Ex-bankers, retired government officials and journalists have been roped in by the Election Commission to hold 'charcha' or dialogue sessions with voters as part of its drive to crack down on black money instances in "expenditure-sensitive" pockets.
Making his debut in West Bengal in the current campaign, Bharatiya Janata Party's PM candidate Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Left parties and the Third Front, saying they will make India a "third rate" country.
'The incidents that used to happen in our time, have they stopped now?' 'Can you imagine they made an acid attack victim consume acid? And when did this happen?' 'When the CM was inspecting the thana...' 'History tells us that a party does not remain in power permanently.' 'Finally, they will have to deliver.'
While corruption destroys the moral fibre of a nation, its society and people, secularism as espoused in this country is cynical secularism, a sham perpetrated during election time and communalism is a spectre, a bogey raised by these great champions of Indian secularism to secure and perpetuate their vote bank, says Maneck Davar.
Aam Aadmi Party on Friday asked suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal to resign from the central services and contest election against Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayum Singh Yadav from his Mainpuri parliamentary constituency.
Venting her grouse over entry of Badava Shramika Raitha Congress president B Sreeramalu in the Bharatiya Janata Party, senior leader Sushma Swaraj on Friday night said he was taken in despite her "stiff opposition".
64 Rajya Sabha MPs have signed the notice for impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice of India Deepak Misra under "five grounds of misbehaviour".
Simmering discontent in the Aam Aadmi Party came to the fore on Tuesday when a party member called a press conference in New Delhi to demand more organisational democracy but was shouted down by autorickshaw drivers supporting AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
Simmering discontent in the Aam Aadmi Party came to the fore on Tuesday when a party member called a press conference in New Delhi to demand more organisational democracy but was shouted down by autorickshaw drivers supporting AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
'And Indians are loving it,' says Shekhar Gupta.
'Given that he would have a good understanding of how many jobs the economy can create at the moment, was Modi hailing the modest pakoda-seller to infuse some charm in self-employment?' asks Udit Misra.
This is possibly the last election in Bengal where two sides are squaring off against each other. Don't expect the BJP to be a bystander five years hence, says Devanik Saha.
'The reason I call Dadri a landmark turning point in our politics is the relatively muted response of the self-styled secular forces.' 'Top leaders of the Congress haven't even taken a padyatra to the village, just a 40 minute drive from Delhi. Lalu, Nitish, Mamata, all claimants to the secular vote, are afraid of messing with an issue involving the cow.' 'Holiness of the cow has now become as multi-partisan an issue as hostility to Pakistan,' says Shekhar Gupta.
'Tarun Gogoi is incompetent to be chief minister. We heard Intelligence had warned him about possible aggression. Why did Gogoi fail to react?' 'Modi and his men have been spreading separatist messages across Assam for years. There is no way the BJP can shake off its responsibility now.' Former Assam minister Rameswar Dhanowar, who demanded Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's resignation for his failure to prevent the recent violence in Bodoland Territorial Areas District, speaks to Indrani Roy/Rediff.com
The BJP has offered support to Jitan Ram Manjhi if he assures the support of 30 JD-U MLAs in return.
The Republican refused to commit to accepting the election result if he loses, in the third debate against Hillary Clinton.
Kin of jailed leaders Mahipal Maderna, Malkhan Singh Bishnoi and Babulal Nagar -- accused in cases like rape and murder -- have found place in the third list of Congress hopefuls for the Assembly elections along with two other party leaders who are facing criminal charges.
In one village, a woman asks, "They are always showing cash seizures on television, you think some of it will escape and we will get money as usual?" "Only 1 percent of cash is actually seized, the rest has arrived, you don't worry," a party worker assures her. Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar reports on the election in the southern-most tip of the country.
'The BJP will never do anything substantial to empower Dalits.'
'What if Modi becomes the fascist the leftists paints him as? What if he does suspend the Constitution and declares himself the ruler, with support from the army? What exactly will you do, Mr Leftie?' asks Rajeev Srinivasan.
A united Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Thursday pitched for referring the triple talaq bill to a 'joint select committee' of Parliament, claiming its provisions were unconstitutional.
The 30-share Sensex was up 188 points at 28,415 and the 50-share Nifty was up 58 points at 8,584.
Nothing, according to Deepak Lal. He argues that the contemporary attempts to control immigration in the US and UK are not nativist.
Formula One will have a new qualifying format this season as part of changes that will help make the sport more exciting, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Wednesday.
We bring you a presentation of some of the best photos from around the world in the month gone by
The Congress has been reduced to a C player in national politics thanks to its inability to read the pulse of the people, says Rashme Sehgal.
The AAP on Sunday removed party's internal Lokpal Admiral L Ramdas and Prashant Bhushan as the chief of the National Disciplinary Committee
They are sure not to like this particular one, observes N Sathiya Moorthy
The move is aimed at making it easier to do business in India.
Not amused by imposition of President's Rule by the Centre, Rawat termed it as the 'murder of democracy'.
'Investors hate uncertainty and the demonetisation move certainly creates that.'
With 32 people being killed in Assam, the Centre on Sunday said it is determined to curb attacks on minorities as the violence there was aimed at starting a "full-fledged communal conflagration".
Failure to deliver on governance, corruption allegations, preoccupation with Lok Sabha and gram panchayat polls and factionalism have weakened Siddaramaiah's government in Karnataka. This may well hand the BJP a chance to make a comeback in the state, says Raghu Krishnan.
Sanjay Patel, secretary of the Board of Control of Cricket in India, was on Wednesday removed from the secretary's post by his own state association Baroda CA after a city civil court in Vadodara rejected his plea to be reinstated in BCA's managing committee.
'Mumbai's killings in January 1993 came at the tail end of two outbursts of vicious communal violence, whereas today, it's peacetime in a 'new India'.' 'At that time, the perpetrators warned onlookers to keep their mouths shut.' 'Today, the perpetrators take videos of their attacks, such is their confidence.' 'The mobs have succeeded in terrorising an entire community and indeed, all those dealing in the transport of cattle, whatever their religion,' says Jyoti Punwani.
Some new EU cars, including Mercedes, BMW and Peugeot vehicles, were using around 50 percent more fuel than manufacturers claimed.
'There are many able, good, police officers in Bengal who are capable of handling this situation, but without Mamata Banerjee nothing moves.'
With betting in Indian Premiere League tournament estimated to be around Rs 66,000 crore business, Central Bureau of investigation Director Ranjit Sinha today said there is no harm in legalising betting as there was no point in a ban which cannot be enforced.
In a first, central paramilitary forces will be deployed at all 62,779 polling stations during the 5-phase Bihar assembly polls, the Election Commission said on Monday.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he regretted causing pain to people by not choosing the "right words" sometimes and uttering "wrong thing" even as his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton termed the statement as a mere "well-written phrase".
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