Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has responded to criticism that he has not adequately raised Punjab-related issues in Parliament by sharing a video showcasing his interventions on key concerns affecting the state.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has criticised the BJP-led central government following ED raids on state minister Sanjeev Arora, alleging political harassment and misuse of central agencies.
The Election Commission will hold biennial elections on February 13 to seven Rajya Sabha seats, including those held by Union Ministers Vayalar Ravi and Saif-ud-Din Soz as also National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. Elections would be held for four seats in Jammu and Kashmir and three in Kerala.
Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill to regulate the appointment and service terms of Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners incorporating key amendments like retaining their status at par with Supreme Court judges, upgrading the search committee and inserting a new clause to protect them from court cases while discharging their official duties.
Sunetra Pawar, who is not a member of either house of the Maharashtra legislature, will be elected as leader of the legislature wing of the Nationalist Congress Party at a meeting in Mumbai on Saturday, after which she is likely to take oath as deputy CM.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son, Nishant Kumar, is set to enter politics, with a formal announcement expected from the JD(U). Party leaders express enthusiasm and anticipate a significant role for Nishant within the party.
The INDIA bloc faces a significant challenge as the Congress and DMK part ways, raising questions about the alliance's future and unity.
BJP rebel Gokul Gite secured a surprising victory in Maharashtra legislative council's Nashik district local governing body constituency, defeating the ruling Shiv Sena nominee Narendra Darade by 109 votes, despite senior Mahayuti leaders' attempts to resolve his independent candidature.
As more opposition MPs are now aligning with the ruling NDA, sources in the government indicated that possibilities are being explored to give a fresh push to the delimitation legislation in Parliament.
The decision was taken keeping in mind the party norm that no CPI-M leader can represent the party in the Upper House for more than two terms.
A united Opposition is expected to move amendments to the motion of thanks for the President's address on how note ban was a mess.
Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha refutes allegations of inaction in Parliament, asserting his commitment to raising public issues and creating impact.
Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, Union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Rajeev Shukla, and Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and actor Jaya Bachchan were among the 50 new members who took oath in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The notices given by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Deputy Leader of Congress in the House, Anand Sharma, seek to corner the government on the issue accusing it of "destabilising" a democratically-elected government in Uttarakhand.
'You cannot run Parliament with 800 MPs as nobody will get time (to speak in Parliament). And Parliament sits for barely 60 days in a year.' 'Look at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. They have 650 MPs and they sit for 150 days on an average in a year.'
The victory of Prime Minister and Congress candidate Manmohan Singh appeared certain in the May 30 Rajya Sabha elections in Assam at the end of withdrawal of nomination papers on Thursday. At the close of the deadline for withdrawal, all the three contestants -- Dr Singh, who is the first Congress candidate, Santius Kujur, the party's second candidate and All India United Democratic Front's Aminul Islam remained in the fray.
Dharmendra Pradhan's political career faced an unexpected jolt as he resigned as Education Minister following nationwide protests over the NEET paper leak, marking a significant departure from the government's initial dismissive response to the agitation.
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.
Opposition parties want to contest the election to the post of the deputy chairman on August 21 while the Congress is keen to get its nominee P J Kurien get elected unopposed.
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.'
Despite the Congress having nearly four times as many members in the Rajya Sabha as the TMC (48 to 13), Derek O'Brien has been informally leading the coordination of Opposition parties, rallying other parties to demand a discussion on electoral reforms and to protest the government's disinvestment plans, report Rahul Jacob and Archis Mohan.
Chaudhury Mohammad Aslam, eminent industrialist Rahul Bajaj, K.P.K Kumaran and Amir Alam Khan also took oath.
Three months after winning power in West Bengal, the BJP is confronting a significant political challenge: how to expand and consolidate its presence without adopting the very political culture it campaigned against, particularly concerning the integration of former TMC leaders and the need to curb practices like extortion and intimidation among its own cadres.
Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT) has invited leaders who sided with Eknath Shinde to return to the party led by Uddhav Thackeray, while also stating that some individuals will not be welcomed back.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and allowed separate seating for 20 rebel TMC lawmakers who joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), ahead of the Monsoon session.
The Congress and BJP are engaged in a political spat over the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill and its proposed link to delimitation, with Rahul Gandhi urging unconditional implementation of the 2023 law and Kiren Rijiju highlighting the constitutional requirement for delimitation based on post-2026 census figures.
Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party has emerged as the third largest party in the Rajya Sabha, relegating the CPI(M) to fourth position in yet another bad news for Marxists ahead of the Assembly polls in West Bengal and Kerala.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has affirmed strong action against NEET paper leak culprits and urged state governments to collaborate with the Centre to prevent future incidents, emphasising national interest over party politics. He highlighted the successful re-examination and arrests made.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai announced that the Congress will be part of the new government in Tamil Nadu led by Vijay's TVK, with discussions underway for ministerial posts and a Rajya Sabha seat.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is set to make crucial decisions regarding the status of rebel factions from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Shiv Sena (UBT) before the Monsoon session of Parliament begins on July 20, following demands for their disqualification by their parent parties.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will travel to Guwahati to file his nomination papers for his fifth term in the Rajya Sabha on May 15. The election has been scheduled for May 30.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has expressed disappointment saying "obstruction is destruction of parliamentary democracy".
'It's a bit uncertain. Let's see what happens. But he is the top man of Assam, and since my politics is in Assam, I thought it's best to seek his guidance before I take any decision.'
They said a 'mock poll' would be conducted in the Central Hall of the Samvidhan Sadan at around 2:30 PM on Monday after the briefing on the procedure to vote in the vice presidential polls.
Speculation is mounting that Siddaramaiah will announce his resignation from the CM's post in a couple of days, mostly on Thursday, to clear the path for Shivakumar.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad have launched a scathing attack on rebel party MPs, accusing them of lacking political morality, maintaining links with the BJP, and abandoning party workers amidst alleged harassment and political attacks.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju indicated that the government may bring a bill to increase seats in the Lok Sabha, potentially to implement reservation for women in the legislature. The Opposition has raised concerns about the timing and implications of the proposed bills.
Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh has petitioned the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking the restoration of his security cover after it was withdrawn following his defection from AAP to BJP. Singh cites a mob attack on his residence and potential threats as reasons for the plea.
Vice Chairman Harivansh regretted that 78 hours of business were lost due to disruptions and that the House functioned for only 27 hours.
The ruling NDA is expected to win the upcoming election for the post of Vice President of India, following the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar.
