The states have outstanding liabilities of a whopping Rs 59,89,360 crore as on March 31, 2021, and the new sources of risk have emerged in the form of rising expenditure on non-merit freebies, the Supreme Court was told on Thursday by a PIL petitioner opposing irrational handouts.
'...the President is pleased to accept the resignation tendered by Shri Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner with effect from the 31st August, 2020,' the notification said.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar had "prima facie" violated the Model Code of Conduct by his 'ink' remark, the Election Commission said on Monday and asked him to explain his stand by Thursday evening failing which a decision will be taken without asking him further.
'It is nice that the banking system is in good shape.' 'It is a little early to call it too good because I think it was too bad in the past.'
Before the MCC came into effect, Modi was busy laying stones, cutting ribbons, and unveiling plaques across the country.
The Election Commission on Saturday said it will consider the issue of the appointment of the next army chief at a meeting of its top brass next week.
The Congress, a responsible political party, has never cast unwarranted aspersions on the actions of Constitutional bodies, Surjewala said.
Initially, Tata Sky had stated that the channel had been added to all subscribers account "as a launch offer."
In his letter to Kumar, the veteran leader has made a series of suggestions including an amendment in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act, bringing Lord Buddha's begging bowl from Kabul and hoisting tricolor at Vaishali, the land of world's first Republic.
The Commission did not announce the elections for the Gujarat assembly, the term of which ends on February 18, 2023.
The Election Commission on Thursday banned Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader A Raja from campaigning for 48 hours after finding him guilty of violating the model code of conduct by making derogatory remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami.
Downplaying the AAP's allegations, Gambhir had earlier termed it as "negative politics".
Kicking up a controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Suresh Rana said that curfew will be imposed in Kairana, Deoband and Moradabad if he is elected again in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls next month.
Modi said he relied on his 'raw wisdom' to dispel the doubts of the defence experts who had planned the mission.
If implemented after stakeholder consultations, migrant voters do not need to travel to their home district to exercise their franchise.
BJP releases new poster taking a dig at Kejriwal.
In the FIR, Kejriwal has been accused of an offence under Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which pertains to promoting enmity between classes in connection with elections.
In continuing operations to enforce the Model Code of Conduct, more than Rs 10.5 lakh unaccounted cash and 3,112 litres of illegal liquor were seized from different parts of the state on Saturday.
The Congress on Friday moved the Election Commission to restrain the Bhyaratiya Janata Party from using a Red Fort replica in Narendra Modi's election rallies in Delhi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing leader Pamela Goswami was arrested with cocaine from south Kolkata's upscale New Alipore area on Friday, the police said.
Around 40,000 Delhi Police personnel, 190 coys (companies) of Central Armed Police Forces and 19,000 Home Guards have been deployed for smooth conduct of election in the national capital, officials said.
A complaint has been lodged against Aam Aadmi Party candidate Kumar Vishwas and hundred others for staging a dharna inside a police station, police sources said in Amethi on Saturday.
The BSP chief's brother Anand Kumar has been appointed as the party's national vice president and her nephew Akash Anand as its national coordinator.
'These letters are part of my communication with the students to encourage them to vote and to introduce them to academic discussions on what good governance and development is all about' Dr Fraser Mascarenhas, principal of Mumbai's St Xavier's College, remains unmoved even as the Bharatiya Janata Party complains to the Election Commsion over his email to students on the Gujarat model. Prasanna D Zore reports from Mumbai
Political parties can no longer make tall promises on freebies in their election manifestos as they will now have to explain the rationale of their pledges and ways and means of meeting the financial requirements.
Accusing Union Ministers Beni Prasad Verma and Kapil Sibal of vitiating the election campaign, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday approached the Election Commission seeking strong action against them for making "baseless" allegations against its leaders.
Union Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday refuted reports that he wanted Rahul Gandhi to apologise to the Muslim community for his controversial remarks that ISI was having links with Muzaffarnagar riot-hit youths, saying that his comments were twisted by the media.
'Commission is of the considered view that in this matter no such violation of the extant advisories/provisions is attracted'
The Commission said it is issuing the clarification 'in view of the anecdotal reports which are not based on empirical facts'.
The commission also directed political parties to adhere to the provisions of the model code of conduct and broader guidelines on Covid-19.
What the INDIA alliance needs is neither a counter to Modi's tall personality and undiminished charisma nor a counter-narrative to his Hindutva agenda, now centred on the Ayodhya temple consecration on January 22, argues N Sathiya Moorthy.
On the third day of rescue operation, bodies of five people, including that of eight-year-old Divya Unakal, Dakshayini, 45, and Sangamesh, 42, were retrieved from the rubble, police said.
Congress complained against Modi, Shah, Irani; the BJP against Rahul Gandhi.
The former union telecom minister in his 'interim explanation' said he had not spoken anything 'obscene' or which would lower the dignity of women and motherhood.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the disqualification of Janata Dal-Secular MLA D C Gowrishankar Swamy from the Tumkur Rural constituency in Karnataka and allowed him to contest the upcoming assembly polls in the southern state.
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has been issued a notice to appear within 10 days at a local court in Kutch district, Gujarat for his alleged breach of model code of conduct during his fact finding tour of Gujarat last month.
The legendary Seshan was not keeping good health for the past couple of years and he passed away at about 9.30 pm, a senior police official told PTI.
Accusing Narendra Modi of using religion for canvassing by putting out Lord Ram's portrait in the backdrop at his Faizabad rally, Congress on Monday approached Election Commission demanding registration of an FIR against him and other party leaders as well as derecognition of BJP.
Till he took over, political parties ferrying people to the polling stations was considered quite 'normal', and it was during Seshan's stint that it became impossible with the model code being made sacrosanct.
'Had they agreed to our demands that we raised two years ago, we would have never started our agitation again.'
