'The chair is a referee in a match, whether this side is playing better or that side is playing worse is no concern of the chair.'
Amar Singh built an extensive network for the party, and was often spotted with celebrities, from the Bachchans to Anil Ambani to Subrata Roy.
The front row of Rajya Sabha may have a new look in the monsoon session beginning Monday with the biennial elections throwing up new winners and losers.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has vowed to take strict action against any police personnel found involved in the drug trade, addressing concerns raised by the opposition regarding the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
"The BJP tried every trick to defeat the BSP candidate and indulged in malpractices," the BSP supremo alleged.
A weak presence in the Rajya Sabha has forced the NDA to try and rope in 'weak links' in the Opposition ranks to pass key legislation in the Upper House.
Its electoral triumphs in assembly polls, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, have made the BJP the single-largest party in the Rajya Sabha.
The prime minister was elected unopposed on May 18 after independent candidate Matang Singh withdrew from the contest.
Mallya showed his net worth at Rs 615 crore, mainly in shares and bonds.
The biennial election to the two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand, which was countermanded over allegations of use of money-power and horse-trading, will now be held afresh on May 3, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday. The three-member commission decided the fresh dates in its meeting held today and a notification for the same would be issued on April 16, starting the process for filing of nominations.
The election is scheduled for February 13. Their names have reportedly been cleared by the coalition government of the NC and the Congress.
AIADMK has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement with key NDA alliance members, including the BJP, PMK, and AMMK, for the upcoming elections, as announced by AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.
The opposition is likely to submit a notice in both Houses of Parliament to remove Gyanesh Kumar as the chief election commissioner, marking a historic first. This article details the legal procedure for removing a CEC, including the roles of Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the investigation process.
Political activity in Bihar is all set to intensify once the inauspicious kharmas period ends on April 14. Will Nitish Kumar pull another rabbit out of his hat? M I Khan reports.
The BJP's defeat in Bihar dents its hopes of improving its RS tally but the grand alliance victory could also present the first signs of tension when five JD-U members retire next year.
Officials said the government is keen to conform to the convention of the Union Budget for 2026-2027 being presented on February 1 despite it falling on a Sunday in 2026.
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.
Noted lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, who is among four persons nominated to Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu, on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him to inform and spoke in Marathi.
The BJP will use Samrat Choudhary to make a dent into Nitish Kumar's traditional social support base of Kurmi and Koeri/Kushwaha communities.
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.
'I don't know if she is doing it willingly or not, but she is respecting the sentiments of the party.'
The Congress party has accused the government of scheduling a 'special session' to pass bills related to women's quota and delimitation with the intention of gaining political advantage in the upcoming West Bengal and Tamil Nadu elections, calling it a violation of the model code of conduct.
An analysis of Nitish Kumar's tenure as Chief Minister of Bihar, highlighting his contributions to development and social justice alongside controversies and political shifts.
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.
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.
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.
'At the start of the session, (Prime Minister) bows down at the door of Parliament. This is theatrics'
'If the Opposition associates itself too much with the minorities, then it becomes easy for the BJP to get Hindu consolidation votes.'
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.
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.
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.
Among major engagements in 2026 is the visit of the European Union leadership, chief guests at the Republic Day parade.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has expressed disappointment saying "obstruction is destruction of parliamentary democracy".
Chaudhury Mohammad Aslam, eminent industrialist Rahul Bajaj, K.P.K Kumaran and Amir Alam Khan also took oath.
The legislature wing of the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra will hold a meeting in Mumbai on January 31, where Deputy Chief Minister late Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra is set to be named as its leader, state minister Chhagan Bhujbal said on Friday.
The BJP-led government in Bihar secured a vote of confidence in the state assembly, with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary pledging economic development and significant investments. The motion was passed amidst heated debates and accusations between the ruling NDA and the opposition, highlighting political tensions and differing views on issues like women's reservation.
'Lakhs of transgender people's identities will get erased. Many of them will go into hiding and lead depressing lives.'
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis orchestrated a significant victory for the BJP in the recent civic polls, solidifying his position as a key strategist and influential leader within the party.
Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge assured Chairman CP Radhakrishnan of cooperation from the Congress party in the smooth conduct of the House, while also urging him to treat the Opposition and Treasury benches equally. He also mentioned the previous Chairman, triggering protests.
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.
