The Allahabad high court on Thursday stayed with immediate effect caste-based rallies throughout Uttar Pradesh, while issuing notices to central and state governments, the Election Commission and four major political parties. "We stay caste-based rallies throughout the state of UP," the Lucknow bench of the court comprising justices Uma Nath Singh and Mahendra Dayal said on a PIL filed by a local lawyer Motilal Yadav.
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.
The Shiv Sena also demanded that those who allowed the concert to take place should be booked for anti-national activities.
The Supreme Court's stay on the UGC equity regulations aimed at preventing caste-based discrimination on campuses has been met with mixed reactions. Opposition parties welcomed the decision, while some expressed concern over the implications for marginalized communities.
such alerts are issued before most elections, but they should be taken seriously this time as the campaign for the Lok Sabha polls promises to be a bitter and divisive one, says Vicky Nanjappa
73 constituencies will vote on Saturday.
While the Samajwadi Party largely banks on its Muslim-Yadav support base, the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to counter it with the Modi-Yogi combo in the state assembly polls.
West Bengal's final phase of assembly elections focuses on the TMC's southern stronghold, where the BJP aims to make inroads. The outcome will determine whether Mamata Banerjee's party retains its dominance or if the BJP can secure a path to power.
Much of the credit for bringing the BJP, which had lost ground in UP, back to the top goes to Sunil Bansal.
The RLD has aligned with the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in UP and is attacking the state government on farm distress and the outstanding sugarcane dues.
Having finally acquired some prominence in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), recently nominated party national secretary Varun Gandhi landed in Lucknow on Wednesday afternoon, only to give sermons to not just party workers, but both colleagues as well as seniors.
'This campaign reeks of communalism, which is why it is being opposed.'
The BJP protesters, carrying placards and raising slogans, slammed the Congress and its leader, Rahul Gandhi, calling them "traitors" for allegedly tarnishing the nation's image.
'Badle ki bhavna (revengeful politics) was never seen in Maharashtra and Indian politics, but now we are witnessing all that today.'
A government primary school principal in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, has been reinstated after an inquiry found allegations of him asking students to offer 'namaz' were false.
The trailer of The Kerala Story 2 has triggered widespread conversation with its intense and controversial messaging of religious conversion. Read reactions and key takeaways from the debate.
Ram Vilas Vedanti, a prominent leader in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and former Bharatiya Janata Party MP, died of a heart attack at the age of 67 in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. His last rites will be performed in Ayodhya.
Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey addresses the controversy surrounding Chief Minister Nitish Kumar removing a female doctor's veil, stating he is unaware of reports that she refused to join duty following the incident. A Congress leader has filed a complaint against Kumar and another minister.
.jpg)
The UP government, if it manages to remain in power now, must take immediate steps to ensure that no violence takes place as the country gears up for the elections. Action has to be taken to prevent this, not just through the law and order machinery, but through a secular campaign in which all non-communal political parties participate, says Seema Mustafa.
Political Pundit R Rajagopalan lists his big takeaways from the election results.
The sweeping victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the Bihar Assembly elections has caused ripples across the country, but perhaps more pronounced in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due in 2027.
The Delhi High Court has suspended the jail term of expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who is serving life imprisonment in the 2017 Unnao rape case, while imposing several conditions.
On the eve of the sixth and penultimate phase of the marathon Uttar Pradesh elections, Rediff.com's Aslam Hunani reports on what's at stake.
A group of kanwariyas allegedly vandalized a dhaba in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, claiming the Muslim owners displayed their identities. The incident follows a similar event and past controversies regarding religious identification of food vendors along the Kanwar route.
A video clip of the purported remark quickly went viral on social media, prompting local BJP MLA Raj Prasad Upadhyay to seek action against the doctor.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to resign, citing hypocrisy in Shah's call for 'clean politics' given his past arrest. Banerjee also criticised the Election Commission and defended his party's record.
The CBI will challenge the suspension of life sentence and bail granted to former BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the Unnao rape case in the Supreme Court. The decision follows a Delhi High Court order suspending Sengar's sentence. Rahul Gandhi has criticized the decision and met with the survivor.
'The Congress has no positive vision for the country. The truth is that today the Congress has become the Muslimleegi Maowadi Congress -- MMC. The Congress' entire agenda revolves around this, so now a new faction is emerging within Congress itself, which is uncomfortable with this negative politics.'
Jammu and Kashmir BJP leader Jahanzaib Sirwal threatened to resign from the party, citing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's "unacceptable" remarks and the state police's "vindictive" attitude against the Muslim community.
'The nepotism, corruption, bad governance and 15 years of rampant crime that has happened across West Bengal under her rule led to her ouster.'
Amidst barbs flying back and forth, Rediff.com's Aslam Hunani lists all that you need to know about the fourth phase of the UP assembly elections, which will take place on February 23.
The failure of the Congress to win the hearts of even the Muslim victims of Muzaffarnagar riots exposes what's wrong with Rahul Gandhi's leadership. His statement that Pakistan's ISI was targeting the victims may have cost the party their trust. Rather, those who advise Gandhi are so brazen politically that they ask the UPA government to give reservations to the Jat community, perceived to be the aggressor by the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh.
The Unnao rape case survivor expressed satisfaction after the Supreme Court stayed the Delhi High Court order suspending Kuldeep Sengar's life sentence. She voiced her faith in the justice system.
Analysts believe that the strong Modi wave in the state will help the saffron party win 35 to 40 seats much to the detriment of the Congress and Samajwadi Party, who are fighting the anti-incumbency factor at the Centre and state respectively. Bikash Mohapatra reports.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought response from the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea challenging the state's directive mandating the display of QR codes on all eateries along the kanwar yatra route, which reveal the names and identities of the owners.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that singing 'Vande Mataram' will be made compulsory in every school and educational institution of the state.
Disgruntled BJP leader Jahanzaib Sirwal criticizes his party for allegedly using the plight of displaced Kashmiri Pandits for political gains and calls for meaningful action to address their grievances.
Each leader will look after six assembly constituencies.
Most of these leaders are known for their organisational skills and successful management of elections in their respective states.
Violence continued for the second consecutive day in Assam's West Karbi Anglong district on Tuesday as protesters demanding the eviction of non-tribals set fire to shops and vehicles, forcing the administration to suspend Internet and mobile data services to prevent further escalation.
'The Supreme Court stated that once the delimitation plan is approved by Parliament and receives assent of the President, it cannot be undone. Nor can it be modified.'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances