'In the Congress, only those people who suck up to the leadership have value. I am not one of them.'
Priyanka's victory seems assured, but the broader implications for Kerala's political landscape and South Indian politics remain to be seen.
In the five years in politics Priyanka Gandhi has undeniably emerged as a thorn in the BJP flesh, notes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay. It is time that this thorn is twisted a wee bit more when the elections have become far more uncertain than what it was when the Election Commission announced the poll schedule.
When it comes to the Congress and Wayanad, the only way the scepticism in the minds of some in Kerala may be addressed is by the Gandhi family proving that they are more than a passing caravan in town, reports Shyam G Menon.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday sought answers from Narendra Modi on CNT/SPT Acts, starvation deaths and 'divisiveness',a day after the prime minister threw challenges to Congress on citizenship, Article 370 and triple talaq. She also attacked the prime minister on economic slowdown, Citizenship Act, National Register of Citizenship and alleged assaults on women in different parts of the country.
The counting of votes for the bypolls to 46 assembly seats in 13 states and in the Lok Sabha segments of Nanded in Maharashtra and Wayanad in Kerala, a crucial electoral exercise since the parliamentary polls in April-May, will begin at 8 am on Saturday.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Sonia Gandhi, argued that the Enforcement Directorate's National Herald case is 'truly a strange' one, citing the absence of property or its use in the alleged money laundering.
If Priyanka wins the Lok Sabha bypolls, it would be for the first time that three members of the Gandhi family will be in Parliament. Her mother Sonia Gandhi is a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.
The sources said, without naming anyone, the party leadership sent a "clear message" during the meeting that this is not a time of airing individual views but for amplifying the party's stand.
The government rejected the Opposition's demand for a discussion on electoral roll revision in Bihar, citing that the matter is sub judice and pending before the judiciary.
'We can't afford to fight each other.' 'We have to win the 2026 election.'
A complaint was filed against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, for her 'poor thing' remark on President Droupadi Murmu. The complaint, filed by a lawyer, seeks registration of an FIR against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for allegedly disrespecting the country's highest constitutional authority. The court will hear the matter on February 10.
A high-voltage drama unfolded in Lucknow on Saturday evening as Priyanka Gandhi alleged that she was manhandled by police personnel who grabbed her by the throat and pushed her when she resisted their attempts to stop her from visiting the residence of the retired IPS officer, arrested in connection with the recent anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests.
Vadra's emotive Facebook post came as Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia, who took charge as AICC general secretary UP east and UP west, respectively, last week, participated in a road show in Lucknow on Monday along with Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
Asked about the security breach at their residence, he said it was a "very big lapse", but he would like to emphasise more on the safety of women in the country.
The security cover of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has been strengthened with the addition of two bullet-resistant vehicles following a review of his Z category armed central protection recently, official sources said on Wednesday.
The current situation in Kerala politics is perhaps best described as a case of the state's traditional two front politics now seeing a third front (the BJP) muscling in with the potential outcome being either a messy three front affair or a renewed endorsement of the two front pattern but with one of the old fronts compromised or quashed, observes Shyam G Menon.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi along with the five other Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh will visit violence-hit Sambhal on Wednesday, party's state unit chief Ajay Rai said.
Team Modi has been forced to rethink its 'Target Rahul' strategy.
Sonia Gandhi, her son, her daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and a relative relished Chole Bhature during a family lunch at the Kwality restaurant in New Delhi on Sunday, December 22, 2024.
'She is now a role model for the upcoming young generation. And I am sure that this victory will definitely motivate and inspire the Indian women, and those who are coming up.'
Ending days of suspense, the Congress on Friday announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades, and Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, will fight from Amethi.
Priyanka Gandhi in large part was at the centre of the Congress's action, giving a number of enduring images from this election campaign.
'The Election Commission's involvement in the avoidable SIR controversy has carried a message down to the last voter -- who just does not like it,' observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Brisk polling was seen for the Wayanad Lok Sabha and the Chelakkara assembly seats in Kerala as they witnessed a turnout of 20.54 and 19.08 per cent, respectively, after the first three hours of voting on Wednesday.
He said Priyanka could have been a wonderful candidate in Varanasi as well, especially looking at how good the Congress candidate did against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Priyanka Vadra has admitted to mistakes in submitting multiple applications for Director Identification Number while Karti Chidambaram has been asked by the Corporate Affairs Ministry to explain his position on a related issue.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that she has been admitted to hospital due to an illness and hence would not join the party's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on Friday.
According to an agreement reached after the telephonic conversation between Priyanka Gandhi and Yadav, the Congress has now got seats such as Sitapur and Barabanki.
Several other little known entities, realty players involved in transactions with his four firms.
She asserted the Congress is united in Rajasthan while the BJP is completely fragmented.
Thapar had strong reservations about Project Cheetah, India's initiative to reintroduce African cheetahs into the wild. He argued that India does not have the necessary habitat or prey base to support free-ranging cheetahs and that the authorities lacked experience in managing spotted felines in the wild.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have got a tough fight in Varanasi had Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contested against him as Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) candidate, feel party workers from the temple town.
"Mr Robert Vadra not only renovated the aforesaid property at 12 Bryanston Square, London through Sumit Chadha but also stayed in the same," it said.
Her remarks in a post on X came after BJP IT department head Amit Malviya claimed that a 'tussle' was going on between Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi's sister may finally break her self-imposed ban on political life, reports Sheela Bhatt.
The comments on Twitter came hours after the first political rally on Tuesday of the newly appointed Congress general secretary in which Priyanka told electorates that their votes are a "weapon" which should be used wisely, disregarding useless issues and tall claims made by others.
The sources said that Priyanka Gandhi remained in constant touch with the party president, the chief minister, ministers and all important leaders, and did not allow any laxity.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in India's Lok Sabha, has accused the Speaker, Om Birla, of running the House in a "non-democratic style" and preventing him from speaking. Gandhi claims that he was not allowed to speak on various issues, including unemployment and the Maha Kumbh festival, despite raising his hand to speak. He also alleges that the Speaker made unsubstantiated remarks about him and adjourned the House without giving him an opportunity to respond. The Speaker, however, has urged members to conduct themselves in accordance with the rules of the House, especially the Leader of the Opposition.
Bharatiya Janarta Party candidate Ramesh Bidhuri on Wednesday again targeted Delhi chief minister and his rival from Kalkaji seat Atishi, saying she was running around like a 'hirni' (doe) in the streets of the constituency ahead of assembly polls after doing little for the people for years.
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