Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akilesh Yadav turned in a fine all-round performance as he led his team the Chief Minister's XI to a victory over the state's bureaucrats in a friendly 20-overs-a-side tennis ball cricket match at Lucknow's Le Martinier school grounds on Sunday.
The BJP lost 15 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. Union ministers have been deployed in all 15, tasked with turning the result around.
Electioneering ended in Madhya Pradesh at 6 pm except in Naxalites-hit districts of Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori, where campaigning drew to a close early at 3 pm.
Kumar had also made it clear that he was in the process of uniting the non-BJP leaders.
Uttar Pradesh has created a record of sorts. Out of the 2,195 candidates that contested the election, 795 had criminal records against them, reports Vicky Nanjappa
The new chief minister, if from the Congress, will have little or no time for political administration, to ensure that he does not lose the voter's goodwill even before the Lok Sabha polls. He can count only on one thing. That the BJP may not want to upset him too early lest an early failure should become an added problem for the party in all the polls to follow, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Psephologist Sandeep Shastri explains to Vicky Nanjappa/Rediff.com how Narendra Modi scripted the BJP's triumph.
Sharply divided maulanas appear to have paved way for a smooth sailing for Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Santosh Kumar Gangwar in Bareilly.
Allegations of strains on democratic and constitutional institutions across the board, security threats from outside, a greedy Opposition inside, were all a part of the package then as now, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
It was a manic Monday in Varanasi. The voting day lived up to the hype created by the campaigning here. Vicky Nanjappa reports
After an unsavoury courtroom battle, his party won to secure for him the final resting place at the Chennai landmark
Chandrababu Naidu, on the other hand, points out that everyone in the party will have to work hard to consolidate their position. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
For the AIADMK's cadres, it is much more than an election symbol, they believe the party's electoral chances rest on owning it, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances