If the Congress manages to upset its dominant rival, the BJP, in these assembly polls, then it will be a big boost to the opposition for the Lok Sabha polls, while a good show by the BJP will energise its cadres and give a fillip to its hopes of retaining the power at the Centre in 2019.
The National Commission for Women has summoned Udit Raj over his "sycophancy" remark against the president.
Senior state leaders of the two parties pointed to propping up of the "new set of leaders not having much political stature" and lack of communication for the failure to reconcile differences.
The party also rejigged its Central Election Committee and included former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Om Mathur and its women wing chief Vanathi Srinivasan.
In the prevailing difficult circumstances, the Congress is the only party that can provide capable and decisive leadership to the country, Kharge asserted.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Thursday demanded that the Centre book UP Congress Committee president Ritu Bahuguna Joshi, for her alleged inflammatory comments against the Bahujan Samaj Party chief, under the Prevention of Atrocities Act against Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes.Mayawati condemned the language used by the Congress' state unit chief and said that BSP workers were so upset that they wanted to take to the streets.
Dayashankar's wife Swati Singh, who is also the head of the BJP women's wing, had won the assembly poll from Sarojini Nagar seat of Lucknow.
The Congress is likely to declare its chief ministerial face for Punjab on February 6 when former party chief Rahul Gandhi will visit the poll-bound state, party sources said.
In an apparent bid to reach out to Dalit voters, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday urged people to remember Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar while voting in next month's assembly polls and said he "worships" the leader.
'I wonder how people who come to power through democratic means turn out this way.' 'But people of India are strong, and those who think they can hoodwink people, are mistaken.' 'You can fool some people for some time, but not all people, all the time.'
A senior bishop of the influential Syro-Malabar Catholic Church on Thursday said instead of saying in the US that there is no discrimination in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should try to convince the Christians in Manipur about that.
He was administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Raj Bhavan in Patna.
The party plans elaborate year-long celebrations to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary next year. Kavita Chowdhury reports
Hitting out at the ruling Congress in Karnataka, he said the party failed to confer the Bharat Ratna on Ambedkar when it was in power.
'Most students find it difficult to cope with the way they are expected to learn at the IITs.' 'So, all the students face the same stress.' 'But those students who are mentally weak are more affected.'
The northeastern state is set to witness a triangular fight this time, with the BJP-IPFT coalition seeking to retain supremacy, the Left-Congress combine looking to wrest power, and regional outfit Tipra Motha making its debut at the hustings after its stunning performance in the autonomous council polls.
Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has stated that foreign universities and education providers setting up campuses in India will not be required to provide reservations for scheduled castes and tribes and other backward classes.
A plea against his transfer order moved by a sessions judge, who made controversial observations in his orders while granting bail to an accused in two sexual harassment cases, was dismissed by the Kerala high court on Thursday.
'Children should be told that if they receive porn on their phones they should inform their parents or teachers who should in turn contact cyber crime.'
The Centre should move in this direction, he said in a statement, reacting to the Supreme Court's judgment, making all laws incorporated under the Ninth Schedule after 1973, subject to judicial scrutiny.
'A party which talk about sabka saath, sabka vikas is now focussing on certain sections for power'
The states can enact their own laws according to their own requirements, Dasmunsi said.\n\n
Even as Gujarat polls are underway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated a two-day meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in New Delhi to review the party's preparations and chalk out strategy for the next round of elections in states and the all-important Lok Sabha contest in 2024.
The Shiromani Akali Dal on Friday announced sweeping organisational reforms, saying it will now follow the one family, one ticket principle at elections and ensure that half of its contestants are below 50.
The accused -- Bhakti Mehere, Hema Ahuja and Ankita Khandelwal -- were arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of doctor Payal Tadvi by tormenting her with casteist slurs.
There has been a gradual rise in the number of atrocities against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in Bihar in the last four years, police records say giving a lie to the government's claim that they have been checked. In fact, atrocities against SC/STs have not only increased during the past four years, but also 2,766 such cases are pending disposal in different courts till September, 2008.
Bainsala, who led the state-wide agitation which acquired a caste-war colour, however said he had 'trust' in Chief Minister Vasundhare Raje despite police registering cases against agitators.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the validity of the 103rd Constitution amendment providing 10 per cent reservation to economically weaker sections (EWS) persons in admissions and government jobs.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat is hoping to make a clean sweep in the Dalit and tribal-dominated Sabarkantha district comprising four Assembly constituencies even as unemployment has become a major issue that the ruling party hopes to negate with Hindutva and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma.
'The Shiv Sena and the Ambedkarites are two powerful social forces in Maharashtra with a presence in the toiling classes. However, they were made to fight each other by the powers that be. Now, they are joining hands while overcoming this contentious past.'
'Both the BJP and SP have workers and cadres across the state, and now it will boil down to which party manages booths smartly and gets its voters to come out.'
'But will there be matching action as far as tribals are concerned on the ground?'
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday announced the names of candidates for 59 out of 70 seats in Uttarakhand for the upcoming assembly polls.
The clean chit to Aryan Khan and five others by the Narcotics Control Bureau on Friday has once again brought the central agency's former zonal director Sameer Wankhede under the spotlight.
The Jammu and Kashmir assembly on Friday passed a bill banning inter-district recruitment in the state.
"Is that Qazi above the Constitution? He should produce papers to show Sameer Wankhede had converted (to Islam) to marry his first wife," Redkar said, adding Wankhede had performed the 'nikah' in 2006 only to fulfil the wish of his late mother, who was Muslim.
A total of 69.96 per cent of 28.13 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the Tripura assembly elections till 3 pm on Thursday, amid sporadic incidents of violence, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao said.
'When the chief minister saw how Manoj Jarange Patil had successfully held the state government hostage to his whims, Eknath Shinde knew he had a very clear chance of enamouring himself to these Maratha agitators by accepting Patil's demands.'
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's allegation of police brutalities in Bhatta and Parsaul villages during the recent farmers' protest has been proven right as seven women have claimed that they were raped by men in uniform, a Union Minister said on Monday.
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