'Chandrababu is wiser and a very good administrator.' 'Jagan is the opposite. He is not very wise, not a good administrator.'
In the video clip, Shah can be seen talking to Soundararajan in an animated manner while gesturing with his finger.
Analysts believe the split of Telangana has helped the ruling party from a massive beating in the southern state with some of the votes swaying in their favour. Bikash Mohapatra reports.
'The karyakartas who wanted to contest were disappointed and it took some time to explain to them why we needed an alliance.'
The cumulative spends on Google are in excess of Rs 27.4 crore. There have been 14,837 advertisements on Google platforms.
TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu consistently emphasises, among others, the issue during his campaign, alleging that the state has been supplying poor quality liquor while profiting immensely from 'inflated' prices, running to thousands of crores of rupees.
Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday evening to reportedly discuss the administrative and political situation in the state.The two discussed the expansion of the state cabinet, the ordinance on micro-finance institutions, trimming the administration and preparing for political developments after the Justice Sri Krishna Committee submits its report on the creation of Telangana state.
With its age-old fascination for education, southern states have done better than the North. Start-ups, IT hubs, and industry majors setting up shop have changed the face of the South. Nearly 79% of global offices set up by international conglomerates in India are in the South. Almost 46% of tech unicorns are from the South. The GDP per person in the South is 4.2 times higher than the North. None of these indicators can be ignored by any central government, whatever the political compulsions, notes Ramesh Menon.
All major political parties in Andhra Pradesh supported 4 per cent reservation for "socially and economically-backward" Muslims in jobs and education and hoped the Supreme Court would pave the way for it by staying the High Court verdict that nullified the quota.
Holi was celebrated with pomp and splendor across India on Friday, with people soaking in the festivities by smearing 'gulaal' on each other and exchanging greetings and sweets. Homes and streets wore a colourful look as the revellers splashed colours and feasted on traditional delicacies. Public transport did not ply in the morning in most major cities while metro services started functioning from noon. As Holi coincided with the second Friday prayers during the holy Islamic month of Ramzan, security -- including increased patrolling and picketing -- was beefed up in several states. In Delhi, more than 25,000 security personnel were deployed. Police closely monitored about 300 sensitive areas with CCTV cameras and drones.
'If we get 399 seats and you say we have not crossed 400, then it is your wisdom. But the '400 paar' slogan is based on calculation and considered opinion'
'If the BJP detoxifies the nuclear liability law, it will bring economic, environmental and, most of all, strategic benefits.' 'Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that this Budget promise is met soon -- ideally, before Mr Modi heads to his first meeting with Trump 2.0,' observes Shekhar Gupta.
Andhra Pradesh now faces the specter of President's Rule due to the political instability prevalent in the state with the resignations of a large number of legislators over the Telangana issue, questions are also being asked whether the happenings in Andhra Pradesh cast their shadow on the Manmohan Singh led-United Progressive Alliance government in New Delhi.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will not restrain the trial court from dealing with a plea seeking police custody of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu as it announced a new bench will hear his petition for quashing the FIR in the alleged Rs 371 crore scam in the state's Skill Development Corporation on October 3.
Megha Engineering and Infrastructure, the little-known Hyderabad-based firm that in recent years won the prestigious Zojila tunnel deal among other projects, forayed into city gas and acquired a media group, was the second largest donor to political parties using electoral bonds.
He has served BJP in several capacities, will also be a saviour for the NDA in the Rajya Sabha, where they are still in minority.
Given the possibilities that next year's assembly elections could throw up, Stalin told the state assembly that an interim report had to be submitted by January 2026. The outcomes may well find its way into the DMK's poll manifesto, thus seeking to keep the electoral focus still on the BJP-ruled Centre and Prime Minister Modi, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Actor Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party, which was expected to put up a strong fight in Andhra Pradesh, came a cropper in the assembly elections, with the party chief himself trailing in both seats he contested.
Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Kondru Murali Mohan and Forest Minister Satrucharla Vijayarama Raju on Monday resigned from their posts protesting the proposed bifurcation of the state.
Taking advantage of the prevailing volatile political situation in Andhra Pradesh, the Maoists may try to strengthen their base, police officials have warned.
Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has reacted to Andhra Pradesh counterpart Pawan Kalyan's out-of-turn taunts with a one-liner, 'Let's wait', and thereby hangs a tale, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of newly sworn-in Vice President JD Vance, has made history as the first Indian-American and Hindu Second Lady of the United States. Usha, a lawyer and daughter of Indian immigrants, held the Bible during Vance's oath of office, signifying her role in supporting her husband's political journey. Her background and her husband's rise to the Vice Presidency highlight the growing political influence of Indian Americans and their increasing representation in national politics.
T S Sudhir speaks to K T Rama Rao, TRS member of legislative assembly and son of party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, on how the Parkal by-poll result will help the Telangana cause and the bitter political rivalry between his party and the BJP.
'The longevity of the government is a doubt for me because when the going gets tough, there could a be a point in time where there might be pressure, from within the party or from the allies.'
The focal point of the Telangana issue has shifted to Delhi with the arrival of Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan and Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy in the capital on Wednesday.
On his maiden visit to the national capital after taking over as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, K Rosaiah on Saturday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and is understood to have discussed political developments in the state, particularly the convening of the Congress Legislature Party meeting.The chief minister is also expected to have discussed the state's political situation, in the wake of Y S Rajasekahara Reddy's death.
The financially cautious Kiran Kumar Reddy is not too keen to fund a brand new political party, says Vicky Nanjappa
President's rule was revoked after the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi evolved the Six-Point Formula for keeping the state united by offering safeguards to the people of these distinct regions.
Seemandhra Member of Parliament L Rajagopal, who had created a ruckus by splashing pepper spray in Lok Sabha, on Tuesday resigned from Parliament.
Andhra Pradesh may witness a spell of President's rule in the wake of the resignation of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.
If the Congress reached 90, it would have a pretty good chance of holding the BJP below the 272 mark. A hundred seats will rock national politics, argues Shekhar Gupta.
'For the first time in this country, perhaps the first time anywhere, we are going to use backwardness index.' 'It is a fundamental shift in the discourse in the country's social justice.'
Reaching a consensus might also get tougher, as already seen with issues like inclusion of natural gas in GST and imposition of a sugar cess, both central proposals being resisted.
>The Indian Army still uses old British-era names and recruits soldiers based on caste or region, which hurts national unity, argues Colonel K Thammayya Udupa (retd).
Among the keenly watched contests are those involving former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav (Kannauj, UP) and Union ministers Giriraj Singh (Begusarai, Bihar), Nityanand Rai (Ujiarpur, Bihar) and Raosaheb Danve (Jalna, Maharashtra).
The setback could derail Rao's ambitions to expand the BRS's influence beyond Telangana and establish a national presence.
The Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested nine more excise officials in Khammam district on charges of "subverting" the tender process for allotment of liquor shops for pecuniary benefits, the ACB officials said on Friday.
Twenty people were gunned down in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district in a police operation said to be against red sanders smugglers that came under severe attack from the government and political parties in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, which claimed 12 victims were labourers from their state.
A bandh called by the YSR Congress, Telugu Desam Party and other anti-Telangana political parties is being observed in Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday to protest against the passage of the AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 in the Lok Sabha.
How many seats will the TDP win? How many seats will the YSR Congress win?
