Eight-term member Sumitra Mahajan was on Friday unanimously elected Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha, becoming the second woman presiding officer of the Lower House after her predecessor Meira Kumar.
The BJP has issued a three-line whip to its MPs, requiring their presence during the extended Budget session of Parliament, where amendments to the Women's Reservation Act are expected to be considered.
Underlining that students are the "architects of India's future," President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said the government is taking comprehensive steps to reform public examinations to completely curb paper leaks and unfair means, making the system transparent, secure, and trustworthy.
The Allahabad High Court has ruled that Muslim personal law, which recognises puberty as the age of marriage, cannot override the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) and the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which criminalise sexual relations with a child.
Rebel Trinamool Congress MP Arup Chakraborty on Monday said the breakaway faction is trying to "rectify" the party, and would fight for the control of its election symbol, even as the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit termed the move illegal under the anti-defection law.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several of his Cabinet colleagues and Congress President Sonia Gandhi were prominent among those who took oath as members of the 16th Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The Trinamool Congress has moved the Calcutta High Court to challenge the West Bengal Assembly Speaker's decision to recognise Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition, citing that 58 of its 80 MLAs supported him over the party's official nominee. The court has scheduled an urgent hearing for June 11, ahead of the 18th Assembly session starting June 18.
The newly-elected Lok Sabha that will be constituted after the elections will have a full budget session in June which will go on till August.
Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP Nitin Gadkari, late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan's daughter Poonam, former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Vijaysinh Mohite Patil are a few of the 29 new entrants to the 16th Lok Sabha among the 48 MPs from Maharashtra.
Amid demands for getting the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill passed, the government on Wednesday said it is ready to extend the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha if the House agreed.
'Our leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, are in touch with all Opposition parties, including the DMK and the AAP.'
A whopping Rs 30,000 crore is likely to be spent by the government, political parties and candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, making it by far the most expensive electoral exercise in Indian history.
A rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, has taken control of the party's organisational headquarters in Kolkata. This move follows their claim to the party's name and symbol before the Election Commission, intensifying the power struggle with the Mamata Banerjee-led faction. Both sides are now preparing submissions for the Election Commission regarding the party's control.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who made "number 16" jibe at the treasury benches during his speech in Lok Sabha on Friday on three new bills, refused to elaborate on it in his brief interaction with reporters and said "it is a puzzle" and he "won't tell the answer just like that".
Reservation Bill introduced in Lok Sabha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other leaders met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the Winter Session of Parliament was adjourned. They thanked Birla for the session's conduct.
The Left Democratic Front's defeat in Kerala marks a historic moment as Left parties are without power in any state for the first time in decades, highlighting their diminishing political influence across India.
'Now if you break the party under the 10th Schedule you have to join another party.' 'You cannot join the NDA as it is not a party. You can only join another party, and that is the BJP.' 'So the question to ask is that these so-called 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs who are parting ways with the TMC, are they ready to join the BJP and accept Narendra Modi as their leader?'
The INDIA bloc faces a significant challenge as the Congress and DMK part ways, raising questions about the alliance's future and unity.
The bill was introduced following a division of votes, with 186 members supporting and 74 opposing it.
The dramatic postponement came while members were voting on the committee's five principal recommendations, making it an unprecedented moment in the functioning of a parliamentary committee.
Veteran politician and a member of the country's first Lok Sabha from undivided Madhya Pradesh, Reshamlal Jangade died today at a private hospital in Raipur following prolonged illness. He was 90.
Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Parliamentarians in paying floral tributes to those who died fending off terrorists who attacked the Parliament House in 2001 on the 24th anniversary of the attack.
A total of 13 motions were moved in support of Birla.
The Women's Reservation Act 2023, mandating 33 per cent quota for women in legislatures, has been enacted, but its immediate implementation is unclear due to ongoing parliamentary debates and delimitation requirements.
The dates of the first Parliament session are expected to be finalised during the first meeting of the new Cabinet on May 31, a day after Narendra Modi takes oath as the prime minister of the country, they said.
A legislation aimed at preventing sexual harassment of women at the workplace was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, amid the daily pandemonium over the opposition's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the 2G scam, before the House was adjourned for the 18th day running without conducting any business.
Harivansh is likely to be elected as the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman for a third term as the opposition has decided to boycott the election in protest.
The Constitution (116th Amendment) Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha by a determined Opposition, helped by the absence of parties supporting the government from outside like the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal
What is missing in the BJP's armour is dominance over 50 percent of the electorate: Women. And this is a gamble Modi-Shah have indicated that they are willing to take, explains Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
All the action on the second sitting of the 16 Lok Sabha.
Responding to the debate on the bill, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the ban commercial surrogacy was "the need of the hour".
Officials said the government is keen to conform to the convention of the Union Budget for 2026-2027 being presented on February 1 despite it falling on a Sunday in 2026.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi engaged in a brief conversation during an event commemorating Jyotirao Phule, drawing attention due to the rarity of such interactions between the two leaders.
The Centre has notified the implementation of the Women's Reservation Act 2023, providing a 33 per cent quota for women in legislatures, Jammu and Kashmir, and Union Territories, with the provisions set to come into force on April 17, 2026.
Opposition leaders have criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation, calling it politically motivated and a misuse of official platforms during ongoing elections.
'Vote banks will change affiliations and the BJP will come out with good success in Kerala.'
Defectors getting tickets is causing tremendous heartburn in the BJP, says Aditi Phadnis
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sumitra Mahajan will be appointed Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha on Friday. Other key parliamentary posts like that of Leader of Opposition, deputy Speaker, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and head of the all-important standing committee on finance will be keenly contested.
M Thambidurai, leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam in Parliament, was unanimously elected as Lok Sabha's deputy speaker on Wednesday, making him the first leader to occupy the post twice.
