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.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the allocation of digital time vouchers to National and State recognized political parties for free broadcast and telecast time on Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) during the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections. This initiative, under Section 39A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, aims to provide equitable media access to political parties. Each party will receive a base allocation of 45 minutes on both Doordarshan and AIR's regional network in Bihar without any cost, with additional time based on their performance in the last Assembly election. The broadcast period will span from the publication of contesting candidates' lists to two days before the poll date in each phase, scheduled via a draw of lots with party representatives and Bihar's CEO office officials. The ECI said in a press release, "The broadcast/telecast period will be scheduled between the date of publication of the list of contesting candidates in each phase and two days before the date of poll in Bihar. The actual broadcast/telecast will be scheduled in advance through a draw of lots in the presence of authorized representatives of the parties and officials from the office of CEO Bihar." It further added, "Under the scheme, free broadcasting and telecasting facilities of a base time of 45 minutes has been allotted on both Doordarshan and All India Radio, for each party to be uniformly provided on the regional network within the State. Additional time has been allotted to political parties based on their poll performance in the last Assembly Election of Bihar." Parties must submit transcripts and recordings in advance, adhering to Prasar Bharati's technical and guideline standards, with recordings permitted at designated studios or Doordarshan/AIR Kendras. Additionally, Prasar Bharati will host up to two panel discussions or debates, with each party nominating one representative for moderated sessions.
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 >
Mumbai: A day after leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged "match fixing" between BJP and ECI, state Congress chief Harshawardhan Sapkal on Sunday demanded narco tests on chief electoral officer (CEO) S Chockalingam and then additional CEO Kiran Kulkarni to expose the truth in Maharashtra's "vote theft" in the 2024 assembly election.Sapkal said it is BJP and CM Devendra Fadnavis who have jumped in with rebuttals, instead of the election watchdog. Fadnavis had on Saturday called Rahul's allegations an outright lie and in an article published in a national newspaper and a ...Read More >
The Election Commission introduces new rules for voter enrollment. Voters enrolled after 2003-04 must now provide proof of citizenship. This includes a self-attested declaration and supporting documents. The move aims to remove illegal immigrants from the electoral roll. Bihar will be the first state to implement the special intensive revision. Other states will follow soon.In a move to identify and remove illegal immigrants wrongly included in the electoral rolls, the Election Commission has man ...Read More >
Itanagar, Jun 7 (PTI) The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh improved on Saturday with water levels of most rivers receding, even as 33,000 people in 24 districts remained affected, officials said. Twelve people lost their lives and one person went missing in rain-related incidents, including landslides, after the monsoon set in, they said. In its daily report, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said 33,200 people in 215 villages remained affected due to floods and landslides in the state. The water levels of most major rivers and their tributaries were showing a receding trend o ...Read More >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 7 (ANI): Two top Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials -- secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam -- resigned from their posts during an emergency managing committee meeting held on Saturday, accepting 'moral responsibility' for stampede near M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The incident occurred during celebrations following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden IPL title win and claimed 11 lives and left dozens injured. KSCA President Raghuram Bhat confirmed the development, saying that the resignations were discussed and accep ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 8 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing him of consistently misunderstanding the country's mood and misplacing blame. Speaking to mediapersons in Hindi, Fadnavis said, 'Ta-umr Rahul Gandhi aap yahi galti karte rahe, dhool chehre pe thi aur aap aina saaf karte rahe' (Throughout your life, Rahul Gandhi, you have always made the same mistake; the dust was on your face, but you kept cleaning the mirror). Earli ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 7 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday rejected Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegation of alleged discrepancies in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly election stating that the Opposition leader, aware of his party's imminent defeat in Delhi election results was attempting to "cover fire." Earlier today addressing a press conference in the national capital Rahul Gandhi flanked by Supriya Sule and Sanjay Raut had alleged that over 39 lakh voters were added to Maharashtra's electoral rolls within a span of fiv ...Read More >
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". Also Read | Udhampur Encounter: 1 Terrorist Killed in Gunfight With ...Read More >
New Delhi: Alleging "blatant misuse" of agencies to defame its leaders, AAP on Thursday questioned why the first information report filed against former Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain was being kept under wraps and "selective" press notes were being leaked to the media.Bharadwaj, who is Delhi AAP convener, alleged that only two former ministers were named in the case without any reasonable cause while all the officers of the health and public works departments, who were actually responsible for executing the hospital projects, were spared. "Is the FIR so baseless that BJP ...Read More >
VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Friday accorded approvals to a slew of industries. Among those are Krishnapatnam Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), which is set to establish a 350 MW Solar and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Thamminapatnam and Mommidi villages of SPSR Nellore district with a Rs 1,225 crore investment, creating 575 jobs. Furthermore, the government also waived off a Rs 54 crore extension of time fee, contingent on project completion within two years as per the Andhra Pradesh Integrated Clean Energy Policy-2024. The government also allocated 22.80 acres at MPSEZ in N ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): In response to the allegation made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi regarding the Maharashtra election, the Election Commission described it as 'unsubstantiated allegations.' The ECI statement reads, 'Unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to the INC on 24th December 2024 itself, which is available on ECI's website. It appears that all these facts are completely being ignored while raising such issues again and again...' The E ...Read More >
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday raised questions over the fresh electoral roll revision guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of Bihar assembly polls scheduled this year. Expressing apprehensions, Banerjee said that these fresh guidelines might be implemented in Bengal ahead of the assembly polls in 2026. Speaking to ET, Banerjee said that she has apprehensions that these guidelines may be even worse that National Register of Citizens (NRC), if implemented. "How will poor people get documents? Are they doing this to establish the NR ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Sources within the Election Commission of India (ECI) have clarified that the Indian National Congress' (INC) ongoing demand for machine-readable, digital copies of electoral rolls is 'not legally tenable' and has already been conclusively settled by the Supreme Court. Officials pointed out that this issue was earlier raised by former Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Kamal Nath in 2018 through written petition (C) No. 935 of 2018. The Supreme Court had definitively ruled in favour of the Election Commission's position in that case. While acknowled ...Read More >
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday raised questions over the fresh electoral roll revision guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of Bihar assembly polls scheduled this year. Expressing apprehensions, Banerjee said that these fresh guidelines might be implemented in Bengal ahead of the assembly polls in 2026. Speaking to ET, Banerjee said that she has apprehensions that these guidelines may be even worse that National Register of Citizens ( ...Read More >
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 28 (ANI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has written to the Election Commission of India (ECI), raising strong objections to the ongoing "Special Intensive Revision" (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. In a letter dated Saturday, June 28, Owaisi expressed concerns that the revision exercise could have a "deleterious effect" on electors ahead of the upcoming Bihar legislative assembly elections. He urged the ECI to provide a "detailed explanation" on several issues raised by his party in a formal representation. Also Re ...Read More >
NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule is consulting experts on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) following Maharashtra's assembly poll results. The opposition questions EVM credibility after the Mahayuti coalition's significant win. Sule advocates for ballot papers, citing other countries' adoption, and will announce a final decision soon.NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Saturday said the opinion of experts is being sought over the "EVM issue" in the wake of the Maharashtra assembly polls' mandate as she b ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced that it would streamline its technology-driven system for generating Index Cards and various other post-election statistical reports. The new system will ensure faster reporting through automation and data integration. "This upgraded mechanism replaces the traditional manual methods, which were often time-consuming and prone to delays. By leveraging automation and data integration, the new system ensures faster reporting," the press note issued by the Election Commission read. Also Read | Delhi: Hig ...Read More >
India's International Train Links: These 5 Indian Stations Connect You To Another Country By Train The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegations that the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were a blueprint for rigging democracy, stating that claims of "inflated voter turnout" and "fake voters" were "unsubstantiated". The EC added that raising such unsubstantiated allegations against the electoral rolls of Maharashtra is an "affront to the rule of law". Following Lok Sabha LoP remark, ECI said, "...unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls ...Read More >
Pune: Hospitals in Pune have started reporting an increase in dengue cases among children following recent heavy rainfall and intermittent showers. Conditions are now ripe for mosquito breeding, experts said, as they warned citizens to ensure there's no waterlogging or stagnant pools near homes and offices. "Dengue is typically seen first in children as they often play outside," said Dr Sagar Lad, a senior neonatologist and pediatric intensivist at Jehangir Hospital and Sahyadri Hospital, Shastrinagar. Dr Lad said he's seen at least three children admitted for dengue this week, with all of the ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana, who was part of the all-party parliamentary delegation to Europe, said that during their recently conclued visit they successfully communicated India's development story and its resolute stand against terrorism, particularly emanating from Pakistan. Highlighting the delegation's key discussions during the tour, Khatana told ANI, 'We discussed how we dismantled the terrorism factory in Pakistan by responding... We also talked about tourism infrastructure, G20 Summit, and projects like the six-lane roads, bridges, solar initiatives, our ...Read More >
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 wel ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud has raised some concerns about simultaneous state and parliamentary elections in his submissions to a joint parliamentary committee and called for a level-playing field between smaller and national parties, people aware of the matter said on Thursday. Ex-CJI Chandrachud and another former CJI, JS Khehar, are set to attend on July 11 a meeting of the JPC examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, which are intended to roll out simultaneous polls in the country, the pe ...Read More >
Haridwar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sakshi Maharaj on Sunday demanded that hotel, dhaba and eatery owners on the Kanwar Yatra routes should display their names and identities on boards outside their business establishments. The owners, who hide their identities under fake names, on the Kanwar Yatra routes should not be spared, he told reporters here. "Tampering with faith of the Hindu devotees during the Kanwar Yatra will not be tolerated," said the Unnao MP. The food shops on the Kanwar Yatra routes should have a board outside with the names of their owners clearly written on them, h ...Read More >
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition on Friday alleged discrepancies in recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly Elections. He was accompanied by his Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners Sanjay Raut and Supriya Sule when he the Congress leader raised concerns over the surge in new voters, particularly between the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra. Gandhi said that 39 lakh new voters were added in just five months after the Lok Sabha polls. "In five years between Vidhan Sabha 2019 and Lok Sabha 2024 elections, 32 lakh voters were added to the electoral rolls in Mahar ...Read More >
In my Parliament speech on February 3, and in a subsequent press conference, I had expressed my disquiet about the conduct of the November 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections. I have doubted the fairness of Indian elections, not every time, not everywhere, but often enough. I am not talking of small-scale cheating, but of industrial-scale rigging involving the capture of our national institutions. But if some earlier election outcomes seemed odd, the outcome of the 2024 Maharashtra Vidhan Sa ...Read More >
New Delhi: On Leader of the Opposition Mr Rahul Gandhi's demand for machine-readable, digital copy of the electoral roll for the last seven months, the sources in Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday said that this is not something new but a part of well thought out strategy of the party which it has been following for the last eight years. Referring to the Supreme Court case of 2019, Kamal Nath v. Election Commission of India, (2019) 2 SCC 260, sources said the demand reiterated by Mr Gandhi is not tenable within the contours of the prevailing legal framework. Sources added that "t ...Read More >
Patna, June 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Congress party has strongly opposed the Election Commission of India's decision to undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the upcoming 2025 Assembly elections, calling the move an "explicit admission" that the country's electoral rolls are flawed. In a statement, the party said: "This notification is a clear, explicit admission by the Election Commission that all is not well with India's electoral rolls, precisely what the Congress party and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have been flagging repeatedly, especiall ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at 'cleaning the political space', the Election Commission on Thursday initiated proceedings for delisting 345 regisered unrecognised political parties (RUPPs) that had failed to fulfil the statutory obligation of contesting even a single election in the last six years and the offices of which could not be located at the address mentioned in their registration documents.These 345 RUPPs are registered in different states and Union territories across the country.The Commission on Thursday said that it had come to its notice that of the over 2,800 RUPPs currently regist ...Read More >
Digvijaya Singh, a senior Congress leader, has threatened legal action by the INDIA bloc if the Election Commission of India (ECI) doesn't address their concerns regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Singh alleges the NDA government is attempting to disenfranchise marginalized voters ahead of the state elections through this drive.Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday said all constituents of INDIA bloc may knock the door of judiciary against the o ...Read More >
New Delhi: The second match of the five-match Test series between India and England will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham. It will start on July 2. In this Test, Shubman Gill has a chance to create history. Actually, the Indian team has not been able to win on this ground so far. Team India played the first match on this ground in 1967. Be it Virat Kohli or Dhoni or Dravid or Sourav Ganguly, no Indian captain has won here in 58 years. However, Gill will have a chance to get his name registered in the history books. If he manages to end the drought of 58 years, he will become the first Indi ...Read More >