India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) A day after the Congress urged the Election Commission to provide machine-readable digital copy of the Maharashtra voters' list, EC sources on Thursday said the demand is "not tenable" under the prevailing legal framework, asserting that a similar plea of the party was junked by the Supreme Court in 2019. The EC sources said while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been demanding for machine-readable, digital copy of the electoral roll for the last seven months, such demand by the Congress is "not new". "Rather, it forms part of a strategy by the political party for well over eight years, a fact that appears to have been selectively obscured in the present representation," an EC source pointed out. The EC sources said the demand reiterated by Gandhi, albeit consistent with the position historically maintained by the Congress, is "not tenable within the contours of the prevailing legal framework". They pointed out that the issue was already agitated by the Congress before the Supreme Court in a writ petition in 2018 filed by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee. It appears that Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, may not have been appropriately apprised of the finality with which the matter stands concluded in judicial record, they said. Referring to the Supreme Court's verdict in Kamal Nath vs Election Commission of India, (2019), the sources said that top court had observed that it found force in the submission of EC. Clause 11.2.2.2 of the Election Manual uses the expression "text mode". The draft electoral roll in text mode has been supplied to the petitioner, the apex court had said. "The clause nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer's website in a 'searchable PDF'. Therefore, the petitioner cannot claim, as a right, that the draft electoral roll should be placed on the website in a 'searchable mode'. It has only to be in 'text mode' and it is so provided," the apex court had observed. The Congress on Wednesday urged the EC to provide machine-readable digital copy of the Maharashtra voters' list along with video footage of polling day of the state and Haryana within a week. The Congress and Gandhi have consistently accused the poll authority of fudging voter data to help the BJP. Gandhi has alleged that the Maharashtra assembly polls held last year were rigged. The poll authority has denied the allegations, saying elections are strictly held under electoral laws passed by Parliament. PTI NAB KVK KVK
IMPHAL, Nov 17: The NPP on Sunday withdrew support from the BJP-led Government in Manipur, even as violence continued to rock the state as offices of the Congress and the saffron party were ransacked in the hill district of Jiribam where an unidentified body was found earlier in the day, officials said. Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp A BJP MLA's ancestral house was vandalised in Imphal Valley while a building owned by Ashab Uddin, the Independent legislator of Jiribam, was ransacked, officials said. The incidents occurred a day after irate mobs set fire to the residences of ...Read More >
New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed strong disapproval over the repeated doubts raised by political leaders regarding the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The court criticised the tendency of some political figures to question the integrity of the EVM system when they lose elections, while conveniently accepting its legitimacy when they win. The bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud, pointed out the inconsistency in the stance taken by several leaders. "When they win, there is no issue with EVMs, but when they lose, questions are raised abou ...Read More >
Story so far: India celebrated its 75th year of adoption of its Constitution on Tuesday (November 26, 2024) with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint session of parliament. While the Constitution of India hits its diamond jubilee this year, event commemorating is as 'Constitution Day' was started only in 2015. Prior to this, it was called 'National Law Day' -- first initiated by former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Laxmi Mall Singhvi in 1979. "The Indian Constitution is a live, progressive document," said Ms. Murmu adding, "I urge all citizens to imbibe the constitutio ...Read More >
Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan has called for the replacement of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with ballot papers, citing concerns over the legitimacy of election results. Ranjan raised doubts about the EVM's accuracy, suggesting that the results may be influenced and advocating for a ballot paper system like many other countries. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also echoed similar sentiments, accusing EVMs of wasting votes from marginalized communities. This comes after the Congress' defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly election. The Supreme Court, however, dismissed a petition seeking th ...Read More >
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 26, 2024), indicated a level of hypocrisy attached to criticism about Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), saying ""EVMs are tampered when you lose and fine if you win". The oral remark was made by Justice Vikram Nath before dismissing a petition filed by evangelist K.A. Paul, who urged for a judicial order to return to paper ballots. Also read:EVM-VVPAT case | Cannot disclose 'source code' of EVMs, will result in misuse: Supreme Court Justice Nath, during the hearing, asked Mr. Paul whether he wanted to turn the court into a political arena. Mr. Paul sa ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: BJP leader Amit Malviya on Tuesday accused Rahul Gandhi of being "so arrogant that he did not even greet the President" during the 75th Constitution Day event held in Parliament. This comes as the grand old party has often voiced its criticism against the saffron party for not inviting President Droupadi Murmu at the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building last year and Ram Temple consecration this year. "Rahul Gandhi is so arrogant that he did not even greet the President. Just because she comes from the tribal community, is a woman and Rahul Gandhi is the prince of ...Read More >
The Congress leadership was aware it was losing ground to the ruling Mahayuti following the gains made during the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, several party leaders privy to an internal survey less than a month ahead of the November 20 elections have said, adding that the outcome shouldn't exactly come as a shock. As per a report in The Indian Express, several party leaders it spoke to admitted that a survey conducted in 103 "strong MVA seats" showed the Maha Vikas Aghadi ahead in only 44 seats out of 54 it was ahead in during the Lok Sabha elections. On the contrary, the Mahayuti, wh ...Read More >
The financial repercussions of Parliament disruptions are considerable, impacting both public resources and the productivity of the nation's legislative process. However, both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have cumulatively functioned for merely 2 hours, with daily disruptions and sloganeering resulting in adjournments. The Rajya Sabha faced disruptions today (December 2) as Vice Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed discontent over sloganeering by Opposition MPs. The protests, which centered around demands for discussions on key issues, forced the Vice Chairman to adjourn the session until 12 ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, Dec 3 (PTI) Odisha MLAs across party lines on Tuesday demanded an increase in their salaries and enhanced pensions for former lawmakers. The issue was raised during Zero Hour by Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik, supported by members from both Congress and BJP. Mallik emphasised the need to increase the pension of former MLAs, saying they were struggling to manage due to rising market prices and medical expenses. She pointed out that a committee formed by the previous government had already submitted a report recommending an increase in the salary of MLAs to Rs 2.5 lakh per ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Jacobite Syrian Church to hand over the administration of six churches in Kerala to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church faction. The matter came up before a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan. The bench said that the members of the Jacobite Syrian Church were in contempt for "wilfully disobeying" the 2017 judgment. The bench directed the Jacobite faction to hand over the administration of three churches each in Ernakulam and Palakkad districts to the Malankara faction. The bench also asked the Jacobite faction to file a ...Read More >
Traffic Diversions for oath-taking: The swearing-in ceremony of the new Maharashtra Chief Minister will be held at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai tomorrow, December 5. Mumbai Traffic Police has issued an advisory in view of the event. The traffic diversions will remain in place from 12 PM tomorrow till the end of the programme. Devendra Fadnavis was on Wednesday unanimously elected as Maharashtra BJP legislature party's leader, paving the way for his swearing-in as the chief minister for a third time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders are set to attend the grand swearing-in cerem ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], November 18 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party leader and in-charge of the party's National IT Department, Amit Malviya, on Monday, criticised the Congress party's 'hypocrisy' over their stance on the Adani Group, pointing to past investments and agreements made with the corporate conglomerate by Congress-ruled states. Taking to social media platform X, Malviya referenced Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's recent "public admission of accepting money" from the Adani Group on November 10, 2024, pointing out that this acknowledgment contradicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's ...Read More >
New Delhi, Nov 26: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to introduce ballot paper in place of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines). A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P.B. Varale rejected the prayer to return to the ballot system due to the alleged manipulability of EVMs. "When you lose, EVMs are tampered with; when you win, EVMs are fine," remarked the apex court, when the petitioner referred to the statements made by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his predecessor Jagan Mohan ...Read More >
Proceedings in both houses of the Parliament came to halt on Wednesday amid protests by Oppostion members over the Adani Bribery controversy, recent violence in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh and other issues. Lok Sabha proceedings were initially adjourned until 12 noon and later until Thursday, as Opposition members, including those from Congress, protested and sought to raise various issues at the start of the session. Some members from the Congress and Samajwadi Party were in the Well while other Opposition members stood in the aisle and shouted slogans. The Opposition members wanted to discus ...Read More >
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition is now gearing up for a national protest after losing Maharashtra state elections. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, which suffered a crushing defeat in last week's Maharashtra state elections, is now gearing up for a national protest against the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which it blames for its loss. The MVA, led by the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (led by Sharad Pawar), is planning to challenge the use of EVMs in court and demand a return to ballot paper voting. Fo ...Read More >
Guwahati: A group of intellectuals and prominent citizens met the officials of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala and demanded the immediate release of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari in Bangladesh. Various other organisations also organised protest rallies and demonstrations against the arrest of Hindu priest Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari. The intellectuals under the banner of 'Forum for Protection of Minorities in Bangladesh' urged the Bangladesh caretaker government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to make all efforts to protect the minorities in Bangla ...Read More >
Chandigarh [India], December 3 (ANI): Punjab Legislative Assembly Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday, slammed the BJP-led central government for neglecting the interests of farmers in Punjab and Haryana. Bajwa's scathing attack comes amidst growing discontent among farmers in the region, who feel their concerns have been ignored by the ruling party. "Ever since the BJP government has come to power, they have not taken a single decision that is in the interest of the farmers of India, especially the farmers of Punjab and Haryana. It is their fundamental rig ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) The Congress Wednesday said a "cover-up" is in the making after reports claimed entities connected to the Adani Group have approached the SEBI seeking settlement in a case that alleges violations of public shareholding norms through unfair practices. It asserted the "scam" requires serious punitive action, including arrests and raids by investigative agencies. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a token settlement would make Indian institutions a laughing stock whose reputation has already been tarnished by the actions of Prime Minist ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed strong disapproval over the repeated doubts raised by political leaders regarding the credibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The court criticised the tendency of some political figures to question the integrity of the EVM system when they lose elections, while conveniently accepting its legitimacy when they win. The bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud, pointed out the inconsistency in the stance taken by several leaders. "When they win, there is no issue with EVMs, but when they lose, questions are raised abo ...Read More >
Sources said during the crucial Mahayuti leaders' meeting in New Delhi on Thursday night, Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde sought 12 ministerial berths for his party It's been six days since the Maharashtra assembly election results were declared and the Mahayuti alliance emerged victorious, but suspense over the new head of the state and fresh cabinet minister is not over yet. Sources have said that the key alliance leaders will finalise a list and fly to Delhi on Monday to meet with the BJP top brass before making an announcement. Sources said during the crucial Mahayut ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh administration has imposed restrictions on the entry of outsiders into violence-hit Sambhal until December 10, with officials urging leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi to reconsider his planned visit on Wednesday. Moradabad divisional commissioner Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said there is a need for calm in the region, and that "any provocation could escalate the situation" in the district. "The situation in Sambhal is normal right now, but tensions persist," Singh said. "The District Magistrate has banned the entry of people from outside until 10 December ...Read More >
Champhai (Mizoram) [India], December 3 (ANI): Assam Rifles, in collaboration with the Excise and Narcotics Department, recovered 22 grams of Heroin No. 4 worth Rs 15.40 lakh and apprehended a woman in the Zote area of Champhai district on Monday. The operation, based on specific intelligence, led to the discovery of the contraband hidden inside the woman's clothing bag. The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Tlangmawii, along with the seized consignment, has been handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department, Champhai, for further legal proceedings. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi To Visit Sam ...Read More >
New Delhi, Nov 26 (UNI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday greeted the people on the occasion of 75th Constitution Day. On social media handle X, Kharge said, "The Constitution of India, painstakingly and carefully drafted by our foremothers and forefathers, is the lifeblood of our nation. It guarantees us social, economic and political rights. It constitutes India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC". He said, "Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity are not ...Read More >
BJP leaders, including Amit Malviya, CR Kesavan, and Pradeep Bhandari, accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of arrogance after he allegedly failed to greet President Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman, during her speech on Constitution Day. Malviya claimed that Gandhi's refusal to acknowledge the President stemmed from her tribal background, while Kesavan and Bhandari pointed to Gandhi's "dynastic entitlement" and anti-tribal sentiments. The President, addressing Parliament, highlighted the significance of India's Constitution and lauded the government's efforts in social justice and inclusive dev ...Read More >
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], December 2 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) President Farooq Abdullah claimed that Muslims are feeling unsafe and stated that there is no discrimination based on religion, as guaranteed by the Constitution. The former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir also said that the government should treat Muslims without any discrimination. "...There is no doubt that Muslims are feeling unsafe. I will ask the govt of India to stop that. 24 crore Muslims cannot be thrown into the ocean. They (the govt) should treat Muslims equally, there is no di ...Read More >
Mumbai, Dec 3 (PTI) Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday visited a private hospital in Thane for a "check-up," two days before a new CM is sworn in at an open ground ceremony in south Mumbai. Even as it is not known yet who would take oath as chief minister at Azad Maidan on the evening of December 5, preparations are in full swing for the ceremony, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, about 2,000 VVIPs and some 40,000 supporters. Shinde, who had been staying at his private residence in Thane for the last few days, visited the hospital in the morning. "I ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) The Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid on Tuesday described as "reprehensible" the alleged mistreatment of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and asked that country's interim government to take immediate steps to prevent such acts. India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh, since Sheikh Hasina's resignation as prime minister in August following months-long students-led protests. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi To Visit Sambhal: DM Requests Neighbouring Districts To Restrict Congress Leader's Proposed Visit to Violence-Hit Town. ...Read More >
Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 3 (ANI): Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensiya on Tuesday wrote to the officers of neighbouring districts--Bulandshahr, Amroha, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar--requesting them to stop Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi at their district borders. The Sambhal DM addressed the letter to the Police Commissioners of Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad, along with the Superintendents of Police (SP) of Amroha and Bulandshahr. "On November 24, a remaining survey was conducted, following which members of the Muslim community staged massive p ...Read More >
Dhanbad/Gumla, Dec 4 (PTI) Thousands of people from various Hindu organisations on Wednesday took out rallies in Jharkhand's Dhanbad and Gumla cities in protest against the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and the arrest of spiritual leader Chinmoy Krishna Das. Demanding the immediate release of Das, the protesters urged the Indian government to intervene and stop the atrocities being perpetrated on minority Hindus in the neighbouring country. In Dhanbad, Hindu Rashtriya Samanvya Samiti (HRSS) organised the protest, which was attended by members of Dhanbad ISKCON, Bajrang Dal, BJP and other o ...Read More >
Campaigning for the November 20 assembly bypolls to four seats in Punjab ended on Monday evening with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Opposition Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party making last-ditch efforts to mobilise support for their respective candidates. Hours before the campaign ended at 6 pm, major political outfits intensified their efforts to woo the voters. Bypolls to four assembly segments -- Gidderbaha, Dera Baba Nanak, Chabbewal (SC) and Barnala -- will be held on November 20 from 7 am to 6 pm, and the results will be out on November 23. The bypolls were necessitated afte ...Read More >