It sent shock waves in the party -- a political greenhorn had taken on Modi in his home turf of Gujarat. Smriti had clearly tried to choose sides, in this case Vajpayee's camp. Many felt that this would end Irani's career. A revealing excerpt from Nidhi Sharma's new book She, The Leader: Women in Indian Politics.
With Congress on the verge of a humiliating defeat, a group of party workers on Friday gathered outside the All India Congress Committee headquarters demanding Priyanka Gandhi's entry into active politics to "rescue" the party.
Just like Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's 'chai pe charcha' where he connects with various sections while sipping tea over the internet, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will take part in a 'Google Hangout' on March 15, where he will interact with block, district and Pradesh Congress Committee presidents to give them pep talk on the coming elections and to get their feedback on their states and their districts. Renu Mittal reports
Amethi, Guna, Rohtak.... These were believed to be easy seats to win but as they say in politics, anything's possible. This election has seen a few family bastions fall and one could attribute it to the TsuNaMo that has swept the country.
Shah's rally and other events will be attended by party workers from neighbouring constituencies, including Amethi.
Over 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded on Monday in 49 constituencies in six states and two Union territories in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections, with Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir recording its highest-ever voting percentage.
The Congress president had on April 10 claimed that the apex court has made it "clear" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "committed a theft".
Priyanka Gandhi asked what was stopping the human resources development minister from setting up an IIT here.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Maneka Gandhi on Sunday hit out at Priyanka Gandhi over her reported remarks that her son Varun Gandhi had gone "astray", saying the country will decide who has gone on the wrong path.
The Congress chief, however, said he was not expecting any cooperation from the prime minister and the BJP-led central government for the development of Wayanad and Kerala.
Rahul said his party's soon-to-be released manifesto will reflect the people's voice and not just one man's view.
Most of the officials who were removed were posted in or around Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies, represented by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, reports Sharat Paradhan
The feud in the royal palace of Amethi took a new turn on Sunday with Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh's son Anant Vikram Singh formally joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in an obvious bid to challenge his father.
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the government over the arrest of protesting Film and Television Institute of India students, telling Prime Minister Narendra Modi that they are not criminals.
Without ruling out the possibility of working with the Congress after polls, Akhilesh said he has good relations with the party and would be 'happy' if the next prime minister was from his home state.
The Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh on Monday renamed eight districts, which had been earlier named by Mayawati, leaving the Bahujan Samaj Party supremo fuming. The decision to change the names was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Raj Babbar said, "It has been decided that she will campaign for the party in the state elections. She has accepted our request to campaign. Whenever we will get her schedule, we will use her time accordingly".
Taking potshots at the prime minister, Gandhi said he should stop talking about the past and start doing his work.
She began her career as an aspiring model in the late 1990s. A few decades later, she is one of India's best known politicians.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be the deputy leader.
'You are one of the drops that make that ocean, but when you leave it makes no difference to the ocean.'
The new candidates fielded from these constituencies by the BJP are: SP Singh Baghel (Agra), Parameshwar Lal Saini (Sambhal), Raj Kumar Chaher (Fatehpur Sikri), Jai Prakash Rawat (Hardoi-SC), Ashok Rawat (Misrikh-SC) and Arun Sagar (Shahjahanpur-SC).
Targetting Priyanka Gandhi, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley on Monday said her ignorance about the presence of party candidate Smriti Irani in Amethi showed the Congress star campaigner's "arrogance at its worst".
The Congress quickly hit back accusing TMC of being a 'stooge of BJP' and challenged it to prove its credentials on a 'pan India' platform.
The SP-Congress campaign will see Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi criss-cross the seats held by either party.
What was he doing for past few years, when all this happened?" BJP MP Anurag Thakur said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday attacked the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre and accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of neglecting and using Assam, which he has been representing since 1991, for his "political advantages".
Even if the BJP gets 60, 70, or even 100 per cent of the votes in the seats where it scored more than 50 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, these will still add up to only 224 seats, argues Shekhar Gupta.
'The party in the present form cannot pose a challenge to the BJP and Modi.'
Rahul Gandhi's sister may finally break her self-imposed ban on political life, reports Sheela Bhatt.
The party managed only 52 seats on its own and many of its top leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia were defeated in the polls.
For the Congress to be taken seriously, it has to convince those around it that it could actually double its Lok Sabha seat share from the existing 52, and vote-share by a third more from the stagnating 20 per cent in 2014 and 2019, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Accusing Narendra Modi of using religion for canvassing by putting out Lord Ram's portrait in the backdrop at his Faizabad rally, Congress on Monday approached Election Commission demanding registration of an FIR against him and other party leaders as well as derecognition of BJP.
The second list has named 16 candidates from Uttar Pradesh and five from Maharashtra.
Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Akilesh will hold a cycle yatra in the constituency.
Notwithstanding the party denial of the possibility of national campaign by her, the Congress on Tuesday saw demands that Priyanka Gandhi contest Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a rally Garhmukteshwar in UP's Ghaziabad district, Singh said he regretted making adverse remarks against the Congress president and the Amethi MP when he was with the Samajwadi Party.
The Centre has rubbished the charges, saying Dorsey's Twitter regime had a problem accepting the sovereignty of Indian law.
The TMC and the Congress are at daggers drawn over the recent instances of 'poaching' by the Mamata Banerjee-led camp.
