Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay's meeting with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and allegedly with Home Minister Amit Shah has ignited fresh political speculation about his potential defection and the formation of a dissident parliamentary faction, further deepening the turmoil within the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
The Congress party has announced its seven candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera, Meenakshi Natarajan, Praveen Chakravarty, Neeraj Dangi, Mansoor Ali Khan, and Pranav Jha, representing various states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. The elections are set for June 18.
In a bid to wrest control of the Trinamool Congress, its rebel faction led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday elected MLA Arup Roy as chairperson, marking the sharpest challenge yet to the authority of party founder Mamata Banerjee.
Amid cross-voting, National Democratic Alliance-supported Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani on Thursday won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, defeating the Congress's Pranav Jha, an official said.
'BJP wanted a compromised Opposition and found a match in this faction of the Trinamool.'
The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, a constituent of the Bhaatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, has staked claim to 32 seats for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with the aim to wrest the Samajwadi Party's stronghold of Azamgarh.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee has formally petitioned Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to disqualify 20 rebel MPs, arguing their claimed merger with the lesser-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is invalid under the anti-defection law.
A parliamentary panel has summoned officials from the Union Education Ministry, the National Testing Agency (NTA), and the CBI to address concerns regarding the conduct of examinations.
RJD spokesperson Shakti Yadav staged a protest outside Rabri Devi's residence after the Bihar government downgraded the security cover for the Lalu Prasad family. The RJD alleges this is an insult and a threat, while the ruling NDA maintains the decision is based on standard security protocols and should be respected. The move follows the allotment of Rabri Devi's long-occupied bungalow to a BJP minister.
The Congress party has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a 'millstone' around India's neck and accusing him of presiding over the 'murder of democracy', even as he achieved the milestone of becoming India's longest continuously serving elected prime minister.
Members of Parliament questioned top National Testing Agency (NTA) officials about the NEET-UG paper leak, with the NTA stating the CBI is investigating the matter. The parliamentary panel also discussed measures to prevent future leaks and reforms within the NTA.
Sharad Pawar objected to comparing PM Modi with Jawaharlal Nehru, highlighting Nehru's sacrifices and nation-building contributions.
'It was done with record speed. First, a revolt of the MLAs, which was obviously engineered.' ''No one believed me when I said the MLAs breaking away is not the real issue.' 'It is like a comet. The head doesn't matter, the tail matters.' 'And the tail is Parliament. Suvendu has gifted the prime minister 20 MPs.'
The bill was passed by both houses of the state legislature during the winter session in Belagavi that concluded on December 19 last year, despite strong opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal-Secular.
Facing revolt by 6 Lok Sabha MPs of his party, Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said he was ready to quit his post if the party didn't have faith in him, while his opponent and Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde hinted at more defections from the rival camp.
'Those who have drained Mamata Banerjee's blood -- they are the ones calling us traitors.'
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.
Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Myanmarese territory would not be allowed to be used against India's security interests, as the two leaders held wide-ranging talks to boost bilateral ties in trade, defence, and energy.
Three BJP candidates have been declared elected unopposed in the biennial Rajya Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, while the Congress party has moved the Supreme Court against the rejection of its candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination.
The Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) has named Jyotiprakash Chatterji as its new president, a development that follows the merger of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) rebel Lok Sabha faction with the party. This announcement by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a key figure in the dissident camp, comes amidst speculation about the party's leadership after its founder stepped down. However, details about Chatterji and the party's internal workings remain unclear, with some existing members expressing unawareness of the change.
The West Bengal State Legislative Assembly has been dissolved by Governor R N Ravi, marking the end of its term after the recent elections where the Trinamool Congress was defeated by the BJP.
The Left Democratic Front's defeat in Kerala marks a historic moment as Left parties are without power in any state for the first time in decades, highlighting their diminishing political influence across India.
'Present day youth are not interested in the past. They want to see what you are going to do now.'
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.
Apart from Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the Barasat MP, those attending the meeting included TMC MLAs Anisur Rahaman Biswas of Deganga, Bina Mondal of Swarupnagar, Mohammad Abdul Matin of Haroa and three more legislators from the Basirhat subdivision of North 24 Parganas district.
'It's a bit uncertain. Let's see what happens. But he is the top man of Assam, and since my politics is in Assam, I thought it's best to seek his guidance before I take any decision.'
'Now if you break the party under the 10th Schedule you have to join another party.' 'You cannot join the NDA as it is not a party. You can only join another party, and that is the BJP.' 'So the question to ask is that these so-called 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs who are parting ways with the TMC, are they ready to join the BJP and accept Narendra Modi as their leader?'
Several parts of India are experiencing a severe heatwave, with temperatures soaring past 44 degrees Celsius. States are issuing alerts and taking measures to protect people and animals from the extreme conditions.
'Something could happen to me... I understood that day itself that what they had sent me was a final warning.'
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has questioned the necessity of playing all five verses of Vande Mataram at the beginning and end of official events, calling the practice "unnecessary and burdensome". He highlighted the practical difficulties and lack of legal basis for mandating the full version at every function.
The opposition parties, including Congress, Raijor Dal and Trinamool Congress, opposed the move and demanded wider consultation with all the stakeholders before its introduction.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has approached the Delhi High Court seeking a ban on AI-generated deepfake videos that purportedly show him praising Pakistan. The court has issued summons to social media platforms and the Centre, indicating it may pass an interim order in Tharoor's favour.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Rahul Gandhi have engaged in a public dispute over alleged irregularities in the CBSE exam system, with Gandhi demanding an independent probe and Pradhan accusing Gandhi of politicising the issue.
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah addressed parliament on the ongoing border dispute with India, stating both countries have agreed to seek resolution through diplomatic means and expert consultation. Shah's remarks about Nepal also encroaching on Indian territories have sparked controversy.
'Congress needs a positive agenda rather than primarily picking up on two business houses.'
Former Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam was released from jail after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to an alleged tender scam. He was arrested in May 2024 after a large sum of cash was seized from premises linked to his aide.
The dramatic development marked the culmination of a revolt that began with allegations of forged signatures on a letter proposing a Leader of Opposition and snowballed into an open challenge to the party leadership following the TMC's defeat at the hands of the BJP in the assembly elections.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor criticised the government's decision to link women's reservation with the expansion of Parliament, calling delimitation a 'political demonetisation'. He argued that women's reservation should be implemented immediately based on existing parliamentary strength.
Trump criticised Iran for attempting to use international waterways for leverage, stating that the United States had restrained itself only to allow space for negotiations.
Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has criticised his party's decision to ally with the TVK in Tamil Nadu, calling it 'dreadful' and 'low political opportunism'. He fears it could facilitate the entry of the BJP into Tamil Nadu's Dravidian political landscape.
