Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975, saying the people of the country responded clearly to the excesses of that period by voting her party out of power by a large margin.
The proposed first constitutional amendment bill would deal with making provisions for holding Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly elections together.
Brave statements such as we will continue to be the fastest growing large country are of no consolation, because the direction of trade also determines the flow of investment, points out M Govinda Rao.
Workers from the BJP and Congress clashed in Patna during a protest march organized by the BJP against the use of abusive language towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late mother. The protest turned violent, with stone pelting and vandalism reported. Police intervened to control the situation, and an investigation is underway.
Opposition parties on Wednesday opposed the 'one nation, one election' proposal by calling it impractical and a 'cheap stunt' by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Election Commission had pegged the cost of procuring additional Electronic Voting Machines and paper-trail machines for holding synchronised Lok Sabha and assembly polls at nearly Rs 9,300 crore.
'Non-BJP state governments and their leaders, navigating today's political landscape, know well they have no clue what awaits around the corner.' 'The chances of charges pressed and oneself getting parked in custody play out on an uneven playing field,' points out Shyam G Menon.
Nitish Kumar wants to assure the BJP leadership that he will continue to be a part of the NDA. But he also wants to secure a larger number of seats for his party in the 2025 assembly elections in Bihar.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal for 'one nation, one Election' as recommended by the Kovind panel, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.
'Today, let us reaffirm our commitment to strive to realise Gandhiji's dreams. His watchwords, truth and nonviolence, will continue to remain relevant for the whole world. He also taught us that rights and duties are but the two sides of the coin - indeed, the true source of rights is duty. Today we recall his lessons in compassion too - compassion not only for our human neighbours but also for our other neighbours, namely, flora and fauna, rivers and mountains.'
India has secured international support in its fight against terrorism, with Russia, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates expressing solidarity and a commitment to working together to combat the threat. This follows a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India, which claimed 26 lives. Multi-party parliamentary delegations from India briefed the leaderships of these countries on Operation Sindoor, India's response to the attack, and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism and combating radicalism. These developments highlight the growing global consensus against terrorism and the importance of international collaboration to address this shared challenge.
Amid a row over change in stand over voting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday asserted it is a secular regional outfit and maintains equal distance from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and the opposition Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance bloc led by the Congress.
Pakistan National Assembly's Standing Committee on Sports has directed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to file a case against those security officials who didn't respond to the call of duty during the terror attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March this year.
An annoyed Younis Khan on Tuesday quit captaincy of the Pakistan cricket team after being grilled by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, which wanted him to explain the team's performance in the recent Champions Trophy.
Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party MLC C T Ravi was arrested after a first information report (FIR) was registered against him, for allegedly using a derogatory word against minister Laxmi Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council on Thursday, police said.
At the customary meeting ahead of the session beginning Monday, the opposition raised various issues, including voter roll revision in Bihar, the Pahalgam terror attack and Trump's 'ceasefire' claims.
All-party parliamentary delegations on Friday met leaders and diplomats from several countries to galvanise international action against terrorists and decisively counter the tactics of those who perpetrate, support and sponsor cross-border terror activities against India.
Over one lakh Muslims gathered in Karnataka to protest the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, which they say erodes the autonomy of Waqf institutions and threatens their rights. The protest, organized by the Karnataka State Ulema Coordination Committee, saw strong opposition to provisions in the amended law that they argue allow for coercive acquisition of Waqf properties. Leaders alleged that the amendment is part of a broader political agenda and urged the community to uphold their legal and constitutional rights.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has announced the formation of a panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to study the relationship between the Union and state governments and ensure state autonomy. The panel, which will submit its interim report in January 2026 and its final report in two years, will examine the transfer of subjects from the State List to the Concurrent List, citing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) as an example of a subject outside state purview.
Sources close to the top BJP leadership tell me that Tharoor has already had secret meetings with the BJP's top brass and is waiting patiently to make his next move, reports Ramesh Menon.
In 2019, an all-party meeting was held in Delhi and it was attended by 19 political parties to discuss critical reforms in governance. One of the subjects of the discussions was simultaneous elections
Two individuals claiming to be members of the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) in Bihar announced their "resignation" from the party, citing dissatisfaction with its support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The JD(U) denied the resignations, claiming the individuals were not party members. However, some senior JD(U) leaders have expressed discontent over the passage of the bill, which they believe is detrimental to Muslims. The controversy over the Waqf Bill is likely to influence the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ejaz Butt resisted a call for his resignation on Wednesday during a parliamentary committee hearing into PCB affairs and the national team's poor performance on their tour to Australia. Head of the parliamentary committee Jamshed Dasti told media he has asked the 71-year-old Butt to resign and let Pakistan cricket move forward under a young leadership.
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan told a parliamentary committee on sports on Monday that he had been unjustly treated by the cricket authorities and the indefinite ban imposed on him after the Australian tour should be lifted immediately.
Chairman of National Assembly standing committee on sports, Iqbal Muhammad Khan once again blamed PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt for Pakistan's debacle in England and asked for his removal.
'Brigitte Henriques calls on all members of the sports movement to remain mobilised on the essential and paramount objective: the full success of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024.'
PCB chairman Ejaz Butt and captain Younis Khan and coach Intikhab Alam will appear before the National Assembly standing committee on sports on Tuesday to respond to the match-fixing allegations labeled against them during the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
In a significant move, the Centre on Wednesday announced that caste enumeration will be part of the next population census, with the inclusion of caste details for the first time since independence hailed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies as a historic step to help design truly equitable and focused policies.
'Muslims in Bihar under Nitishji's rule are safest than anywhere else.'
There is a proposal from the BJP camp that they would resort to a proportion-based increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats for individual states, based on what they now have. On the face of it, this sounds like a fine argument that those demanding a 'freeze' now cannot oppose without reasons and justification, avers N Sathiya Moorthy.
A 39-member parliamentary panel has been constituted to examine the two bills proposing simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The panel, chaired by BJP leader Bhratruhari Mahtab, will include prominent members from various political parties, including the BJP, Congress, SP, TMC, and DMK. The panel is expected to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the first day of the last week of the next session. The government has decided to increase the committee's strength to include more political parties, highlighting the significance of this proposal to reform the election process in India.
Inaugurating the solidarity rally, Venugopal, a Rajya Sabha MP, strongly condemned the war unleashed by Israel in Gaza and their attacks against hospitals and refugee camps there.
Pakistan National Assembly's Standing Committee on Sports chairman Jamshed Dasti has back tracked from his earlier statement in which he had accused the Pakistani cricket team of 'fixing' the ICC champions Trophy matches against Australia and New Zealand.
'The BJP alliance needs to handle the Maratha quota issue skilfully and address its root cause, which is agrarian distress. Then there is stalled industrialisation. If these issues are addressed, caste fault lines would wither away. But, this is next to impossible in a short span of three-four months.'
Gautam Gambhir may be a familiar Pakistan nemesis on the field but the aggressive opener threw his weight behind Younis Khan and his men saying it is impossible to believe that they had tanked their matches in the ICC Champions Trophy. Gambhir said it is wrong to blame cricketers of match fixing if they end up on the losing side.
Pakistan skipper Younis Khan said he would not tolerate the slur of match-fixing levelled against him and his teammates and would resign from the captain's job if he felt so.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan on Wednesday dismissed match-fixing allegations against the Pakistani team in the Champions Trophy but felt the players were over-confident.
'Voters vote differently in the state elections and Parliamentary elections even if they are held together'
Younis Khan on Thursday made it clear to the Pakistan Cricket Board that he would withdraw his resignation from the captain's post only if he is retained at the helm till the 2011 World Cup.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had asked the agencies to hunt down terrorist agencies.
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