Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has strongly criticised the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stating it is 'focussed more on exclusion' and has 'played havoc with democracy' by disturbing free and fair elections.
The Kerala government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe two 'kafir screenshot' cases that caused a political storm during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign in Vadakara constituency. The cases involve alleged communal polarisation and the circulation of fake messages against LDF candidate K K Shailaja, with the new SIT reopening a previously inconclusive investigation.
Three Congress candidates, including All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge, and one Bharatiya Janata Party nominee were declared elected "unanimously" to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka on Thursday, election officials said.
It was left to an incensed Gen Z to show the rest of India that enough was enough, and that the time had come to shatter the fear psychosis generated by the government's authoritarian approach to protests and criticism, points out M R Narayan Swamy.
A Congress spokesperson, quoted in media reports, summed up the party's thinking by saying, 'Whenever BJP is in trouble on the ground, a new 'apolitical' or 'alternative' party appears with the same ideology and the same backers.'
Cockroach Janata Party Spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya has sparked a controversy by defiantly defending his decision to eat a burger during Monday's protests against the NEET paper leak, rejecting public accountability for his personal actions.
DMK President M K Stalin has alleged that the ruling TVK won the April 23 Assembly polls by influencing people through social media, without doing any field work. He said social media was used to influence family members through children and that the DMK has realised this and will be very careful from now on. Stalin also mentioned that the DMK has set up a committee to tour all the 234 constituencies in the state to assess the ground situation and find out the reasons for the debacle.
India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the series-deciding third and final One-Day International against England at Lord's due to swelling in his left knee, sustained during the second ODI in Cardiff.
'It is a well calculated strategy of the BJP to hit the JSP and widely propagate that leaders have been leaving PK sensing his defeat in the bypoll.'
C Joseph Vijay's Jana Nayagan is not just a film but a potent political statement, strategically crafted to align with his political aspirations and claim the legacy of M G Ramachandran, notes Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared a fabricated social media post attributed to former US President Donald Trump, captioned 'If only!', to highlight his demand for the restoration of J&K's statehood, drawing significant criticism online.
The dramatic development marked the culmination of a revolt that began with allegations of forged signatures on a letter proposing a Leader of Opposition and snowballed into an open challenge to the party leadership following the TMC's defeat at the hands of the BJP in the assembly elections.
Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has been cleared in most of the Enforcement Directorate's findings and penalties in the 2009 IPL South Africa FEMA case by an appellate tribunal. This verdict ends a 16-year legal battle, prompting Modi to announce his plans to return to India by late this year or early next year.
Andrea Pirlo's potential appointment as Italy's head coach is facing significant political opposition due to his commercial ties as a global ambassador for Russian betting company Fonbet, with Italian parliamentarians and football federation figures expressing concerns.
India has rejected allegations of declining media freedom and erosion of religious and minority rights, asserting that the country is a vibrant democracy that guarantees free speech to all.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor cited the Kerala Assembly election results as an example of communal harmony, highlighting instances where voters looked beyond caste and religion.
Director H Vinoth has finally broken his silence on the controversies surrounding Jana Nayagan, addressing allegations of the film's leak and the Censor Board's role in its delayed release, while also defending actor-politician Vijay's decision to remain silent.
Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan acknowledges the LDF's defeat in the Assembly elections, vowing to serve as a responsible opposition and address shortcomings.
The extent of doubts over the fairness of this election can be assessed by juxtaposing two figures: Total votes polled by the two principal parties and the number of people who were disallowed from voting this time, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Amid renewed speculation about political realignments and a potential merger, senior leaders from two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule clarified her party's position on the proposed Delimitation Bill, stating that while a uniform 50 per cent increase in seats across states would be hard to oppose, any final decision would be made after discussions within the INDIA bloc.
Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin Yojana has seen 81 lakh registered beneficiaries removed following a multi-month e-KYC verification drive, with the state's Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare clarifying the process was mandatory to filter out ineligible individuals, income-tax payers, and government employee families.
The Election Commission has directed the police to take strict action regarding an objectionable social media post allegedly targeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs, including Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday and, within hours, were named the saffron party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypolls from West Bengal, underlining both their political rehabilitation and the party's calibrated shift in inducting leaders from the erstwhile ruling dispensation.
Twenty-three political parties and an Independent MP have jointly written to Chief Justice Surya Kant regarding the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and other election-related issues, a move spearheaded by the INDIA bloc.
A delegation of NDA leaders in Karnataka has formally complained to the Chief Electoral Officer, alleging "massive irregularities" in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanding an immediate inquiry and door-to-door re-verification.
Congress leader Manish Tewari expressed his disappointment after being overlooked in the recent Punjab Congress reshuffle for upcoming assembly polls, posting a cryptic message on X about "insecurities of individuals and institutions" while reaffirming his loyalty to the party. The reshuffle saw key appointments for election committees, including Charanjit Singh Channi as Campaign Committee chairman, but notably excluded Tewari.
The Indian government is considering amending the IT Rules 2021 to introduce compulsory certification for films released on OTT platforms, following a controversy involving the film 'Satluj' which was released without clearances and later taken down due to national security concerns.
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee shared a poem titled 'Brave' after her party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls. The poem invokes courage, dignity, and inner strength, serving as a message to the TMC cadre.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has questioned the credibility of the West Bengal assembly polls, accusing the Election Commission of partisan conduct and alleging large-scale irregularities during the elections.
'Even if they align with the TVK now, I don't think the AIADMK leadership will completely surrender to the dominance of Vijay.'
US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent ally of former President Donald Trump and an influential voice on American foreign policy, has passed away at 71 following a 'brief and sudden illness', leaving a significant void in Washington's political landscape.
Newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam on Wednesday hinted at an equal seat-sharing arrangement with the Samajwadi Party for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
A sensational New York Times report alleging that Israel's Mossad secretly groomed former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lead a post-Islamic Republic Iran is being scrutinised for its strategic timing amidst Iran's sensitive post-Khamenei transition.
'Our leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, are in touch with all Opposition parties, including the DMK and the AAP.'
'Propaganda films that the BJP makes, whether it's The Kerala Story or others, are shown wherever elections occur as part of their propaganda. But real-time human rights violations... If such things don't come on a public platform, how will correction occur?'
Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, wife of former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide VK Pandian, has formally joined the BJD. Naveen Patnaik welcomed her, emphasising her experience as an IAS officer and her work with women. Patnaik also clarified that he would continue to lead the BJD in the next elections, despite speculation about Sujata taking over. Sujata expressed her dedication to serving the people of Odisha under Patnaik's leadership. Her entry into politics follows her husband's withdrawal after the BJD's recent electoral defeat.
Former minister M R Vijayabaskar has resigned from the AIADMK, becoming the sixth legislator to do so, reportedly over disagreements regarding potential alliance talks with the DMK. He is expected to join the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
The monsoon session of Parliament will set the tone for how the Hindu community feels about what happened at the Ram Mandir. Whether emotions will be stirred within the voters of India lies solely at the oratory skills of the Congressis and Samajwadis, notes Zainab Sikander.
Former Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI) President S Sabanayakan has been elected to the Executive Committee of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) during its 88th Congress in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has alleged that some Maharashtra MPs are being offered 'Rs 50 crore' to switch sides, amid intense speculation of an imminent split within the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. Raut challenged any dissidents to resign their parliamentary seats before defecting.
