Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Uttarakhand B S Koshiyari withdrew his resignation from Rajya Sabha on Friday in keeping with the directive of the party's central leadership.
With leaders of various opposition parties taking out a protest march in support of their demand for revoking the suspension of the 12 MPs, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pralhad Joshi took a swipe at them, saying the voters of the country have given them "marching orders" twice -- a reference to their back-to-back defeats in two Lok Sabha elections -- and will reduce their presence further.
Odisha's BJD has accused the BJP of luring its leaders with inducements after Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray resigned and joined the BJP. The BJD spokesperson criticised Samantaray for criticising the party after enjoying benefits during its tenure.
The rejection of senior Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination papers transformed what should have been a routine Rajya Sabha election into a lesson in contemporary political warfare.
Congress chief whip Jairam Ramesh has filed a privilege notice against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for allegedly making derogatory remarks about a parliamentary committee, claiming he lowered the dignity of Parliament.
Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta high court could be the first judge in the country to be removed, with the Rajya Sabha on Thursday overwhelmingly approving impeachment motion against him.
Embarrassment apart, it is a reminder to the Narendra Modi government that it is in acute minority in the Upper House
Following his election to the Rajya Sabha, Nitish Kumar is set to resign from the Bihar Legislative Council, adhering to constitutional requirements and prompting speculation about future political strategies in Bihar.
Condemning opposition MPs for attacking Harivansh, Joshi said the Congress and other opposition parties are frustrated with the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and have lost their balance.
The BJP is still short of the halfway mark of 123 in the 245-member House, but can now muster a 'working' majority with help of allies, friendly parties, some Independents and nominated members.
The BJP accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of objecting to the full version of Vande Mataram at an Independence Day event, sparking a political row. The Congress denied the charge, stating Gandhi was only seeking a chair for party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and clarified the historical context of the song's usage.
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's nomination to the Rajya Sabha drew mixed reaction with most members of the upper House on Friday, welcoming the decision even as the Opposition felt this could be a move by the Congress to divert attention from the problems afflicting the party.
Social activist Anna Hazare has criticised Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha for allegedly leaving the Aam Aadmi Party and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, stating that such political switching for personal interests goes against constitutional values.
Megastar Chiranjeevi is likely to get elevated soon to the Rajya Sabha from a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. His candidature is almost certain for one of the four seats that the ruling Congress can win in the biennial elections to the Upper House of Parliament from the state, slated for March 30. The Congress, as part of his Praja Rajyam Party's merger deal last year, promised to induct Chiranjeevi into the Union Cabinet by nominating him to Rajya Sabha.
Opposition parties have submitted a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking a motion for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing concerns over the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
A lot is riding on the Rajya sabha polls that are scheduled for Saturday. Major parties are whisking away candidates of other parties, while protecting their own, MLAs are being sent to 'camps' in the final countdown to the polls for 57 seats. Here is a state-by-state look:
'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.'
Zee founder Subhash Chandra has shifted his public statements from allegations against Mukesh Ambani to focusing on settling outstanding Essel Group debt, with borrowers reportedly agreeing to repay obligations.
Trinamool Congress floor leader Derek O'Brien was suspended from the Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday for the remaining part of the Winter session after he threw a Rajya Sabha rule book at the Chair.
Dinesh Trivedi's experience as a businessperson and his fluency in Bengali are expected to be crucial in strengthening India-Bangladesh relations, particularly in attracting Indian investments to Dhaka.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was on Monday named as the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, while Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad was declared the Leader of the Opposition.
Chairman of the Upper House Venkaiah Naidu Naidu clarified that the Triple Talaq Bill will not be taken up on Friday as a consensus has not yet been evolved on the issue.
As soon as the House assembled for the day, SP members were up on their feet shouting slogans but Chairman Hamid Ansari asked the members to settle down as obituary references had to be made. The SP members raised slogans demanding arrest of Raj Thackeray and protection of the Constitution.
Continuing dynasty politics, Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief Lalu Prasad on Friday nominated his daughter Misa Bharti to Rajya Sabha, reports MI I Khan.
Congress veteran Kapil Sibal had on Wednesday filed his nomination as an SP-backed Independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls.
The Monsoon session of Parliament is expected to begin on July 20 and last for three weeks. Key political developments, including recent election victories and party rebellions, are set to influence the session, alongside the government's redrafting of a significant Constitution amendment bill concerning women's reservation and Lok Sabha seats.
Members of TDP and Congress stalled the House proceedings.
The first phase of the session yielded a total of seven sittings of the Lok Sabha and eight sittings of the Rajya Sabha, the ministry said.
This follows complaints from the Congress that nomination papers of two of its candidates were rejected "unconstitutionally."
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has claimed that some dissident MPs are in contact with the party due to fear of public anger in their constituencies, with talks ongoing with at least two. He also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan, who had made remarks about the Shiv Sena's legitimacy and the involvement of central investigative agencies. Raut asserted that there is only one Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray.
The election was held to fill the vacancy caused by the death of BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.
He will be the first former Chief Justice of India to be nominated to Rajya Sabha. Former Chief Justice Ranganath Misra was also a Rajya Sabha member but he was elected on a Congress party ticket.
Confident of securing a massive majority in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday outlined his vision for his next five-year term saying the Modi 3.0 government will put all its might to strengthen the foundation of 'Viksit Bharat' or a developed nation.
Along with Dr Singh, AGP candidate Kumar Deepak Das also won the second RS seat from the state.
A number of members sought to raise different matters simultaneously soon after Question Hour.
The bill provides for setting up a National Disaster Management Authority under the Chairmanship of the prime minister, a State Disaster Management Authority under the chief minister and a District Authority under the district magistrate.
Political parties termed the scuffle in Rajya Sabha following the tabling of the Liberhan Commission report on the Babri Masjid demolition on Tuesday as "unacceptable" and "very painful".
Senior Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has issued an ultimatum to party chief Mamata Banerjee, asking her to choose between him and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, whom he blames for the party's recent turmoil. This comes as the TMC faces significant internal strife, including multiple Rajya Sabha MP resignations and claims of widespread defection among MLAs and MPs.
Angry members of the Congress and other opposition parties forced adjournments of the proceedings as they questioned the NOTA provision for these elections.
