A galaxy of top leaders, including Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari and leaders of BJP's allies such as Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shiromani Akali Dal supremo Parkash Singh Badal and Lok Janshakti Party founder Ram Vilas Paswan were present with Shah.
While about 8,000 people are in the long list of invitees, the select list features 506 A-listers, including prominent politicians, leading industrialists, top film stars, sportspersons, diplomats, judges and high priests.
'Since 2002, we have not received any justice and we are still fighting for it.'
The internal war over appointment of secretary general of the Lok Sabha secretariat has intensified, causing an embarrassment the Speaker of Lok Sabha Meira Kumar and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kamal Nath.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday expressed its keenness in getting the Women's Reservation Bill passed in Lok Sabha after a consensus is evolved on the issue and not by use of marshals as was done in the Rajya Sabha last year.
Few had imagined the BJP would be able to travel this far when it was founded on April 6, 1980.
Complaints of electronic voting machine malfunctioning poured in from several booths on Tuesday during the third and largest phase of Lok Sabha polls which saw voters turning out in large numbers to cast their vote in 116 seats, including all constituencies of Gujarat and Kerala.
He underlined the need for patience in political life and said those seeking a change of guard should go back to the people to achieve it.
'This government is not cohesive. Earlier, the norm was to take a decision and then to announce it. Now what they are doing is to announce the decision first, before it is taken. When there is reaction, they say they will think about it. Then they set up a GoM and put the matter in cold storage. Perhaps there was pressure of showing something in the first 100 days.'
Thakur's tenure as chief minister is best remembered for implementation of the recommendations of the Mungeri Lal Commission, whereby quotas for backward classes were introduced in the state in 1978. This panel was the forerunner of the Mandal Commission. Both Mungeri Lal and B P Mandal were from Bihar, which has a long history of socialist struggles.
The BJP stalwart's body was later brought to his residence at Kailash Colony.
The only other legislative action was the approval of the Supplementary Demands for Grants.
Sonia Gandhi is the chairman of National Advisory Committee.
Jaswant Singh could stick out like a sore thumb for BJP even in the Lok Sabha after its attempt to remove him from the Chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee has been virtually rejected by Speaker Meira Kumar.
The less charitable in the party say he owes his appointment Sonia Gandhi -- the family wanted someone who wouldn't talk back and would not exert himself too much, notes Aditi Phadnis.
Veteran Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar passed away in New Delhi on Wednesday. He was 92.
The seat-share progression should worry the BJP. From the previous assembly polls of 2017, through the assembly segments in its favour in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and now in 2022, the BJP's seat-share has come down from a high 312 to 275 to 255. N Sathiya Moorthy reads the political tea leaves after the UP and Punjab election verdicts.
"The Parliament session has a very heavy legislative agenda. We are reaching out to the various political parties to carry through these agenda in the four weeks that we have for the session," Finance Minister P Chidambaram said today at a press conference in New Delhi.
BJP leader L K Advani described this year's Lok Sabha polls as the "most remarkable election ever held in the history of India" but parried queries on the prospects of Narendra Modi becoming the prime minister.
Trouble began in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha right from the word go as a determined Opposition demanded suspension of Question Hour and taking up of discussion on the issue.
The BJP on Thursday announced a seat-sharing arrangement with the Asom Gana Parishad, saying that it will contest eight of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam while the regional party will field candidates in rest of the six constituencies.
'Are we so ready to believe that in this country whose virtues we constantly shout from the rooftops, there is no single person -- other than Modi -- in a minimum of 272 elected MPs with the talent and ability to lead this country?' asks Prem Panicker.
A growing dominance of Narendra Modi within the Bharatiya Janata Party and his popularity outside the party have forced the BJP's new-generation leadership to rally behind the Gujarat chief minister. In fact, the top brass is mulling over the possibility of giving him the charge of the 'campaign and selection committee' for next year's Lok Sabha election.
He the government of India should also raise the compensation for the train blast victims in Mumbai to Rs 10 lakh each just as it is doing in the case of victims of the Samjhauta Express.
The third phase of Lok Sabha elections scheduled for Tuesday will see the maximum number of seats going to the polls in a single phase -- 117 across 15 states and Union Territories. It will also be a test for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party which will aim to defend the maximum number of seats at 62. This time the BJP will be tested in its bastion Gujarat -- where polling will be held for all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state -- apart from Karanataka, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, where the party had done well in 2014. Here are some of the big political leaders' who await their fate on Tuesday.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj has said that the situation in her party is 'volcanic' following its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari, parliamentary party chief L K Advani and Leader of Opposition of both Houses of Parliament will finalise the strategy for Presidential and Vice Presidential elections and discuss the issue with the National Democratic Alliance partners.
The National Democratic Alliance, led by strong man Narendra Modi secured a whopping 352 of 542 seats, making it evident that his message of muscular nationalism, security and Hindu pride had worked wonders.
On its own or with allies the Congress has a strong presence in states that account for a total of 253 LS seats, or 20 short of the magic figure of 272 required to form a government at the Centre. So what is Mamata Banerjee talking about, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Lok Sabha had a total of 21 sittings, spread over 113 hours.
The prime minister was often seen vigorously thumping the desk, prompting his Cabinet colleagues and NDA MPs to follow suit.
Here's a list of the full first-time ministers in the second term of the Narendra Modi government.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United on Wednesday asserted that it was "not scared of ED and CBI" following its break-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which rules the Centre and is often accused by the opposition of misusing investigating agencies.
Days after Lal Kishenchand Advani was declared the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for prime ministership for the Lok Sabha elections slated to be held in February 2009 unless Parliament is dissolved earlier, massive defeats in two bypolls in Khargone for Lok Sabha and the Sanver MLA seat sent the party top brass in a tizzy.
Nitin Gadkari has a message as much for his party as much purportedly it is for the Opposition. Listening to him, whatever be his reasons and motives, will help, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
A 7-hr debate was held over the contentious bill. Oppn amendments rejected.
On the first day of winter session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the Opposition.
The National Democratic Alliance on Tuesday evening agreed to end the boycott of parliamentary committees.
Demanding immediate recall of Gujarat governor on Lokayukta appointment issue, a delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Parliament led by senior leader L K Advani on Friday met President Pratibha Patil who informed them that the matter is sub-judice.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to send out the message that the ruling BJP, unlike its predecessors at the helm, is not guided by parochial politics in recognising contributions in the public life, as the party looks to break new ground during the polls.
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