News for 'political turncoats'

Motto of Manipur party TMC rebels merged with: Reject turncoats

Motto of Manipur party TMC rebels merged with: Reject turncoats

Rediff.com15 Jun 2026

The Nationalist Citizens Party of India's campaign posters carry the message: 'To save your rights, reject political turncoats. Support social workers, not political personalities,' and urges voters to press the symbol of a pen nib.

Cabinet reshuffle imminent; Pradhan, a few others likely to lose ministry

Cabinet reshuffle imminent; Pradhan, a few others likely to lose ministry

Rediff.com28 Jun 2026

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.

'Without A Shade Of Doubt BJP Is Behind This'

'Without A Shade Of Doubt BJP Is Behind This'

Rediff.com19 Jun 2026

'It was done with record speed. First, a revolt of the MLAs, which was obviously engineered.' ''No one believed me when I said the MLAs breaking away is not the real issue.' 'It is like a comet. The head doesn't matter, the tail matters.' 'And the tail is Parliament. Suvendu has gifted the prime minister 20 MPs.'

INDIA bloc may meet next month to chalk out anti-BJP strategy: Mamata

INDIA bloc may meet next month to chalk out anti-BJP strategy: Mamata

Rediff.com24 May 2026

Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said members of the INDIA bloc were likely to meet in the first week of June to discuss a joint strategy, while asserting that the opposition camp was prepared for a prolonged political battle.

Bengal polls: BJP heavyweights shine, a few big names stumble

Bengal polls: BJP heavyweights shine, a few big names stumble

Rediff.com5 May 2026

The BJP experienced a mixed bag of results in the West Bengal Assembly elections, with several heavyweight candidates securing victories while others faced defeat. Key wins included Dilip Ghosh, Suvendu Adhikari, and others, but some prominent faces failed to win.

Nitish Kumar exits, legacy marked by progress and contradictions

Nitish Kumar exits, legacy marked by progress and contradictions

Rediff.com14 Apr 2026

An analysis of Nitish Kumar's tenure as Chief Minister of Bihar, highlighting his contributions to development and social justice alongside controversies and political shifts.

Political turncoats take a hard knock in Punjab

Political turncoats take a hard knock in Punjab

Rediff.com10 Mar 2022

Several party hoppers including Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa and Anil Joshi were trailing from their respective constituencies in Punjab, according to poll trends.

How Do Turncoats Fare In Elections?

How Do Turncoats Fare In Elections?

Rediff.com28 Mar 2024

The share of candidates who were successful among the BJP was 56.5% in 2019. It was 5% for the Congress.

BJP set to end Thackeray era as Ritu Tawde to become Mumbai mayor

BJP set to end Thackeray era as Ritu Tawde to become Mumbai mayor

Rediff.com7 Feb 2026

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated corporator Ritu Tawade for the Mumbai mayor election, while its ally Shiv Sena declared Sanjay Ghadi as its candidate for the deputy mayor's post.

Bengal on edge after rebel TMC MLA's Babri plan, NH-34 warnings

Bengal on edge after rebel TMC MLA's Babri plan, NH-34 warnings

Rediff.com2 Dec 2025

Estranged TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's plan to build a mosque modeled on the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad has sparked a political firestorm in West Bengal, with accusations and warnings escalating tensions ahead of state elections.

Upper castes bag 22 JD-U tickets, Muslims get 4

Upper castes bag 22 JD-U tickets, Muslims get 4

Rediff.com16 Oct 2025

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United made public the names of candidates for all 101 seats it will be contesting in the assembly polls, with more than half of them from the backward and extremely backward classes.

Denied tickets, Nagpur BJP leaders rebel against party

Denied tickets, Nagpur BJP leaders rebel against party

Rediff.com1 Jan 2026

Upset over being denied tickets by the Bharatiya Janata Party despite being its 'loyal workers for years', several aspirants have rebelled against the party and are now contesting the upcoming elections to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) as independent candidates.

What works for NDA under Nitish Kumar, what doesn't

What works for NDA under Nitish Kumar, what doesn't

Rediff.com6 Oct 2025

A SWOT analysis of the NDA coalition led by Nitish Kumar as Bihar heads into assembly elections, examining its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats against the INDIA bloc.

'It's Difficult To Be In The Congress'

'It's Difficult To Be In The Congress'

Rediff.com13 Nov 2025

A seasoned politician and two-term Member of Parliament, Dr Shakeel Ahmad, who has served as a Union minister and senior Congress leader, resigned from the Congress party, marking the end of his decades-long association with an organisation that his family has been part of for three generations. In an interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff he speaks why he quit the party.

Turncoats hold key to govt formation in Delhi

Turncoats hold key to govt formation in Delhi

Rediff.com23 Jan 2025

The upcoming Delhi Assembly elections will see around 20 candidates who have switched parties, with the AAP, BJP, and Congress fielding former foes in a bid for political gains. While these candidates aim to prove themselves in their new political homes, they face challenges including apprehension among members of their adopted parties. The article provides details of prominent leaders who switched sides, including those who joined the AAP, BJP, and Congress.

Goa speaker refuses to disqualify 8 Cong turncoats

Goa speaker refuses to disqualify 8 Cong turncoats

Rediff.com1 Nov 2024

Goa assembly speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Friday dismissed the disqualification petition filed by the Congress against eight of its MLAs who defected to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in 2022.

Parties prefer turncoats over old-timers in Bengal

Parties prefer turncoats over old-timers in Bengal

Rediff.com17 Mar 2021

Once a reviled practice in the state, both the parties seem to have endorsed a record number of turncoats this time -- triggering a wave of discontentment among their loyalists.

BJP workers ransack Cong headquarters in Patna, Kolkata

BJP workers ransack Cong headquarters in Patna, Kolkata

Rediff.com30 Aug 2025

Workers from the BJP and Congress clashed in Patna during a protest march organized by the BJP against the use of abusive language towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late mother. The protest turned violent, with stone pelting and vandalism reported. Police intervened to control the situation, and an investigation is underway.

Bengal BJP to crack a whip on TMC turncoats, dissidents

Bengal BJP to crack a whip on TMC turncoats, dissidents

Rediff.com11 Jul 2021

The BJP has decided to revamp the organisation by rewarding efficient party workers and leaders and remove several turncoats from local and district levels.

Haryana polls: Turncoats, family members in BJP's 1st list

Haryana polls: Turncoats, family members in BJP's 1st list

Rediff.com5 Sep 2024

Veteran party leader Anil Vij will seek re-election from his Ambala Cantt stronghold.

Turncoats find the going tough

Turncoats find the going tough

Rediff.com24 May 2019

Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who joined the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha election, lost to Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib constituency in Bihar by 2.84 votes.

Bangarappa: The ultimate turncoat politician

Bangarappa: The ultimate turncoat politician

Rediff.com26 Dec 2011

From the ultimate leader for the backward classes to the ultimate turn coat, Sarekoppa Bangarappa had an interesting stint in Karnataka politics for 30 years

Haryana Polls Promise Thrilling Contests

Haryana Polls Promise Thrilling Contests

Rediff.com23 Sep 2024

The BJP has fielded as many as 10 turncoats, including those who joined the party from the JJP in recent weeks.

5 bypolls peaceful across 4 states; high turnout in Bengal's Kaliganj

5 bypolls peaceful across 4 states; high turnout in Bengal's Kaliganj

Rediff.com19 Jun 2025

Moderate turnout was recorded in the first four hours of polling across five assembly constituencies across Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat and Kerala where bypolls are underway on Thursday.

Mamata to decide on 'ghar wapsi' of turncoats: Trinamool

Mamata to decide on 'ghar wapsi' of turncoats: Trinamool

Rediff.com5 Jun 2021

Trinamool Congress leadership is yet to take a call on ghar wapsi (return home) by former TMC leaders who had joined the BJP ahead of the recently concluded assembly elections which the Mamata Banerjee-led party swept.

Most TMC turncoats who switched to BJP taste defeat

Most TMC turncoats who switched to BJP taste defeat

Rediff.com3 May 2021

However, a few defectors, who joined the BJP, got the better of their TMC rivals, including Suvendu Adhikari who emerged as a proverbial giant slayer, by defeating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee albeit by a narrow margin.

Turncoats or loyalists? Chouhan in for a tough choice

Turncoats or loyalists? Chouhan in for a tough choice

Rediff.com23 Jun 2020

After two and a half months of taking oath, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has many challenges before him. The first is to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected more than 10,000 people in the state. But The political challenges are even more daunting, reports Sandeep Kumar.

Punjab parties reward turncoats with poll tickets

Punjab parties reward turncoats with poll tickets

Rediff.com31 Jan 2022

Prominent among these include former sports minister and sitting MLA Gurmit Singh Sodhi, MLA Fatehjang Singh Bajwa and former minister Anil Joshi.

Ghosi bypoll: Voters reject 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' politics

Ghosi bypoll: Voters reject 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram' politics

Rediff.com10 Sep 2023

Singh defeated Bharatiya Janata Party's Dara Singh Chauhan in the bypoll to the Ghosi Assembly constituency in Mau district with a margin of 42,759 votes on Friday.

BJP old-timers shedding tears as party fielding turncoats: Mamata

BJP old-timers shedding tears as party fielding turncoats: Mamata

Rediff.com19 Mar 2021

Branding Trinamool Congress rebels as 'traitors' like Mir Jafar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party for fielding the turncoats in the polls leaving saffron party old-timers shed tears.

Power stays in families as leaders' kin enter Maha race

Power stays in families as leaders' kin enter Maha race

Rediff.com24 Oct 2024

Their lists show that a significant number of contenders are closely related to the current ministers, legislators or MPs, including their sons or daughters, wives and brothers or sisters.

Hemant Soren weathers BJP blitz, returns to power in Jharkhand

Hemant Soren weathers BJP blitz, returns to power in Jharkhand

Rediff.com24 Nov 2024

In a stunning comeback, Hemant Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led alliance on Saturday stormed to power in Jharkhand for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out blitz by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance which managed only 24 seats.

Will turncoats, pandemic mar BJP's chances in Goa?

Will turncoats, pandemic mar BJP's chances in Goa?

Rediff.com15 Jul 2021

If pandemic (mis)management threatened to dominate Goa's electoral discourse, the BJP is up against a deeper structural issue in its organisation, created by the fact that a majority of the legislature party and the ministerial council is made up of Congress defectors, disparagingly referred to by the Opposition as "imports". Radhika Ramaseshan reports.

Did Lakshmir Bhandar Help Mamata Win?

Did Lakshmir Bhandar Help Mamata Win?

Rediff.com6 Jun 2024

The welfare schemes of the government, particularly Lakshmir Bhandar, have had a major impact on the electoral outcome.

State Polls See An Uptick In Women MLAs

State Polls See An Uptick In Women MLAs

Rediff.com21 Dec 2023

There is a rise in the number of women elected to the state legislatures in 2023 compared to 2018, except in Rajasthan.

NDA fared badly in final phase of LS polls in Bihar

NDA fared badly in final phase of LS polls in Bihar

Rediff.com5 Jun 2024

According to the Election Commission data, 30 out of the state's 40 Lok Sabha seats went to the BJP-led coalition in the latest elections, a sharp drop compared with 39 in 2019 and lower than the tallies of 2014 (31) and 2009 (32).

Adhikari accepts Mamata's dare, says will defeat her in Nandigram or quit politics

Adhikari accepts Mamata's dare, says will defeat her in Nandigram or quit politics

Rediff.com18 Jan 2021

Banerjee, Adhikari alleged, was playing with the sentiments of the people of Nandigram. "That will not work this time and her party will be democratically dumped into the Bay of Bengal."

'We Are Voting For The Next Chief Minister'

'We Are Voting For The Next Chief Minister'

Rediff.com27 Sep 2024

A land-owning class, the Jats are a powerful community and account for 28 per cent of Haryana's population. The time, they believe, has now come for them to take revenge.

Is Maharashtra A Lost Cause For Modi?

Is Maharashtra A Lost Cause For Modi?

Rediff.com10 Jul 2024

'There are legions of unemployed degree holders across rural and semi-urban belts in Maharashtra. Now, they aren't finding brides.' 'This issue has now snowballed into a social crisis. In 2014 and 2019, they had voted for the BJP.'

Biggest challenge for BJP, allies in Maharashtra assembly polls is...

Biggest challenge for BJP, allies in Maharashtra assembly polls is...

Rediff.com9 Jul 2024

'The BJP alliance needs to handle the Maratha quota issue skilfully and address its root cause, which is agrarian distress. Then there is stalled industrialisation. If these issues are addressed, caste fault lines would wither away. But, this is next to impossible in a short span of three-four months.'