'This will be a close election. At least now, it appears that the NDA has an edge.'
Gehlot's remark hinted at a possible thaw between the two senior Congress leaders after years of political tussle.
The stage is set for the crucial first phase of the assembly elections in Bihar on Thursday, as 3.75 crore voters will decide the electoral fate of 1,314 candidates, including top leaders such as Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance's (INDIA's) chief ministerial face Tejashwi Yadav and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Purshottam Kushwaha, who belongs to an OBC community, allegedly posted on Instagram an Artificial Intelligence-generated image showing another villager, Annu Pandey, wearing a garland of shoes, the officials said.
Nitish thought that his stakes as chief minister were far greater than his stakes in protecting one of his party MLAs. He could not allow his rule-of-law train to be derailed by a small rock on the track. On the contrary, if he removed it to keep the train moving at a steady speed he would gain strong public admiration and sympathy that would help him take the masses along in carrying out other tasks. A fascinating excerpt from Arun Sinha's Nitish Kumar And The Rise Of Bihar.
'...are young Indians with aspiration to go to the US.' 'The dream has to be more about working in India...'
While it is evident that the INDIA bloc has not shut its doors on Nitish Kumar, those within the NDA are hopeful that the JD-U's support base would benefit them as well
Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, suspended from the party over sexual misconduct allegations, attended the Kerala Assembly session, claiming his presence was not in defiance of the party. The move has drawn criticism and sparked reactions from various political leaders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked the Congress to tell the nation who prevented India's military response after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks linked to Pakistan, and accused the party of weakening the fight against terrorism when in power.
'Without our support Nitish Kumar wouldn't have become chief minister.' 'After the government was formed we became ministers, but our agenda remained the same: Amit Shah had promised reservation for Nishads.' 'He wouldn't listen, so we went to UP and contested 52 seats in the 2022 elections. He didn't like the idea of rebellion.' 'He saw that this man, coming from Bombay, is very sharp. He's made four MLAs now, tomorrow he'll make 40. A time will come when they will make it 125.' 'They bought our MLAs and ousted us from the government.'
'I dreaded meeting him these days because every time he'd say: We have to fight this government, even if it means going to jail.' 'He'd been in jails run by the British, he'd also been in jails in independent India, now he was ready to go to jail under this government.'
'When you attend an RSS function, the nation is your first priority.'
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was taken aback when an unidentified man hugged him and kissed him on the shoulder during his 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar. The incident occurred in Purnea district, prompting security personnel to intervene.
If women voters are mobilised in big numbers to the voting booths on November 6 and 11 by the Nitish Kumar-led NDA, then it will be quite difficult for the Tejashwi Yadav-led Mahagathbandhan to defeat the incumbent government, points out Sheela Bhatt.
'If the NDA returns with the BJP substantially ahead of the JD-U, a BJP CM bid becomes plausible; if the gap is narrow or JD-U holds pivotal seats, continuity with Nitish is the lower-risk option.'
Bhikaji Cama, a hero of India's freedom, was the first to unfurl the Indian tricolour on foreign soil.
The Congress party has expressed its support for the Indian cricket team ahead of their Champions Trophy semifinal match against Australia, despite a recent controversy involving a party spokesperson's social media posts criticizing Indian captain Rohit Sharma. The party distanced itself from the spokesperson's remarks, stating that they do not reflect the party's position and asked her to exercise greater caution in future.
Maharashtra BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar's alleged derogatory remarks about NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil and his parents sparked discontent among members of the opposition party, leading to protests and Sharad Pawar expressing his disapproval to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday urged the party to be a party of hope, not resentment, a party of the future not just of the past, and a party with a positive narrative and not just criticism. He also slammed the BJP for trying to divide North from South, emphasizing the need for inclusivity and national harmony. Tharoor highlighted the importance of economic growth and equitable distribution of its benefits, calling for the Congress to remain the voice of the voiceless.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sounded the poll bugle in Bihar, where assembly elections are due this year, calling for 'an NDA government, once again', which would protect the state from the 'evil intentions' of the Rashtriya Janata Dal-Congress combine.
'She is a nice girl, simple, patient and affectionate. Because she is so empathetic, because she has the ability to feel for people, I am sure she will be able to solve the problems ordinary citizens face in this country.'
In seniority in the BJP leadership team, V K Malhotra, who passed into the ages this week, was next only to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Nanaji Deshmukh, notes Sudhir Bisht.
'Mr Modi has the power and pre-eminence in the BJP-RSS to choose how long he wants to serve, and he is definitely going to want to contest in 2029.' 'He will only be 79, as old as Donald Trump now, and fitter,' observes Shekhar Gupta.
'His willingness to take the initiative to fight for truth and justice and his willingness to cross swords with anyone for a just cause.'
'Will any coach think of keeping out Rohit and Kohli from the ODI team? That means there is something going on within the team against the two players.' Manoj Tiwary, who played 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India, said iconic players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli deserve greater respect.
Amit Shah seemingly encouraging AIADMK dissident Sengottaiyan after party boss Edappadi K Palaniswami had removed his one-time mentor from all party posts has not gone down well with party cadres. They are now ready to buy Team EPS' theory that the BJP and Amit Shah are out to liquidate the AIADMK, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
A social media influencer's video promoting communal harmony, featuring the purchase of a Ganesh idol from a Muslim seller, has sparked controversy, leading to its deletion and an apology from the creator.
Speaking at the 'Samudra se Samruddhi' event, where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones of projects worth Rs 34,200 crore, Modi said all the problems of India have only one solution, and that is self-reliance.
'Vijay is not in the mood to care for the people even now.' 'Everybody is traumatised but Vijay is not consoling them.'
The RSS-affiliated ABVP won the president's post and two other positions in the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections, restricting the NSUI to just one seat. The victory celebrations were muted due to court orders against disruptive festivities.
The Monsoon session of Parliament concluded after facing disruptions and protests over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Despite the disruptions, the government managed to pass key legislations.
Diwan Arun Nanda, founder of Rediffusion and one of India's last great admen, changed the industry with memorable campaigns, political ads, and a rare mix of sharp strategy and creativity.
Recalling Singh as a very humble person, Kumar said, "Dr Singh used to live here. I was a child when his family shifted out. It was a very nice family." The house where the Singh family lived is in a dilapidated state now as no one stays there since they moved out a long time ago, Kumar said.
Sunil Gavaskar and former BCCI President Sharad Pawar will be honoured with life-size statues at the entrance of the new Mumbai Cricket Association's museum
On his 200th birth anniversary, Utkarsh Mishra traces the life, thought, and legacy of Dadabhai Naoroji, the Grand Old Man of India.
Barring a few, such as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu (74), Union Minister C R Patil (69) and Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna (71), most other ministers attending the WEF represent the next generation of India's politicians.
BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that the arrest of two nuns in Chhattisgarh was due to a 'misunderstanding' and that they will be released on bail soon. He met with Archbishop of Trichur Andrews Thazhath to brief him that the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister have assured the nuns would be released on bail.
'No sane person will ever want to stop this film in Bengal. This is going to heal the Bengali community.'
Officials said the government-to-government engagement between the two countries on all other issues remains normal, but conceded rough spots over trade that need ironing out.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday announced ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh for the family of the college student who died by setting herself on fire over alleged inaction on her sexual harassment complaint.
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