Two weeks after flashfloods and landslides ravaged Uttarakhand, there were conflicting figures of death toll with state Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal claiming on Saturday that it may cross 10,000 while the official figure is under 1,000.
Before forcing arguably the tallest Congress leader from Uttarakhand to bite the dust in the polls to make his maiden entry into the state assembly, Bisht had only won a zila panchayat poll in 2019.
The exact number of people dead or washed away may never be known, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said today as estimates of casualties in the worst natural disaster in the state run from several hundreds to several thousands.
The Vijay Bahuguna government on Thursday won a trust vote in the Uttarakhand Assembly amid a walkout by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party members.
The Congress government in Uttarakhand on Monday cleared a major hurdle with the election of its candidate Govind Songh Kunjwal as the Speaker of the Assembly by a good margin of eight votes over Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Harbans Kapoor ahead of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna's trust vote.
Locals believe that the goddess is pleased only after blood, equivalent to a human sacrifice, is shed during the sport, which is witnessed by thousands of people.
No vehicles will be allowed to enter the assembly premises and all MLAs, including the Speaker, will have to walk down to the House from the main gate.
The Congress had governments in eight states in 2014, but now, the number might come down to five.
The speaker had disqualified nine Congress MLAs under the anti-defection law hours after imposition of President's rule in the state on March 27, a day before the state government was scheduled to go for a floor test in the assembly.
Hours after President's rule was imposed in Uttarakhand, nine rebel Congress MLAs were disqualified from the state assembly.
Uttarakhand Speaker has issued notices to nine rebel Congress MLAs asking them why they should not be disqualified from the House for aligning with the opposition BJP.
A division bench comprising justices K M Joseph and V K Bisht asked the Centre to file its response by April 5 after the Union government's counsel Rakesh Thapaliyal sought more time from the court to furnish its reply.
Saket was among the nine members of Legislative Assembly who rebelled against the Harish Rawat government.
Rebel Congress leader Vijay Bahuguna on Sunday welcomed the imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhand.
Amid ongoing uncertainty over the fate of Harish Rawat government which will face floor test in Uttarakhand assembly on March 28, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday claimed that at least five more MLAs from the Congress led alliance are ready to jump over to its side.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of posing a threat to the Indian ethos of pluralism and trying to wipe out the Nehruvian legacy of tolerance.
Uttarakhand was on Sunday brought under President's rule by the Centre on grounds of "breakdown of governance" in a controversial decision.
The lawyers of the nine rebel Congress MLAs ahead of the trial of strength in Uttarakhand assembly as met Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal in ab attempt to prevent action against them.
Giving yet another twist to the continuing political drama in Uttarakhand, the division bench has stayed the Thursday's floor test in the state assembly till April 7.
The Uttarakhand high court on Tuesday ordered a floor test in the assembly on March 31, giving a new turn to the political events in the state where President's Rule was imposed on Sunday.
Over 200 pilgrims were taken to safety from Badrinath today with the Uttarakhand government saying that only 500 more remained there with adequate food and medical care even as disposal of bodies in affected areas and transportation of relief material posed a fresh challenge.
With the majority of pilgrims evacuated from Badrinath, disposal of bodies lying in affected areas and transportation of relief material to locals in flooded villages on Sunday posed a fresh challenge to authorities in Uttarakhand.
With the Congress government in crisis in Uttarakhand after nine party members of Legislative Assembly, including a minister, joined hands with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party overnight, Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday asserted that the welfare of the state was his priority and added that he would tender his resignation if he was not able to prove majority.
The high court dismissed the petition of Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification and the Supreme Court refusing to give any relief to them.
The submission was made before Justice U C Dhyani by advocate Amit Sibal, appearing for the Chief whip, who further argued that the nine were "paraded" before the governor to show the "new majority".
The recent tragedy confirms the view of humanitarian aid as a political weapon
Imposing a blanket ban on construction of houses and commercial establishments along the banks of rivers, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Monday announced setting up of a statutory body to look into planning and development of the flood-hit areas of the state.
Hailing Uttarakhand high court's verdict which set aside President's rule in the state, the Congress and AAP took potshots at the Modi govt.
Uttarakhand Governor Krishna Kant Paul on Saturday asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority on the floor of the state assembly by March 28 as the political crisis escalated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, claiming the support of rebel Congress MLAs, stepped up efforts to form its government.
Nine Congress MLAs, most of them Bahuguna loyalists, rebelled against Harish Rawat and supported BJP's claim to form a government.
Not amused by imposition of President's Rule by the Centre, Rawat termed it as the 'murder of democracy'.
After Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, discontent is brewing among Congress MLAs in Manipur.
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