News for 'party defections'

Faced with uphill task, Lalu comes out with subdued war cry

Faced with uphill task, Lalu comes out with subdued war cry

Rediff.com25 Sep 2020

Asking the people of Bihar to bring their own government to power, the post made a veiled reference to the alleged high handedness of bureaucracy under the JD(U)-BJP rule but fell shy of a frontal attack on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his arch rival, or the near hegemonic saffron party which considers him a bete noire.

'There are people in TMC who are termites'

'There are people in TMC who are termites'

Rediff.com15 Mar 2021

'The TMC forgets that if people don't stand by you, your party will never win.'

Why Modi needs to worry

Why Modi needs to worry

Rediff.com6 Nov 2019

The winds of nationalism laden with religion will now yield to those of concern over the stalled economy, unemployment, and a general malaise and unhappiness, predicts Shekhar Gupta.

BJP acted like 'Chambal dacoits' to form govt in Maha: Raut

BJP acted like 'Chambal dacoits' to form govt in Maha: Raut

Rediff.com25 Nov 2019

'The BJP leaders will go crazy if they are thrown out of power. They will lose their mental balance'

2020: BJP gained new grounds but farmers' protest pose challenge

2020: BJP gained new grounds but farmers' protest pose challenge

Rediff.com1 Jan 2021

Governments in most of the world saw their approval ratings dip as they struggled to contain the raging virus, which hit economy hard everywhere, but Indian politics followed a different script, with the outgoing year marking further shrinking of a rudderless Congress while the ruling BJP soared riding on Modi's enduring appeal.

Amit Shah behind poaching of MLAs: Yediyurappa on video

Amit Shah behind poaching of MLAs: Yediyurappa on video

Rediff.com2 Nov 2019

The Congress on Saturday demanded the dismissal of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka following leak of an audio clipping in which Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa purportedly can be heard mentioning the disqualification of rebel Congress-Janata Dal-Secular MLAs and alleged involvement of the saffron party's central leadership. "How the BJP misused power and money was exposed yesterday. Now people have to judge them," he said. Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah also attacked the BJP, saying what the party had done was "a conspiracy to murder democracy and a violation of the Constitution".

'We don't want BJP to rule Maharashtra'

'We don't want BJP to rule Maharashtra'

Rediff.com9 Nov 2019

'There is no question of joining hands with the BJP.'

Thinking of going away from politics: Kumaraswamy

Thinking of going away from politics: Kumaraswamy

Rediff.com3 Aug 2019

'I came to politics accidentally. I became the chief minister accidentally. God gave me the opportunity to become the chief minister twice'

Will Chanakya opt for Chirag?

Will Chanakya opt for Chirag?

Rediff.com11 Sep 2020

Chirag Paswan is young. He is articulate. He has no political baggage. All he needs is the blessing of Chanakya, observes Asmita Bihari.

Disqualified AAP MLA Kapil Mishra joins BJP

Disqualified AAP MLA Kapil Mishra joins BJP

Rediff.com17 Aug 2019

Mishra and AAP's women's wing chief Richa Pandey joined the BJP at the party office in New Delhi in the presence of vice-president Shyam Jaju and Delhi unit chief Manoj Tiwari, former Union minister Vijay Goel and leader of opposition in the assembly Vijender Gupta.

SC upholds disqualification of rebel K'taka MLAs, allows them to contest polls

SC upholds disqualification of rebel K'taka MLAs, allows them to contest polls

Rediff.com13 Nov 2019

The court struck down the portion of the Speaker's order by which the legislators were disqualified till the end of the 15th Karnataka assembly.

Rebel MLAs seek more time to meet K'taka speaker

Rebel MLAs seek more time to meet K'taka speaker

Rediff.com23 Jul 2019

The lawmakers have said that they had moved the Supreme Court after tendering their resignation, which had also directed the Speaker to consider their resignation.

Is Our Constitution Out Of Date?

Is Our Constitution Out Of Date?

Rediff.com26 Jan 2022

There is an acute imbalance of power between the various organs of the State, including the executive, the legislature, the judiciary, and the ultimate sovereign -- the people, argues R Jagannathan.

'BJP will get 35% vote in Bengal'

'BJP will get 35% vote in Bengal'

Rediff.com29 Apr 2019

With a substantially weakened Left Front and the Congress, political observers say the anti-Trinamool vote will go to the BJP.

Pinarayi Aims For The Stars

Pinarayi Aims For The Stars

Rediff.com3 May 2021

Pinarayi is exploring the potentials of 'socialism with Indian characteristics'. The next five years under Pinarayi's watch will be a transformative period for Kerala's development, observes M K Bhadrakumar.

'We need to assess our democracy'

'We need to assess our democracy'

Rediff.com27 May 2003

Unequal battle in Bhabanipur as Mamata faces 'lightweight' rivals

Unequal battle in Bhabanipur as Mamata faces 'lightweight' rivals

Rediff.com13 Sep 2021

Having emerged as the face of opposition resistance to the Narendra Modi juggernaut after the TMC's triumph in the assembly elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is locked in an unequal battle as she squares off with "lightweight" rivals in her own lair--Bhabanipur.

14 K'taka rebel MLAs disqualified by speaker ahead of trust vote

14 K'taka rebel MLAs disqualified by speaker ahead of trust vote

Rediff.com28 Jul 2019

The 14 MLAs who had resigned earlier this month include Pratapgouda Patil, BC Patil, Shivaram Hebbar, ST Somashekhar, BA Basavaraja, Anand Singh, R Roshan Baig, Munirathna, K Sudhakar, MTB Nagaraj, AH Vishwanath, K Gopalaiah, Narayana Gowda and Shrimanth Patil.

Overnight coup proves to be failed gambit for BJP

Overnight coup proves to be failed gambit for BJP

Rediff.com26 Nov 2019

Political watchers believe that there is little denying the loss of face the party has suffered in its bid to rule India's richest state.

REVEALED: How BJP will get numbers for floor test

REVEALED: How BJP will get numbers for floor test

Rediff.com25 Nov 2019

'Why should we disclose how and from where we will get these numbers?'

9 'rebel' NCP MLAs pledge loyalty to Sharad Pawar

9 'rebel' NCP MLAs pledge loyalty to Sharad Pawar

Rediff.com23 Nov 2019

These MLAs were present when BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and NCP's Ajit Pawar were sworn in as chief minister and deputy chief minister at Raj Bhavan. Both the MLAs said they were with the Nationalist Congress Party and expressed solidarity with its president.

Bengal outcome will have national repercussions

Bengal outcome will have national repercussions

Rediff.com4 Mar 2021

Never before in the history of the Republic has an election in the state mattered so much as it does now, observes Virendra Kapoor.

Why BJP is gloating over Suvendu's fallout with Mamata

Why BJP is gloating over Suvendu's fallout with Mamata

Rediff.com14 Dec 2020

With his exit, the TMC will lose a crucial, politically influential vote catcher in the Jungalmahal region and areas in minority-dominated Murshidabad, and the BJP will get a face it badly needs, especially in rural Bengal, reports Aditi Phadnis.

72% Indian Americans plan to vote for Biden: Survey

72% Indian Americans plan to vote for Biden: Survey

Rediff.com14 Oct 2020

"Contradicting the emerging narrative, Indian-Americans remain committed to the Democratic Party. Nearly three-quarters of registered Indian-American voters intend to support Joe Biden this Fall, compared to just 22 per cent for Donald Trump," it said.

RRR Review

RRR Review

Rediff.com25 Mar 2022

A copious amount of blood, beating, crying, saving, sacrificing, nationalism fills up its staggering three hours running time. Emotions run sky high, but you feel nothing, sighs Sukanya Verma.

Will Aditi Munshi hit the right notes for Mamata?

Will Aditi Munshi hit the right notes for Mamata?

Rediff.com12 Mar 2021

'People say my personality doesn't have sharp edges, but politics doesn't have to be about pulling down your opponents or bad mouthing them.'

Emergency was a windfall for the RSS

Emergency was a windfall for the RSS

Rediff.com25 Jun 2021

The Emergency greatly influenced the RSS' makeover from a fringe force in the Indian political imagination to one that could have its own man sworn in as prime minister in two decades' time. A riveting excerpt from Christophe Jaffrelot and Pratinav Anil's India's First Dictatorship: The Emergency, 1975-1977.

Has the Modi wave favoured Congress-NCP turncoats?

Has the Modi wave favoured Congress-NCP turncoats?

Rediff.com24 Oct 2019

Ahead of the elections, a lot had been spoken of the large number of leaders defecting from the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena. In fact, a month before the polls, more than two dozen Congress-NCP leaders quit and joined the BJP in hopes of riding high on the Narendra Modi wave. While for some the shift has brought in good fortune, for others it has brought loss. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com analyses how these defectors have fared.

Nandigram: Will Dada trounce Didi?

Nandigram: Will Dada trounce Didi?

Rediff.com3 Mar 2021

Nandigram, 126 km south of Kolkata, is Suvendu Adhikari's bastion, where he has vowed to defeat Mamata Banerjee by 50,000 votes or quit politics.

Knives out in RJD: MLA seeks Tejashwi's resignation

Knives out in RJD: MLA seeks Tejashwi's resignation

Rediff.com27 May 2019

Else, warns rebel party MLA, the RJD will split.

Tamil bloc may hold the key in Lanka's power struggle

Tamil bloc may hold the key in Lanka's power struggle

Rediff.com1 Nov 2018

In a Sri Lankan House of 225 members, the cut-off figure comes to 113. With Wickremesinghe side touching 102 and Rajapaksa's team at 101, the three-party Tamil National Alliance with 16 members and the left-leaning Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna with 6 members hold the key. But with the latter declaring that they will not support either formation in a vote count,that leaves the TNA as the deciding factor, says N Sathiya Moorthy.

Cong, NCP deny backing Shiv Sena to keep BJP out

Cong, NCP deny backing Shiv Sena to keep BJP out

Rediff.com25 Oct 2019

NCP chief Sharad Pawar also ruled out any alliance with the Sena.

1 year of Modi 2.0: BJP's core agenda fulfilled

1 year of Modi 2.0: BJP's core agenda fulfilled

Rediff.com29 May 2020

With the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government marking its first anniversary on Saturday, the first year is likely to be remembered for the fulfilment of decades-old Hindutva demands as Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the huge majority his party won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to push through its core agenda.

Democracy, honesty, people of K'taka lost: Rahul

Democracy, honesty, people of K'taka lost: Rahul

Rediff.com24 Jul 2019

Capping a three-week-long high-voltage intense power struggle triggered by a raft of resignations by rebel lawmakers that pushed the government to the brink of collapse, the motion in the Karnataka Assembly was defeated with 99 members voting for the motion and 105 against it.

Sena, Cong-NCP discuss common minimum programme

Sena, Cong-NCP discuss common minimum programme

Rediff.com13 Nov 2019

Thackeray held talks with Thorat, former chief minister Ashok Chavan and another senior Congress leader, Manikrao Thakare, at a suburban hotel.

Raut's 'best wishes' to BJP as MLAs shifted to resort

Raut's 'best wishes' to BJP as MLAs shifted to resort

Rediff.com9 Nov 2019

"I also say, on behalf of my party, that we can form government if we want and there can be a Shiv Sena chief minister," Raut told reporters.

Opposition should aim for 2029

Opposition should aim for 2029

Rediff.com7 Sep 2021

The Opposition must understand that while 2024 may draw mileage from the growing resentment towards the BJP, the real battle and proof of how well India learnt from its disastrous dalliance with the Right-wing, will be in 2029, observes Shyam G Menon.

Yediyurappa expands Cabinet, inducts 7 ministers

Yediyurappa expands Cabinet, inducts 7 ministers

Rediff.com14 Jan 2021

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday expanded his 17-month old cabinet, inducting seven ministers, and indicated that excise minister H Nagesh would be dropped. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.

Nawaz Sharif re-elected as PML-N chief

Nawaz Sharif re-elected as PML-N chief

Rediff.com3 Oct 2017

Sharif, 67, had to step down as the chief of the PML-N after he was disqualified as the prime minister by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the Panama Papers scandal.

Cong high command will take call on alliance: Deve Gowda

Cong high command will take call on alliance: Deve Gowda

Rediff.com28 Jul 2019

'Kumaraswamy is not officially the leader of the opposition. For three years and eight months of Yediyurappa's government, Siddarmaiah will officially be the leader of the opposition'