spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini regarding the matter.
The Congress's performance in the Lok Sabha elections showed that it may be down but not out, and Modi is determined to ensure that in the next round in 2029, it is consigned to irrelevance, points out Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
'The name will be declared at the right time.'
Smaller allies of the ruling NDA in Bihar, including HAM and RLM, have expressed resentment over the seat-sharing arrangements announced for the upcoming assembly elections, raising concerns about the alliance's unity.
'Judges have transmitted a terrible message to citizens across the nation. All right-thinking individuals will be disturbed by what the Delhi high court judges have done.'
The Maha Vikas Aghadi, along with MNS, held a protest march in Mumbai against alleged irregularities in the voters list, claiming it favors the ruling BJP. Key leaders participated and addressed a rally highlighting issues like multiple entries and wrongful deletions.
A BJP leader from Ayodhya has filed a complaint seeking a ban on the film 'The Taj Story,' claiming it's based on his high court petition regarding the Taj Mahal.
A BJP leader from Ayodhya has filed a complaint seeking a ban on the film 'The Taj Story,' claiming it's based on his high court petition regarding the Taj Mahal.
Confusion prevailing in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) showed little signs of let up on Saturday, with just two days to go before the filing of nomination papers for the second and final phase of assembly elections comes to a close.
'When the accused has a past record demonstrating unprecedented and unmatched criminality and perversion, I believe the interests of justice would have been better served if such a person remained behind bars.'
Each leader will look after six assembly constituencies.
Most of these leaders are known for their organisational skills and successful management of elections in their respective states.
A Delhi court refused Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's request to prevent AAP leader Somnath Bharti from representing his wife in a defamation case filed against Sitharaman.
'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.'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticizes Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of acting like an 'acting Prime Minister' and manipulating the Election Commission. She warns Prime Minister Modi against trusting Shah, suggesting he could become a 'Mir Zafar'.
Bihar's opposition Mahagathbandhan is experiencing internal conflict following their defeat in the recent assembly elections. Congress leaders have expressed dissatisfaction with their alliance with the RJD, leading to a blame game and further disarray within the opposition camp.
If women voters are mobilised in big numbers to the voting booths on November 6 and 11 by the Nitish Kumar-led NDA, then it will be quite difficult for the Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbandhan to defeat the incumbent government, points out Sheela Bhatt.
'Stalin's intention is plain and simple.' 'The DMK wants to convert what is an 'incumbency-centred' election for the party-led alliance into one more 'Modi/BJP election' after Stalin's successive success in 2019 and 2021, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra suggests political developments are underway in the ruling Congress party and expects them to culminate after the Bihar assembly polls, hinting at a possible change in Chief Minister.
'. I had never expected that our party would get less than 4 per cent votes in the assembly polls'
Much of the credit for bringing the BJP, which had lost ground in UP, back to the top goes to Sunil Bansal.
The BJP has filed a complaint with the Election Commission against Rahul Gandhi for his alleged derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during recent rallies in Bihar.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dismisses rumors of a change in leadership, asserting he will complete his full five-year term. His statement follows comments from Congress leaders suggesting Deputy CM D K Shivakumar would succeed him.
'This campaign reeks of communalism, which is why it is being opposed.'
Filing of nomination papers ended on Monday for the second and final phase of Bihar assembly polls, with the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) appearing fractured, as constituents would end up fighting each other in a number of seats.
Priti Kinnar, a transgender social worker, is set to contest the Bihar assembly elections from Bhorey seat on a Jan Suraaj ticket, challenging the incumbent Education Minister. Her entry into politics has sparked mixed reactions, with some seeing it as a potential boost for the transgender community and others questioning its impact on the election outcome.
'...the electoral playing field is tilted significantly in its favour.'
Maharashtra BJP's chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye has called on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to cancel his party's annual Dussehra rally and instead use the funds to provide relief to flood victims in the Marathwada region. Upadhye criticized Thackeray's past performance as chief minister and suggested that canceling the rally would demonstrate genuine concern for the affected population.
The opposition INDIA bloc has declared RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.