'Unlike in the sporting arena, where sports federations moved from partisan to impartial referees, in Indian democracy's biggest festival, it appears we are moving backward from unbiased and objective to one-sided and partisan,' observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
As the five states -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram -- go to the polls, here is how the big names are faring.
'Kamal Nath and Digvijaya intentionally ignored Jyotiraditya's presence'
He is scheduled to meet top state leaders and security officials to assess the ground situation in the Valley, ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the state later this month.
Action under the stringent National Security Act, which allows for detention without trial for one year, was also initiated against the accused, he added.
A war of words has erupted in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh after the Congress objected to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party putting up hoardings taking credit for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
As Madhya Pradesh goes to polls, all eyes will be on 29 key assembly seats, out of the total 230, where the contest will be keenly watched.
The letter claimed that the contractors in the state are being asked to pay 50 percent commission.
A fierce competition among parties to offer freebies and guarantees, a scramble for tribal, OBC, women votes and a touch of Hindutva -- all have combined to make the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls a high-stakes battle with main rivals BJP and the Congress pulling out all the stops to gain power.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 14 rallies in Madhya Pradesh during campaigning for polls and reached out to young voters by reminding them of the failures of previous Congress governments on various fronts as he doubled down on development of all sections.
The generational shift in the Bharatiya Janata Party was complete on Tuesday with its founders Atal Behari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi being dropped from the Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making body, which has the stamp of Prime Minister Narendra Modi all over now.
The BJP is faced with the crucial question of who will lead the party in the four impending state polls this year: In Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil offered to quit at the Congress Working Committee meeting on Saturday night held in the backdrop of the Mumbai terror strikes, party sources said on Sunday.
At a Madhya Pradesh cabinet meeting held in the temple town of Ujjain, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ceded his seat to Lord Mahakal's portrait, an act some former bureaucrats said was "unprecedented" in the history of the state and could have been avoided.
Chouhan also said the state government has developed cow sanctuaries and shelters, but they require the participation of society for better functioning.
On a visit to Jaipur with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Thursday said that India would fight terror at all costs and thwart the designs of terrorists to disturb peace and communal harmony in the country. "The nefarious designs of terrorists will be thwarted boldly and their attempts will be foiled," Patil told reporters after visiting the injured victims at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital, along with Gandhi.
Modi is the first prime minister to visit the birthplace of Azad.
He also said 'Akhand Bharat' was true but divided Bharat was a "nightmare".
According to sources, the party has formed a committee comprising BJP's Rajya Sabha chief whip Shiv Pratap Shukla, party leader Abhijat Mishra, former national secretary and Gujarat MP Ram Bhai Mokariya and Mahesh Sharma to reach out to Brahmin members of the community.
Snubbed by his party leader Rahul Gandhi and panned by the Bharatiya Janata Party for questioning surgical strikes, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh swung into damage control mode on Tuesday and said his questions were to the government and not the armed forces.
The family members of 26 people from Madhya Pradesh, who were killed in the Uttarakhand accident, cannot believe that the pilgrimage met with a tragic end.
'Do not conspire against us, don't betray us. They should tell us straight that they don't need Samajwadis'
On October 21, Bhushan had said that the CJI availed the special helicopter during his visit to Kanha national park while 'an important case of disqualification of defecting MLAs of MP (Madhya Pradesh) is pending before him. Survival of MP govt depends on this case'
The mortal remains of the former Union minister were consigned to flames by his son Shantanu Bundela and daughter Subhasini in his ancestral village Ankhmau at around 5 pm.
Pandey, who has worked in TV shows like Pavitra Bandhan and Hamari Bahu Silk, said she had been living in Mumbai for the last seven to eight years and working as an actor.
Out of the candidates announced so far, 65 are below the age of 50 years and 19 are women, he said.
As India's 75th Independence Day draws near, the government is going all out to raise awareness about the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.
'The 2024 election results will lead to much intense targeting of Modi, more intense debates, many more breakdowns in Parliament and many more movements on the streets.' 'The results have hit Modi's standing, and the politics of the Opposition parties will be sharply focused to ensure that Modi doesn't get back his charisma of being 'invincible' with help of State power.' Sheela Bhatt looks at the political situation through the prism of 2024 Lok Sabha election results.
'We are seeing an era where only what Modi wishes is going to happen.' 'A clear message has now been sent to others that if this fate could befall on Nitin Gadkari, then just think what could happen to lesser mortals.'
If states have to fall in line with MSPs declared by political parties, they will have to do so in violation of central order or bear the full expense of the surplus procured at above MSP rates.
Of the five injured, he said, two were in critical condition and admitted to the ICU of the government medical college in Jabalpur.
'The lack of a majority isn't the issue. He has enough in 240, especially as none of his allies can pull down his coalition.' 'That's why he's started as if this were just another, normal term. That pretence is vital for him.' 'The change for Modi 3.0 comes not from numbers, but from the new environment of contestation,' points out Shekhar Gupta.
Some constituents of the alliance have raised concern that the panels, particularly the 14-member coordination committee, are at risk of becoming ineffective, as their decisions have so far not been acted upon.
'Its people are either victims of corruption or witnesses to it.'
The police, however, told the former chief minister that he could not be arrested as there was no case registered against him.
The trouble started when the SP member wanted to make a point on an ongoing heated discussion between Opposition parties and the Chairman in the Rajya Sabha over certain remarks made by BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari on Kharge a few days ago.
She expressed confidence that a three-way alliance is very much possible in West Bengal between her Trinamool Congress, Congress and the Left.
The Budhni seat is witnessing an interesting campaign trail with Sadhna Singh -- wife of Chief Minister and BJP candidate Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Karuna Rajput - better half of Congress candidate Mahesh Rajput taking centrestage going door-to-door seeking votes for their husbands in the fray.
