The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form its government in Delhi after winning the recent assembly elections. Party leaders have stated that the new chief minister should be chosen from the elected BJP MLAs, with several contenders emerging from the newly-elected members. The decision on the next chief minister is expected to be made after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from his foreign visit around February 15.
BJP president JP Nadda said on Sunday that the party does not seek to control the Waqf Board but wants to ensure that those managing it operate within the bounds of law and adhere to established rules. He said the properties and funds of the Waqf Board should be dedicated to promoting education, providing healthcare and employment opportunities for the Muslim community. Nadda also highlighted the BJP's growth and achievements, emphasizing its commitment to national unity and cultural heritage.
Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar now faces a maximum of death penalty and a minimum of life term in prison after being convicted on Wednesday by a Delhi court in a murder case stemming from 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The 24th CPI(M) Party Congress commenced in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, with interim coordinator Prakash Karat emphasizing the need for Left unity to combat "Hindutva neo-fascism." He criticized the BJP-RSS government, accusing it of representing a "Hindutva-corporate nexus" and displaying "neo-fascist characteristics." Other Left leaders, including CPI general secretary D Raja and CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, echoed calls for unity and condemned the current political climate in India.
The birth anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, whose political influence has surged with the passage of time, on Monday was marked by bitter trading of charges between the ruling BJP and opposition parties as they fought for his legacy.
A man in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district allegedly locked his ailing mother at home and went to Prayagraj for a holy dip in Maha Kumbh along with his wife, children and in-laws. The 65-year-old woman was rescued by police after she was found locked in her home for three days and survived on flattened rice. Her daughter, who lives nearby, received a phone call from neighbours about her mother's situation and informed the police. The man, a CCL employee, claimed he had made arrangements for his mother's food and drink before leaving for the Kumbh.
Five of the seven newly sworn-in ministers in Delhi, including the chief minister, have declared criminal cases against themselves, while two are billionaires, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The findings are based on self-sworn affidavits submitted by the ministers ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly Elections. The report highlights that five ministers, including Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, have declared criminal cases against themselves, with one minister, Ashish Sood, facing serious criminal charges. On the financial front, two ministers are billionaires, with Manjinder Singh Sirsa having the highest declared assets worth Rs. 248.85 crores and Kapil Mishra having the lowest at Rs 1.06 crores. The average assets of the seven ministers stand at Rs 56.03 crores. All seven ministers have declared liabilities, with Parvesh Sahib Singh having the highest at Rs 74.36 crores. Six ministers have declared educational qualifications of graduate level or above, while one has completed only the 12th standard. Five ministers are between 41 and 50 years old, while the remaining two are aged between 51 and 60 years. The cabinet includes only one woman minister, the chief minister.
Eighteen people were killed and five others injured after a firecracker warehouse exploded and collapsed in Gujarat's Banaskantha district on Tuesday. The incident occurred in an industrial area near Deesa town around 9:45 a.m., killing workers from Madhya Pradesh and their family members. The warehouse was used to store firecrackers, but there is no evidence that firecrackers were being manufactured there. The Gujarat government has announced financial assistance for the victims' families.
The BJP's victory in the Delhi Assembly elections has sparked speculation over who will lead the next government. Several prominent leaders, including Pravesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Pawan Sharma, Vijender Gupta, and Satish Upadhyay, are in the running for the chief minister's post. The party's national leadership is expected to make the final decision, leaving the contenders in a state of anticipation.
A few days back, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation issued a notice to Khan, citing various lapses and lack of the building plan approval (for his house), sources said.
A case was registered against Infosys co-founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan, former IISc Director Balaram and 16 others under the Prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act. The case was filed based on the directions of the 71st city civil and session court (CCH). The complainant, Durgappa, who belongs to the tribal Bovi community, alleged that he was falsely implicated in a honey trap case and dismissed from service in 2014. He further claimed he was subjected to casteist abuse and threats.
Prime Minister Modi will visit RSS headquarters in Nagpur on March 30.
Thousands gathered at Bengaluru's Sankey Tank to witness the historic Cauvery Aarati, a grand water ritual that combined spiritual elements with entertainment. The event, which included laser lights, Vedic chants, and a performance by popular musician Raghu Dixit, attracted a diverse crowd, including young people who were curious to see the spectacle. The event was part of a week-long campaign aimed at raising awareness about water conservation.
A Mumbai court has granted anticipatory bail to Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi in a case filed against him for his remarks praising Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. The court, however, cautioned Azmi to exercise restraint during interviews, warning that any irresponsible statement could spark riots. The case stems from Azmi's remarks during an interview where he praised Aurangzeb's rule and claimed that India's GDP during his reign accounted for 24 percent of the world's GDP. Azmi's lawyer argued that his client's statements were made spontaneously and without any malicious intent, while the prosecution opposed the bail plea, arguing that the remarks were made in a sensitive time following the release of a film based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, a revered Maratha king who was captured by Aurangzeb. The court noted that the investigation was at a preliminary stage and that the investigating officer did not have the video recording of the interview when the case was filed. The court also expressed concern over the potential for Azmi's remarks to incite violence.
A proposed statue of Maharana Pratap in front of a mosque in Sujanpur Tira town, Himachal Pradesh, has sparked tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has called for the statue to be erected at the approved spot, while a delegation of Muslims has submitted a memorandum to the local administration requesting it not to be installed in front of the mosque. The deputy commissioner has asked the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) to look into the issue and resolve it.
Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and his family participated in the Maha Kumbh on Tuesday, taking a dip in the Sangam and attending a yagya at Parmarth Triveni Pushp in Arail. The family, including Ambani's mother, sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and siblings, were accompanied by Ambani's mother-in-law and sister-in-law. They joined millions at the spiritual pilgrimage at the confluence of the sacred waters of Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati. The family also prayed for "global peace and welfare" at the Vishwa Shanti Yagya.
Sadhus take part in a religious procession during the Nagar Pravesh ceremony for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
New details have emerged in the murder of Saurabh Rajput in Meerut, India, with his family alleging that the accused wife's parents knew about the crime beforehand. The deceased's daughter reportedly said 'Papa is in the drum,' indicating her knowledge of the murder. The accused wife, Muskan Rastogi, and her lover Sahil Shukla, confessed to stabbing Saurabh to death and hiding his body in a drum sealed with cement. Police are investigating further, including Muskan's use of a fake Snapchat ID to manipulate Sahil into believing his deceased mother was urging him to kill Saurabh.
South Central Railway has joined the rescue teams that are engaged in locating the eight persons who remain trapped in the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel for the past six days, with necessary equipment, a senior official said on Friday.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze within 10 minutes and no casualties were reported.
The Muslim community in Sujanpur Tira town in Himachal Pradesh has withdrawn its objection to a proposed Maharana Pratap statue outside a mosque. The decision comes after a delegation of the community submitted a memorandum to the Hamirpur administration, asking it not to install the statue in the park being built outside the mosque. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) had called on the administration not to go back on its decision to install the statue at the approved spot.
On the 134th birth anniversary of the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, Utkarsh Mishra revisits three incidents from Dr B R Ambedkar's life that lay bare the deeply entrenched nature of caste prejudice.
'I am determined now to celebrate all festivals together.' 'People don't respond much when you try to convince them by talking about principles of secularism etc. But if we revive our shared cultural practices, specially food, we may get a better response.'
The wife of an army Colonel, who has accused 12 Punjab police personnel of assaulting him and his son over a parking dispute, has started a sit-in protest along with ex-servicemen outside the Patiala Deputy Commissioner's office to press for a CBI probe. The family is demanding a CBI probe and the transfer of Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Nanak Singh, accusing him of failing to take action on their multiple requests to file an FIR. Despite Patiala Deputy Commissioner (DC) Preeti Yadav assuring them of a fair and transparent probe, the family refused to lift the 'dharna' and said it would continue until their demands were met.
A 37-year-old burglar who allegedly built a Rs three crore bungalow for his girlfriend using the robbed money was arrested in Bengaluru. Panchakshari Swamy, who hails from Solapur in Maharashtra, was married and has children but he was a womaniser and spent the robbed money lavishly on women. He allegedly committed thefts in many parts of the country over the past two decades. Swamy has been arrested in a case of theft of gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 14 lakh from a house at Maruti Nagar in Bengaluru that occurred on January 9. His involvement in the theft was revealed with the help of footage from more than 200 CCTV cameras. With his arrest, the police have seized gold biscuits of 181 g, silver ornaments of 33 g, and a firearm from him. Swamy started burglaries in 2003 when he was a minor and by 2009 he had become professional at it gaining wealth worth crores through thefts, burglaries and robberies and it was in 2014-15, he started dating an actress and spent lavishly on her by building a Rs three crore house for her in Kolkata. He also allegedly gifted her an aquarium worth Rs 22 lakh, he said, adding he also had links with some other actresses. Police said that he mostly operated alone and kept a watch over empty houses so that he could target them easily and after committing the theft, he would change clothes to avoid suspicion.
Before the violence and rioting that erupted in Nagpur on Monday, March 17, over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb came provocative statements from various political leaders.
As Delhi voters cast their ballots for the assembly polls on Wednesday, allegations of fake voting emerged in some parts of the national capital, including Seelampur and Kasturba Nagar.
Nagpur Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said social media was used to vitiate the atmosphere, and appealed to the opposition not to politicise the matter.
The Bullet Train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad has achieved significant progress with the completion of 386 km of pier foundation and 272 km of viaduct. Track laying is expected to begin soon as all other infrastructure work is ready.
The fire spread to over a dozen nearby camps, causing significant damage.
A 30-year-old man was hacked to death by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on the suspicion of being a police informer. The incident comes close on the heels of the murder of two men, one of them a former Naxalite, in neighbouring Bijapur district two days ago. The two were killed by Naxalites, as per the police. Earlier on January 26, Naxalites killed a 41-year-old man in Bhairamgarh area of Bijapur, accusing him of being an informer. On January 16, Naxalites killed a 48-year-old man in Mirtur area of Bijapur for the same reason.
Congress candidates lost their security deposits on all but three seats in the Delhi assembly polls as nearly 80 per cent of all contenders, including those contesting independently, forfeited their deposits.
Kejriwal was greeting people standing behind a cordon when the man approached him and splashed the liquid on him, following which the security personnel swiftly overpowered him. Kejriwal and the security personnel accompanying him were later seen wiping their faces.
A 40-year-old man died by suicide at his home in Hubballi, Karnataka, allegedly due to harassment by his wife. The victim, Petaru Gollapalli, left a suicide note blaming his wife for his death and alleging she wanted him dead. The couple had been married for two years but had lived separately for the past three months due to frequent quarrels. His wife had also filed for divorce and demanded Rs 20 lakhs as alimony. The victim's brother has filed a complaint against his wife, and police have registered a case under section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. This incident comes just a month after a 34-year-old techie, Atul Subhash, died by suicide in Bengaluru following alleged harassment by his wife and her family.
Haryana Police have arrested a "friend" of Congress worker Himani Narwal for allegedly strangling her after a fight at her home and later dumping her body in a suitcase. The accused, Sachin, hails from Jhajjar and was arrested in Delhi. Police say he strangled Narwal with a wired mobile phone charger and then took her jewellery, laptop, and ring before dumping her body in a suitcase and fleeing the scene. Narwal's body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Rohtak on Saturday, leading to the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the murder. Congress party members have expressed grief and demanded justice for Narwal, who was a dedicated party worker and also took part in the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released the first part of its manifesto for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, promising Rs 2,500 monthly aid for women, LPG cylinders at Rs 500, and Rs 2,500 pension for senior citizens. BJP president JP Nadda also assured that all existing public welfare schemes in Delhi will continue if the party is voted to power. The manifesto also includes a promise to implement the 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme in Delhi, providing additional health cover of Rs 5 lakh.
Kohli was reportedly offered the captaincy for the Ranji Trophy match against Railways but chose to decline the opportunity
With the Bharatiya Janata Party a clear winner in the Delhi assembly elections, meet the BJP aspirants for the chief minister's post.
Afsar Dayatar/Rediff.com captures glimpses of Simran Shaikh returning home to Dharavi, a couple of days after she became the most expensive hire at the Women's Premier League auction in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, suspended from the Maharashtra assembly over his remarks praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, will be '100 per cent' put in jail, Chief Minister Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the legislative council.
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