The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at premises linked to Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora as part of a FEMA probe into alleged foreign exchange violations, insider trading, and round-tripping of funds.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee has warned of a significant increase in cooking gas and fuel prices by the BJP-led central government following the West Bengal assembly elections. He accused the BJP of neglecting the fuel crisis and challenged them to pledge no price hikes for the next five years.
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.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the nation regarding the women's quota bill and plotting to push through the delimitation exercise by using women as a shield.
The prime minister was elected unopposed on May 18 after independent candidate Matang Singh withdrew from the contest.
Its electoral triumphs in assembly polls, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, have made the BJP the single-largest party in the Rajya Sabha.
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.
The BJP's West Bengal unit chief, Samik Bhattacharya, criticised the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, accusing it of crushing democracy and fostering lawlessness in the state. He highlighted alleged political violence, economic decline, and disrespect for constitutional posts under the TMC's rule.
It now has become clear that he will have to quit his post.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislature Party have decided to extend its full support to the TVK to form the government, AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar said in a statement citing TVK chief Vijay's request seeking support.
The poll is witnessing a direct contest between ruling NDA nominee C P Radhakrishnan and joint opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy, with the BJP-led alliance having a clear edge in the poll necessitated due to the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar.
'The AIADMK and DMK have 75% of the total votes. 25% of the voters do not support the two majors,' says DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai.
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.
The real surprise in these results came from Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM. Of the 29 Muslim candidates who got elected to the 227-strong BMC, the Congress and the AIMIM between them bagged 22.
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.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to resign, potentially paving the way for his deputy DK Shivakumar to take over. The move follows reported pressure from the Congress high command, though the party has denied any official decision. Speculation is rife as political tensions rise in the state.
NDA partner Bodoland People's Front (BPF) is expected to secure a majority of the 15 Assembly seats in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) of Assam, leading in 10 constituencies, according to Election Commission data. The BJP, a major partner in the ruling NDA, leads in three seats, while the UPPL and Congress are ahead in one seat each.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar declined to comment on the opposition's notice to move a motion in Parliament for his removal, amidst accusations of partisan behaviour.
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.
The Trinamool Congress has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to experience West Bengal's 'Maa Canteen' during his visit for election campaigning, offering a meal for Rs 5. The TMC also criticised Modi's remarks on infiltration, linking it to the Home Minister's responsibilities.
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.
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.
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar defends the Congress party's right to contest the Baramati assembly bypoll, criticising his grandnephew Parth Pawar's remarks against the Congress candidate. Pawar cites the importance of electoral contest and questions Parth's political maturity.
The TMC has accused the BJP of instigating unrest in Malda, West Bengal, and criticised Prime Minister Modi for allegedly spreading misinformation regarding women's safety in the state. The BJP denies the allegations, asserting that the TMC is responsible for lawlessness.
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.
BJD chief Naveen Patnaik has called for Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi's intervention to restore law and order after an attack on the residence of senior BJD leader Pratap Jena. The incident has sparked a political row, with allegations of internal conflict within the BJD.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has strongly condemned the arrest of Vinesh Chandel, co-founder of I-PAC, alleging it is a politically motivated act of "electoral sabotage" ahead of the West Bengal elections.
The BJP has launched accusations against Arvind Kejriwal, alleging lavish spending and corruption related to his new bungalow in Delhi's Lodhi Estate, sparking a political row.
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.
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.
'At the start of the session, (Prime Minister) bows down at the door of Parliament. This is theatrics'
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has expressed disappointment saying "obstruction is destruction of parliamentary democracy".
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has accused the BJP of attempting to manipulate the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections by submitting a large number of Form 6 applications to illegally register voters from outside the state.
'Congress needs a positive agenda rather than primarily picking up on two business houses.'
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has publicly criticised its MP Raghav Chadha, accusing him of avoiding raising critical issues against the central government in Parliament and instead focusing on 'soft PR'. Senior AAP leaders have questioned his commitment to the party line and his absence during key parliamentary events.
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.
