The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fight again from Varanasi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it named 34 Union ministers in the first list of 195 candidates.
'We are very close to become a theocratic State where Hinduism is the official religion of the government.'
Some have been cherry-picked to assert the BJP's supremacy over its allies or, significantly, its leaders who charted an independent course in the recent past.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Tuesday poised to form the government for a third consecutive term with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance getting a majority in the Lok Sabha, notwithstanding crushing losses in three Hindi heartland states after a bitterly fought election that was projected as a referendum on his popularity.
Yeh Hai India: Capturing the events and moods across our incredible country.
The death toll due to the cold wave that has disrupted normal life across north India rose to 326 on Wednesday.Another 38 deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh, taking the death toll in the state to almost 300. The dense fog has further added to the problems of the people in the region with Kanpur recording a temperature of 3.7 degree Celsius, the coldest place in the state, followed by Varani, where the temperarure was recorded to be 4 degree Celcius.
As many as 38 flights, including 23 domestic and nine international, were diverted from the Delhi airport to nearby cities between 6-8.45 pm.
'The trajectory of the disease will keep increasing because of the population density being very high.'
For the first time in his political career, he failed to carry his party to even a working majority -- and again, for the first time in his career, he finds himself in a situation where he cannot rule by dictatorial fiat, points out Prem Panicker.
Six decades and more later, we are now captives of our identities. Every poll is based on elaborate calculations of electability of candidates on the basis of their castes and other narrow definers. That, along with voter promiscuity, is what defines our political culture, which remains stubbornly resistant to any change, asserts Shreekant Sambrani.
He held two massive roadshows in Rajasthan and one in Madhya Pradesh and his entries in many of rally venues were marked by a drive through cheering supporters.
Several parts of north and west India reeled under scorching heat wave with the temperature touching 50 degree Celsius in Rajasthan's Churu district on Tuesday, even as the meteorological department predicted very heavy rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya till May 28.
Smriti Irani will reprise her electoral battle with Rahul Gandhi from Amethi.
Officials said protests took place at 17 places across the state, including Ballia, Aligarh, Gautam Buddh Nagar and Varanasi.
Divya Nair lists 2023's Malayalam movies that can be enjoyed by all ages.
There is an impression within the Tamil Nadu BJP -- although no one is airing it -- that over-exposure for Narendra Modi over the past months may work against party candidates, as they have triggered a near-continuous social media debate on his achievements and failures, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rediff.com's Utkarsh Mishra visits the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, which is fast being turned into another mandir-masjid dispute.
The inaugural Sangamam turned out to be a political Hindutva function than a gathering on the Hindu religion, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The minimum temperature plunged to 4.2 degrees Celsius in New Delhi on Monday, the coldest December 22 in the last five years and also the lowest this season, even as a thick blanket of fog disrupted normal life in the city and hit flight and train operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and BSP supremo Mayawati will descend on Varanasi on Saturday making it their battleground ahead of the last phase of Uttar Pradesh polls, a schedule that has put the administration on its toes.
By keeping the Sanatana Dharma row alive and adding the Ayodhya temple consecration scheduled for January 22 and adding the free darshan promise from four polled states to the entire country, the BJP may have a self-fulfilling concoction, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Delhi on Sunday recorded the lowest temperature of the season with the mercury dipping to 2.6 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal, with dense fog affecting 55 flights and about 70 trains.
The Delhi police has registered an FIR against an associate professor of Delhi University's Hindu College for his "objectionable" social media post alluding to claims about the 'Shivling' found inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex, officials said on Wednesday.
Rain and thunderstorm wrecked havoc in several parts of Uttar Pradesh leaving at least 21 dead
Fear of an epidemic lurches in Uttar Pradesh due to an increase in the number of cases of dengue fever. The dengue fever has gripped Varanasi with at least 20 patients admitted in the hospital.
Its goodbye to Coke and Pepsi at the Banaras Hindu University campus in Varanasi. The university has banned these drinks on its campus from August 1, 2007.
The party 'Mera Adhikar Rashtriya Dal' (MARD), registered in 2018, had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow and Varanasi.
'With him by your side, you can even leap from the Bhuj Khalifa knowing that even if you crash land, the journey will be unforgettable.'
Passengers in 200 railway stations across India will soon be able to recharge their mobiles, pay electricity bills, fill up Aadhaar and Pan card forms and even file taxes with help from Common Service Centre (CSC) kiosks to be set up by RailTel. The scheme has been operationalised in partnership with CSC e-Governance Services India Limited' (CSC-SPV) and the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, RailTel said in a statement. The kiosks will be run by village level entrepreneurs (VLEs).
The weatherman has forecast that the wet spell will continue for the next three days.
Already, there is a feeling even within the BJP's AIADMK ally that the BJP is overdoing things on the ED/I-T front, as corruption is not an election issue in the state -- as long as the people are otherwise not excessively unhappy with the governing party, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The BJP has nothing to lose after a point. For the DMK it is a difficult choice, as it would not want to give too much of space to a 'national party' lest the 'Dravidian duel' of the past decades should be lost forever, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Large crowds thronged popular boulevards, tourist hubs and entertainment centres across India and many joined special prayers at places of worship on Sunday as people stepped out to celebrate the New Year without COVID-19 restrictions.
On Monday night, when President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Padma awards at a civil investiture ceremony in the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the loudest applause was reserved for Swami Sivananda, the 125-year-old yoga guru who walked barefoot to receive the Padma Shri -- after prostrating before Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi and President Kovind.
Given the controversy over Uttar Pradesh's population control moves, Hemant Shivsaran/Rediff.com digs deep to find out how many children BJP MLAs in UP have.
'Film shooting is a long process, and it is important to have a good bonding with the person you are going to spend six to eight months of your life.' 'Baaki, film toh bann jaati hain.'
Which is your favourite look from Dia Mirza's wedding diaries?
'There are too many competent people better suited and poised to take on Modi. The Gandhis are not among them,' argues Harishchandra.
