Local body elections in Haryana, including municipal corporations of Ambala, Panchkula, and Sonipat, saw a 54.5 per cent voter turnout. Polling was held for mayor and ward councillor posts, with key contestants from BJP and Congress. The votes will be counted on May 13.
The EC also underlined that for electors whose enumeration forms have not returned, the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would identify a probable cause, such as absent, shifted, dead and duplicate entry based on an inquiry from the nearby electors and would note the same.
Punjab's AAP president, Aman Arora, has criticised Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu for alleged misconduct and objectionable behaviour towards police personnel in Dhuri, while Bittu accuses the AAP government of misusing the police to target BJP workers.
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu has apologised to the Scheduled Caste community for his recent objectionable remarks, stating that as a minister, he should not have used such language.
A Calcutta High Court judge, Gaurang Kant, disclosed that his elder brother is a national spokesperson for the BJP while hearing Mamata Banerjee's petition challenging the Bhabanipur assembly seat poll result. Despite the disclosure, Banerjee's lawyer expressed full confidence in the judge.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's remark calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'terrorist' has triggered strong reactions from the BJP, who have demanded an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.
The Trinamool Congress has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to experience West Bengal's 'Maa Canteen' during his visit for election campaigning, offering a meal for Rs 5. The TMC also criticised Modi's remarks on infiltration, linking it to the Home Minister's responsibilities.
Amid cross-voting, National Democratic Alliance-supported Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani on Thursday won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, defeating the Congress's Pranav Jha, an official said.
The TMC has written to the Election Commission alleging procedural irregularities in the scrutiny of nomination papers of BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate Rahul Sinha, claiming discrepancies in his election affidavit were overlooked.
The BJP is showing strong leads in West Bengal and Assam, while actor Vijay's party is making a significant debut in Tamil Nadu. The Congress is ahead in Kerala, offering some consolation amid the changing political landscape in the state elections.
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu has apologised to the Scheduled Caste community for his recent objectionable remarks, stating that as a minister, he should not have used such language. The apology follows a controversy stemming from an incident on May 26 where Bittu allegedly used casteist remarks against police officers in Dhuri.
Despite numerous appeals, only two names have been restored to the West Bengal electoral rolls after 2.7 million deletions, raising concerns about voter access and the functionality of proposed tribunals.
BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh has criticised the AAP government in Punjab, citing failures in tackling drug trafficking, mafia activities, and a deteriorating law and order situation. He urged party workers to launch awareness campaigns against drugs and assist in the Special Intensive Revision exercise for upcoming elections, envisioning a drug-free, fear-free, and development-oriented Punjab.
The Supreme Court closed a plea by Goa Congress leader Ketan Bhatikar, who died from a snakebite, challenging the cancellation of the Ponda assembly bypoll by the Bombay High Court.
'They probably imagine any hue and cry in the event Sheikh Hasina is hanged will be shortlived as it happened when Bhutto was hanged in Pakistan in 1979.'
Opposition parties have submitted a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking a motion for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing concerns over the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
'Now if you break the party under the 10th Schedule you have to join another party.' 'You cannot join the NDA as it is not a party. You can only join another party, and that is the BJP.' 'So the question to ask is that these so-called 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs who are parting ways with the TMC, are they ready to join the BJP and accept Narendra Modi as their leader?'
Addressing tribal leaders from across the country at an event organised by the Adivasi Congress at the Indira Bhawan in New Delhi, Gandhi warned that while an 'economic tsunami' is coming, the system is also revolting due to public pressure.
Facing a massive rebellion of MLAs and MPs after its defeat in the West Bengal assembly polls, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has begun an organisational reset, with sources saying the focus is on top leaders increasing direct engagement with workers and reducing dependence on political-consultancy firm I-PAC.
Kerala Police have registered a case against X and one of its handles for circulating an AI-generated video allegedly depicting the Prime Minister and the Election Commission of India in a misleading and defamatory manner.
Women voters in West Bengal appear to be shifting their priorities beyond financial assistance, placing greater emphasis on governance and accountability, according to post-election analysis. This shift may have contributed to the Trinamool Congress's (TMC) losses in the recent assembly election, as the BJP's promises and other factors influenced voter sentiment.
The BJP has taken an early lead in the Gujarat local body elections, winning a significant number of seats as counting progresses. The Congress trails behind, while Independents and other parties, including AAP and AIMIM, have also secured seats.
A BJP and a Trinamool Congress worker were killed in separate incidents of post-poll violence in West Bengal on Tuesday, police said.
Counting of votes begins in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal, with significant implications for regional and national parties.
BJP MLA Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim, met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and criticised TMC leader Mamata Banerjee over her election loss, linking it to her fight for justice in her daughter's case.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused central forces of attempting to search her car while en route to Kolkata airport, alleging misuse of central machinery by the BJP ahead of state elections.
Clashes erupted between locals and security personnel in West Bengal's Birbhum district after allegations of EVM malfunctioning triggered tension during the first phase of the state assembly elections.
West Bengal's annual July 21 Martyrs' Day observance has transformed into an unprecedented political contest, with three rival camps - Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, a breakaway TMC faction, and the Congress - holding parallel programmes in central Kolkata, each vying for legacy and organisational strength.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised one lakh jobs for youths each year based on merit if the BJP won the West Bengal election, and also pledged to make the state free of infiltrators.
The Supreme Court has declined to intervene in a petition concerning the deletion of names from voter lists in West Bengal, directing the petitioners to seek redressal through established appellate tribunals.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee challenges Amit Shah to resign, questioning his commitment to clean politics, citing Shah's past arrest and criticising the BJP's actions against allegedly corrupt leaders.
The TMC has filed a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at an EVM strongroom in Kolkata. TMC workers protested outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, claiming that postal ballots were taken to a room without CCTV coverage. Similar protests occurred at a strongroom in North 24 Parganas, while the BJP shared a video from Purba Bardhaman district.
The campaign for the current election cycle ended on Monday as canvassing for the final phase in West Bengal concluded with a bitter war of words between rival parties over cross-border infiltration, corruption, unemployment and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the BJP of orchestrating the recent blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of upcoming assembly elections. Mann alleges the BJP seeks to incite violence and intimidate the public to gain votes, a tactic he claims they employ in every state where they contest elections.
A referendum on the implementation of a reform package in Bangladesh saw a 60.26 per cent voter turnout, with the 'yes' vote winning a clear majority, the Election Commission announced.
The Bhabanipur assembly segment is Banerjee's political bastion, where she is locked in a prestige battle against Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in what is being seen as a symbolic rematch of Nandigram, where he had defeated her in the 2021 assembly polls.
A Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges against actress Jacqueline Fernandez, Sukesh Chandrashekhar, and 15 others in connection with a Rs 200-crore money laundering case.
According to data released by the ECI, the revised electoral roll has 2,69,53,644 voters, compared to 2,78,50,855 before the Special Intensive Revision began in October last year.
Author of over 100 books, he served as the secretary general of Lok Sabha from 1983 to 1990.
Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress supremo, has launched a strong counterattack against rebel party members, accusing them of conspiring with the BJP to split the party. She dared them to formally join the BJP and defended her leadership amidst the worst organisational crisis for TMC, while also announcing leadership changes and criticising the rebels' past actions and attempts to seize party assets.
