The Congress policy of minority appeasement and burdening the middle-class has cost it dear in Punjab
This election will decide in what shape and form the Akali Dal will survive.
Members of opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal on Tuesday stalled proceedings in Lok Sabha over the issue of suicides by farmers across the country, forcing brief adjournment of the House.
A total of 73 women got elected to the 18th Lok Sabha against 78 women MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha.
Unemployment, delivery of justice in desecration cases, illegal sand mining and drug menace are likely to be key issues in the Punjab assembly elections.
BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and M Venkaiah Naidu have made this request to P S Badal
Olympic medallist boxer Vijender Singh, who joined the farmers' agitation at the Haryana-Delhi border on Sunday, said he will return his Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award if the Centre's new farm laws are not withdrawn.
However, it was BJP, which put up an unexpectedly impressive performance bagging 19 of the 23 seats it contested.
Punjab cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was told he is left with only NRI Affairs portfolio as the administrative reforms department he was holding for the past nearly 21 months did not exist, according to a government notification.
Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial face Bhagwant Mann won from Dhuri assembly seat on Thursday, whereas Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was defeated from Amritsar East seat.
Narain Singh Chaura, a former terrorist with a history of violence and involvement in the 2004 Burail jailbreak case, attempted to shoot Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal outside the Golden Temple. The attack, which occurred while Badal was sitting in a wheelchair, was thwarted by quick action from security personnel. Chaura has been arrested and is facing multiple charges, including under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Emergency is caught up in a controversy after Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Akali Dal, objected, accusing it of misrepresenting the community and getting historical facts wrong.
Amid the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, a heated argument broke out between Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu and Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday when the former accused the latter of getting the farm laws enacted while she was a minister in the Union Cabinet, and added that she 'doing drama' over the laws and showing 'fake support' to the farmers' cause.
An explosion occurred outside a temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India, when a motorcycle-borne person threw an explosive device towards it, damaging a portion of its wall and shattering window panes. While no one was hurt in the incident, the explosion caused panic among residents. The incident has sparked concern about law and order in the state and led to accusations against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The police are investigating the incident and have collected samples from the site to identify the material used in the explosion.
"It is high time India traded dynasty for meritocracy. This would require fundamental reforms, from imposing legally mandated term limits to requiring meaningful internal party elections, together with a concerted effort to educate and empower the electorate to choose leaders based on merit," Tharoor said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded two Congress turncoats and its former Union minister Vijay Sampla for next month's Punjab assembly polls as it released its second list of 27 candidates on Thursday.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has received five e-mails threatening to blow up the Golden Temple since July 14, president of the apex gurdwara body Harjinder Singh Dhami said on Wednesday.
The Punjab government has declared a holiday on Thursday as a mark of respect to the former chief minister.
The Dera chief has sought to stay in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, during the parole period, if granted.
The two leaders also discussed the special category status promised to the southern state.
The new Narendra Modi Cabinet has seven women ministers in its fold.
A man suspected of belonging to a terrorist outfit died in an explosion near Majitha Road in Amritsar, police said. The man was retrieving explosive material when the blast happened, possibly due to mishandling. The SSP said the man might be linked to some terror organisation. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory was at the spot to collect samples of the explosive.
Shah asserted that the BJP will once again form the government in Uttar Pradesh with a comfortable majority.
Seeking justice for the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, leaders of various political parties on Wednesday met President Pranab Mukherjee and sought his intervention in directing the government to order a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team probe into the violence.
Dominic Xavier asks if the bills will really benefit farmers or if this is a ploy by the Modi government to push the agricultural sector towards privatisation.
The land pooling policy aims to kick-start a new wave of urbanisation in the predominantly rural state.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's controversial move honouring family members of the two assassins of General A S Vaidya in the Golden Temple complex came in for attack from the Congress as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday.
'The fight is between the Congress and Akali Dal.'
The man, identified as Narain Singh, was overpowered by some people standing outside the Golden Temple.
Singh's described Kejriwal's act as "theatrics" as the Delhi government had given approval to the "black farm laws" by notifying one of them last month, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party leader was indulging in "petty politics" now.
The biographical drama is caught up in controversy after some Sikh organisations including the Shiromani Akali Dal objected, accusing it of misrepresenting the community and getting historical facts wrong.
With the Monsoon Session drawing to a close, Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance on Friday held a demonstration in Parliament House complex demanding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation, cancellation of coal blocks, and a fair probe and declared that it will now take this agitation to the streets.
Before Punjab goes to the polls: The state's electoral landscape at a glance.
Bibi Jagir Kaur is the first woman to occupy the post of SGPC chief, to which she has been elected for the second time.
Singh's suspension came days after he questioned the manner in which a vigilance bureau team raided the residence of Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia in Amritsar in a disproportionate assets case.
The PM expressed gratitude to the MPs voting in favour of the bill and hoped that it will alleviate sufferings of many who faced persecution.
'An emergency has been imposed on my film too. It's a very hopeless state.'
