For the year 2026, the President has approved the conferment of 131 Padma awards. The list comprises five Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri.
Veteran Communist leader and former chief minister V S Achuthanandan, one of the most popular and crowd-puller leaders in the history of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist in the state, turned 100 on Friday.
Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, suspended from the party over sexual misconduct allegations, attended the Kerala Assembly session, claiming his presence was not in defiance of the party. The move has drawn criticism and sparked reactions from various political leaders.
As an IAS officer in Kerala, Gyanesh Kumar -- who the Congress described as Amit Shah's 'right hand man' -- had a good working equation with the state's Congress and Left leaders.
M A Baby faces several significant challenges: Helping the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front secure a third consecutive term in Kerala's 2026 assembly elections, and regaining ground lost in the party's traditional strongholds of West Bengal, Tripura, and other regions.
'So, they have taken away the word Waqf from the Bill.' 'It will now be known as the UMEED Act.'
Polling is scheduled in all 20 seats of Kerala, 14 of the 28 seats in Karnataka, 13 seats in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, six seats in Madhya Pradesh, five seats each in Assam and Bihar, three seats each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one seat each in Manipur, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir.
Veteran Communist leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala, V S Achuthanandan turned 98 on Wednesday.
Election rallies have been on for weeks, but nothing captures the immediacy of an election like the sight of candidates filing their nomination papers.
'What The Kerala Story is trying to do is take the fake hate propaganda which we saw earlier only on WhatsApp to the big screen now.'
The Communist Party of India-Marxist central committee has found serious fault with party veteran V S Achuthanandan for openly attacking the state leadership and rejected his contention that he has been fighting the 'rightist deviations' of the state unit.
Facing heat from the party's top brass, Communist Party of India - Marxist stalwart in Kerala V S Achuthanandan on Thursday publicly admitted that he had committed "organisational mistakes" on issues related to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant and the murder of an expelled party leader. Achuthanandan's admission comes two days after the CPI-M central committee censured him for defying the official line on these issues.
The LDF would meet on Sunday to discuss matters related to ministry formation, Vijayan said when asked about the nature of the new ministry.
Communist Party of India-Marxist Central Committee's endorsement of the expulsion of three personal staff of former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan is being seen as a setback to the veteran leader locked in a bitter feud with the dominant faction led by state Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan
Ignoring the Communist Party of India-Marxist official line, party veteran V S Achuthanandan today set out to Kundankulam to pledge solidarity with anti-nuclear protesters but was stopped by Tamil Nadu Police at the border town of Kaliyikkavila near Thiruvananthapuram.
In a relief to former Chief Minister and veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist leader V S Achuthanandan, the Kerala high court on Thursday quashed the First Information Report against him in a land allotment issue, holding that framing a case against him on 'false and frivolous' charges was unworthy of any merit.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist central committee considered a report submitted by the polit bureau on the prevailing situation in Kerala and party related matters there, a statement released by the party said.
Unfazed by the organisational consequences, Communist Party of India-Marxist stalwart V S Achuthanandan Wednesday said he was dropped from the party politburo a few years back for telling the truth about a corruption case in which state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan was facing inquiry.
After Kerala Labour Minister Shibu Baby John's meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi stirred a row, the Left has trained its guns on Sree Narayana Mutt at Varkala for inviting the BJP leader as chief guest at a function on April 24.
The Kerala high court has admitted a petition by CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan challenging a vigilance court order giving clean chit to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who was a member of K Karunakaran cabinet in 1991-92 when the Palmolein case rocked the state.
The Kerala government on Thursday assured the Supreme Court that it would provide Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan a copy of the charge-sheet in the 1997 ice cream parlour sex scandal, involving the state's top politicians, judicial officers and others.
The rivalry between party veteran V S Achuthanandan and Communist Party of India-Marxist Kerala state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan appears to be heading to a flashpoint, pushing the party to its worst crisis in recent times.
Coming out against the report of the Supreme Court-appointed Empowered Committee on Mullaperiyar dam, over which Kerala and Tamil Nadu are at loggerheads, Communist Party of India-Marxist veteran V S Achuthanandan on Monday said it was "unilateral and in favour of Tamil Nadu".
Protesting against Forest Minister K B Ganesh Kumar's lewd comment against Communist Party of India (Marxist) veteran V S Achuthanandan, opposition Left Democratic Front on Friday forced the adjournment of Kerala Assembly for the day despite Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Kumar expressing regret over it.
Leading the party in the state since 1998, the re-election of the 67-year-old leader again demonstrated his hold on CPI(M), which often in the past passed through grim phases of factional trend involving him and former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Friday filed an FIR against Communist Party of India-Marxist leader V S Achuthanandan in a land allotment case even as the octogenarian former chief minister indicated that he would resign as Opposition leader if chargesheeted.
Perumbavoor Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar has been removed from the investigating team due to lapses.
Welcoming the Supreme Court's verdict quashing P J Thomas' appointment as chief vigilance commissioner, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan demanded the resignation of those "responsible" for his posting including Home Minister P Chidambaram.
The Supreme Court will hear on December 9 a petition filed by former Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan challenging the premature release of ex-Congress minister R Balakrishnan Pillai from jail by the state government in the Idamalayar dam corruption case.
While the CPI-M in a statement after the secretariat on Friday maintained that Balakrishnan, who is also a Polit Bureau member, had sought leave for further treatment which had been accepted, the leader of opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala dubbed the move as a delayed dawning of wisdom.
The Kerala police have registered two cases against south India's lottery tycoon Santiago Martin on charges of distributing fake tickets of Bhutan lotteries.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday snubbed Kerala Chief Minister V S Achutanandan for his comment describing Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi as an 'Amul baby'.
The Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Fund has alleged that absence of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate against Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan in Malampuzha is part of a clandestine understanding between the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the BJP as they are now together in opposing the United Progressive Alliance at the Centre.
Kerala Chief Minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist veteran V S Achuthanandan filed nomination for contesting the assembly elections from his sitting seat Malampuzha in Palakkad district on Thursday. Achuthanandan filed his papers before joint registrar (co-operatives) A N Pradeepraj, who is the returning officer for the segment.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Monday dismissed reports that it had decided to initiate disciplinary action against Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan for approaching the Centre for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the lottery issue without taking the party leadership into confidence.
Former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan was on Wednesday unanimously elected as leader of the CPI-M in the assembly. Achuthanandan will also head the 68-member Left Democratic Front opposition in the 140-member house.
After his 'inadvertent' comment against Rajiv Gandhi enraged Congress legislators in the state assembly, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the late prime minister. Speaking after inaugurating the Communist Party of India - Marxist's local committee office at Thamarakkulam, the veteran Marxist leader said Rajiv Gandhi was "no better than Sanjay Gandhi."
Communist Party of India-Marxist stalwart and Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, the star campaigner for the Left Democratic Front in the April 13 Assembly polls, on Wednesday said he would not campaign for Left Front candidates in West Bengal.
A day after calling Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi an "Amul baby", Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Monday described Defence Minister A K Antony as Kumbakarna, saying he was caught napping when terrorists attacked Mumbai.
In his constituency Malampuzha, locals can't get enough of Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, his policies and his caustic speeches, says Shobha Warrier
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