Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, wife of former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide VK Pandian, has formally joined the BJD. Naveen Patnaik welcomed her, emphasising her experience as an IAS officer and her work with women. Patnaik also clarified that he would continue to lead the BJD in the next elections, despite speculation about Sujata taking over. Sujata expressed her dedication to serving the people of Odisha under Patnaik's leadership. Her entry into politics follows her husband's withdrawal after the BJD's recent electoral defeat.
Lok Sabha proceedings on Tuesday began in the new Parliament building, located adjacent to the old one, starting a new chapter in the parliamentary history of India.
Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra was expelled on Friday from the Lok Sabha after the House adopted the report of its Ethics Committee that held her guilty of accepting gifts and illegal gratification from a businessman to further his interest.
Amid intense speculation that some Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MPs might switch sides, party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday held a meeting of his faction's Lok Sabha MPs, which all nine lawmakers attended either virtually or in person.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the latest fuel hike, saying mehangai manav has struck again and he has just one job of making promises during elections and attacking people's pockets at other times.
The Lok Sabha on Thursday suspended newly-elected AAP member Sushil Kumar Rinku for the remaining part of the monsoon session for unruly behaviour in the house.
Opposition members in the Lok Sabha have questioned the government's decision to move a bill to amend the 2023 women's quota law before bringing the principal Act into force.
The decision on Rahul Gandhi's appointment as the Leader of Opposition was made after a meeting of the floor leaders of the INDIA bloc at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP-led central government of using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law as a front for the Delimitation Bill, which she claims will divide the country. She asserted that her party, the TMC, will fight this move at every step.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday moved the women's reservation bill for passage in the Lok Sabha, saying it is a very important bill and urging members to pass it with unanimity.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray criticised the BJP, accusing it of betraying Hindus by allegedly embezzling donations for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. He vowed to lead protests for "BJP-mukt Ram" and questioned the BJP's Hindutva, calling it a "Pakistan Janata Party" for its alleged party-splitting tactics and questioning citizenship. Thackeray also targeted rebel MPs, including Sanjay Deshmukh, for their defection.
The BJP has nominated Sanjay Bhatia, its former MP from Karnal, for the upcoming Rajya Sabha poll from Haryana. This decision comes as two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana are set to fall vacant, prompting elections scheduled for March 16.
The Trinamool Congress has moved the Calcutta High Court to challenge the West Bengal Assembly Speaker's decision to recognise Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition, citing that 58 of its 80 MLAs supported him over the party's official nominee. The court has scheduled an urgent hearing for June 11, ahead of the 18th Assembly session starting June 18.
A Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures and increasing Lok Sabha seats was defeated in Parliament, marking a setback for the government's efforts to empower women in politics.
In a swift political counter-offensive, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners have announced a massive, nationwide protest campaign targeting the Opposition.
The Indian government and opposition parties are set for a showdown in Parliament over a Constitution amendment bill concerning the implementation of the women's quota law and the delimitation exercise. The Opposition is concerned about the potential impact of delimitation on the political representation of southern states.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held the core group meeting of five states on Saturday at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
'This Lok Sabha election is more of a trial for GenAI content.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to the opposition to support the government's bills for implementing the women's reservation law, cautioning against politicisation and assuring that delimitation will be fair to all states.
The committee headed by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar is meeting later on Thursday to adopt its draft report in what is likely to be hotly contested by opposition members of the panel.
'Arithmetic could decide the Haryana election given the presence of multi-cornered contests.'
Punjab had recorded a voter turnout of 65.96 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls for the 13 seats.
Veteran BJP leader Hitendra Nath Goswami defeated Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat, securing his sixth term in the assembly. Goswami's grassroots campaign and extensive experience led to his victory.
The INDIA bloc faces a significant challenge as the Congress and DMK part ways, raising questions about the alliance's future and unity.
There are strong possibilities of some Union ministers being sent to take organisational roles in the BJP and party office-bearers being inducted into the Modi ministry.
The Lok Sabha secretariat on Wednesday restored the membership of Nationalist Congress Party leader P P Mohammed Faizal, who was disqualified from the lower house in January following his conviction in a criminal case with a 10-year jail term.
C Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at a gala event attended by prominent personalities including Rahul Gandhi. The swearing-in ceremony saw the presence of Vijay's parents and actress Trisha, while former CMs M K Stalin and Edappadi K Palaniswami were absent.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan rejected the opposition's motion to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing a lack of evidence of misbehaviour and the fact that some charges are under judicial review.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has dismissed allegations of 'seat theft' in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, asserting that Congress candidate Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination was deliberately undermined by her own party leaders who were vying for the same seat.
Since Independence, Lok Sabha Speakers have been chosen by consensus.
In a major security breach on the anniversary of the deadly 2001 Parliament terror attack, two persons on Wednesday jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery, shouted slogans and released yellow smoke from canisters that triggered panic and chaos in the House.
The Election Commission has ordered repolling in 15 polling stations across two Assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district following reports of electoral malpractices.
The INDIA bloc faces challenges after recent state election defeats for key members like TMC and DMK, potentially shifting internal dynamics and leadership considerations.
Amit Shah wants to increase the party's nationwide vote share by at least 10 per cent from the 37.7 per cent it secured five years ago and ensure above 50 per cent vote share in the states where it came close to that benchmark, but couldn't cross it.
'It's a bit uncertain. Let's see what happens. But he is the top man of Assam, and since my politics is in Assam, I thought it's best to seek his guidance before I take any decision.'
Immediately after the House met, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid tributes to sitting MPs Rattan Lal Kataria and Balubhau alias Suresh Narayan Dhanorkar. He also said that 11 former members passed away in the last few months and read out their names.
The Japanese PM's visit to Assam comes amid festering uneasiness in Tokyo about Beijing's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Opposition had the numbers to win one Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar. As it turned out, four MLAs skipped the voting, helping the NDA to sweep the polls.
A nine-year-old girl was fatally attacked by stray dogs in Rajasthan's Bundi district while going to the fields near her village. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla visited the family and provided compensation, while directing authorities to take preventive measures.
A new kind of history has been created in Maharashtra. Accept it. We need to give credit where it's due. Modi led this change... from the setback of June 4 to November 23, notes Sheela Bhatt.
