The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal swept the by-polls in three assembly constituencies of Punjab by drubbing rival Congress on Thursday with SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal making his entry to the Vidhan Sabha.
The ex-PM urged the people to elect a government that upholds the Constitution of India and the principles of democracy and brings about inclusive growth for all.
The remarks come amid suspected cases of COVID-19 reinfection being reported from abroad and from Indian states like Telangana, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab and Maharashtra.
Vardhan said in India about 92 percent of the reported cases have mild symptoms, while oxygen therapy was required in 5.8 percent cases and intensive care in 1.7 percent cases.
Agarwal handed over his resignation from the state Assembly to UP Vidhan Sabha Speaker Sukhdev Rajbhar on Saturday morning. The resignation of Agarwal, who was also the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, has been accepted, the Speaker told UNI in Lucknow.
Senior Samajwadi Party leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Azam Khan, UP Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker and BJP leader Rajesh Agarwal and former state BSP President Indrajit Saroj are leading.
A criminal case has been registered against Bollywood actress and Samajwadi Party member Jaya Bachchan for hiding facts in her affidavit filed for the Rajya Sabha byelection held in June 2004. An FIR against Bachchan was lodged on behalf of Principal Secretary Vidhan Sabha R P Pandey, who was the returning officer of byelection, official sources said on Tuesday.
Former chief minister Bhajan Lal of the newly-floated Haryana Janhit Congress won the Adampur seat for a record 10th time while the Congress retained both the Indri and Gohana seats.
The assembly session comes days after the top leadership of the Congress announced the return of Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs to the party-fold. Referring to Pilot's open rebellion while addressing the legislators, the CM asked them to 'forget what has happened'.
Members of the Legislative Council asked how some former legislators could enter the Vidhan Bhavan premises amid COVID-19-related restrictions and sought a report on the matter.
Vidhan Sabha Principal Secretary and Returning Officer R P Pandey declared Mayawati and Maurya elected unopposed after the expiry of the time for withdrawal of nominations on Thursday.
The resolution 'earnestly' appealed to the Centre to withdraw and not carry out the whole exercise of NRC and NPR 'in the interest of the nation, particularly when the economy is witnessing the worst-ever downslide and unemployment is witnessing a terrifying growth, and with the threat of the corona pandemic looming large'.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav turned in a fine all-round performance as he led his team the Chief Minister's XI to a victory over the state's bureaucrats in a friendly 20-overs-a-side tennis ball cricket match at Lucknow's Le Martinier school grounds on Sunday.
From children to soldiers, everyone in India marked the 72nd Independence Day with much vigour and zeal. Here are glimpses of the celebrations from across the nation.
The Election Commission will start counting votes for Vidhan Sabha elections on May 23. The assembly elections were held in four states -- Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim -- simultaneously with the Lok Sabha Elections over April and May. The Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim Assemblies went to polls in the duration between 11 April and 19 May, and the Election Commission will declare the results for at least 534 assembly seats - which is almost as many as the Lok Sabha seats - on May 23.
Here's a recap of the events from the past 48 hours.
Congress chief had accepted the resignation of Punjab PCC chief Shamsher Singh Dullo, but had asked him to continue on the post till the appointment of the next PCC president.
The ruling Bahujan Samaj Party has won the by-elections to all five constituencies, two Lok Sabha and three Vidhan Sabha seats, which went to polls on April 12. BSP candidate Bhismshankar alias Kushal Tiwari won the Khalilababad Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 64,000 votes, trouncing his nearest rival Bhalchandra Yadav of SP. BSP nominee Akbar Ahmad Dampi won the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat defeating his nearest rival Ramakant Yadav of BJP by a margin of over 53,000 votes.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker Ishwardas Rohani has accepted the resignation of former chief minister Uma Bharti from membership of the Vidhan Sabha.
Under the bill, cow slaughter will be an offence punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may be extended up to 10 year.
After announcing his desire to quit, Uttaranchal Chief Minister N D Tiwari has now expressed his reservation about contesting Assembly elections due early next year, triggering a fresh bout of infighting in the state's ruling Congress.
'In over four decades in journalism I cannot recall a greater exercise in futility than the ongoing Vidhan Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh.'
The EC's decision to conduct early assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh has created a piquant situation, as legally the new House cannot be constituted before the expiry of the term of the existing Vidhan Sabha on March 9 next year.
The notice to Bachchan has been issued by the principal secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.
Bachchan was disqualified in March following a complaint filed by a Kanpur-based Congress leader that she held an office of profit.
For the chief minister and Assam alike, the road ahead is full of challenges, notes Aditi Phadnis.
'Sachin Pilot has revived the Congress.' 'What goes in favour of Ashok Gehlot is experience.'
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, however, said the party performed satisfactorily "despite the odd circumstances" under which the recent civic elections were held in the state.
On Thursday, the state government will face a trial of strength in the assembly.
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress and RLD members were up on their feet as soon as the governor rose to read his address and began shouting anti-government slogans.
The prime minister also suggested a single voters' list for Lok Sabha, assembly and panchayat polls, saying separate lists are a waste of resources.
The urban design of Naya Raipur promises to incorporate the best of international cities as well as traditional Chhattisgarh culture.
To beat BJP, you either deny them a critical mass of Hindu vote or build a regional leader and party strong enough to protect their turf, observes Shekhar Gupta.
SAD has so far declared its candidates for 88 of the 117 seats. As in the last polls, SAD has left 23 seats for its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The BSP chief is already a Lok Sabha member from Akbarpur seat in Uttar Pradesh.
He hoped that some of the dissident MLAs, who are led by sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, will also attend the session when it is called "very soon".
The others to be elected to the Upper House from Punjab were Ashwini Kumar and Dharampal Sabharwal (Congress) and Virender Singh Bajwa (Shiromani Akali Dal).
The chief minister pointed out that prompt action had been taken by the Punjab Police and the accused had been caught without delay, unlike in the Hathras incident. "That was why Rahul Gandhi had to rush to Hathras, to secure justice for the victim's family, and did not need to visit Hoshiarpur," he said.
Addressing the members of the House, Singh said agriculture is a state subject but the Centre ignored it. "I find it very strange what the government of India wants to do," he said.
'The BJP believes it has little to lose from a loss of alliance with the Shiv Sena. Fighting alone gives the BJP the chance to test its troops today, and then rework its tactics if necessary, before the big test in 2019,' says T V R Shenoy.
