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: Contesting the NCP (SP)'s claim that the Congress did not consult the party on the issue of joining the Parliamentary panel to examine the bills to oust tainted ministers and CMs, sources in the Congress told TNIE that the decision was conveyed to its working president and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule early this week. According to a Congress MP, who is a part of the party's Parliamentary strategy group, Supriya Sule responded to him by saying that the NCP (SP) had already nominated a member to the JPC two-three weeks ago. At a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday, Sule said her party has decided to be part of the JPC on bills proposing the removal of top government functionaries under arrest for 30 days, but it doesn't amount to breaking ranks with the Opposition. The development came even as the Congress informed Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday that the entire opposition had unanimously decided that it will not be part of the JPC on three Bills that seek the removal of top government functionaries under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges. The government is yet to constitute the 31-member JPC to which the Lok Sabha referred the three bills during the recently concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament. While a Congress leader said that the NCP (SP) was always kept in the loop about whether or not to join the panel, another leader felt that the Congress leadership should have intervened to convince the Sharad Pawar-led party.
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 >
Mr. Rana's daughter-in-law, Sumbul Rana, had contested the Meerapur Assembly by-election as a Samajwadi Party candidate but was defeated by BJP's Mithlesh Pal Former Member of Parliament Kadir Rana was granted bail in two separate cases of alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct during the Meerapur Assembly by-election, his lawyer said. Mr. Rana appeared before the Special MP/MLA Court in Muzaffarnagar on Wednesday (November 27, 2024) where the presiding officer, Devender Singh Fauzdar, approved his bail plea after he furnished a surety bond of ₹25,000 for each case. Mr. Rana, along ...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 >
In this edition of Frontline Conversations, former Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare discusses how the Ladki Bahin scheme, which provided direct cash transfers to 2.35 crore women, transformed both the economic landscape and political dynamics of the State. The programme, which distributed Rs.7,500 across five instalments to women earning less than Rs. 2.5 lakh annually, not only empowered women with financial independence but also proved to be a decisive factor in Mahayuti's electoral victory, marking a shift in Maharashtra's traditionally male-dominated political ...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 >
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India] November 18 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party MP K Laxman slammed Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, accusing the Congress party of 'misleading' people. He further said that the people of Maharashtra know "how to teach a lesson" to Congress. "Revanth Reddy as a CM of Telangana and as a Congress leader is misleading the public. Maharashtra people are clever enough they know how to teach a lesson to these Congress people and Revanth Reddy you will come to know what has happened in Haryana that is going to be repeated in Maharashtra, and Jharkhand also," K Laxman ...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 >
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 >
Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, has accused two top AAP leaders of backing separate candidates for the Barnala assembly bypoll on November 20. Bajwa claimed that while one leader is supporting the official AAP candidate, the other is backing a rebel candidate. He urged the public to reject both and vote for the Congress candidate. Bajwa also took a jibe at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, suggesting he could become Punjab's "Eknath Shinde" after reportedly being in contact with the Union Home Ministry through a Punjab-based Union minister. ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Monday amid protests by opposition members over the Adani indictment row, recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal and other issues. As soon as the lower House met after the weekend break, many opposition members, including those from the Congress, were on their feet, raising the indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani in a US court on bribery charges, among other issues. Some members were in the Well of the House while other opposition members stood in the aisle and raised slogans. Speaker Om Birla asked the ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: A political slugfest erupted after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was stopped from visiting violence-hit Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP accusing the Congress leader of attempting to incite communal tensions. BJP leaders criticised Gandhi's visit as a desperate political move, driven by competition with the Samajwadi Party (SP) to reclaim vote banks. Meanwhile, Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, slammed the government's actions as undemocratic and an assault on constitutional rights. BJP spokesperson Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi described the visit as a "sign of h ...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 >
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 >
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 >
Defying pollsters, exit polls, and predictions, the BJP scored a hat trick in Haryana, albeit with a narrow lead in the recent Assembly election. It formed a government on its own sans any ally, and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini assumed office for a second consecutive term with relative ease. But the euphoria did not last long. In the first Assembly session convened after the new government took over, the opposition, led by the Congress and the electorally diminished Indian National Lok Dal, attacked the government on the issue of fertilizer shortages in the sowing season. The government d ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) With funds under the flagship MGNREGS stalled for West Bengal for more than two years now, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said the Centre is not discriminating against the state, which he blamed for not complying with the Union government's directives. The funds for West Bengal under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have been stopped since March 2022 due to non-compliance of directives of the Central government, according to the Ministry of Rural Development. Asked what is the way forward, Chouhan sa ...Read More >
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi were forced to return to Delhi after the police prevented them from visiting violence-hit Sambhal. The two leaders were stopped at the Ghazipur border on the national highway 9 between Delhi to Ghaziabad. The police put up massive barricades all around to foil the LoP's visit to Sambhal. There was a huge traffic jam on all the lanes of NH 9 going from Delhi to Ghaziabad. Congress workers have reached the Delhi Meerut Expressway in large numbers to welcome Rahul Gandhi. As soon as the crowd gathered, the ...Read More >
The Palakkad bypoll has turned into a fierce triangular contest with key defections adding to the excitement. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan campaigned for former Congress leader P Sarin, now contesting as an Independent for the LDF, while BJP’s C Krishnakumar faces a tough challenge. Sarin, a former Congress digital strategist, switched parties after being snubbed for the Congress ticket. Meanwhile, BJP leader Sandeep Varier defected to Congress, further intensifying the race. With the election crucial for UDF, NDA, and LDF's momentum heading into the 2026 Kerala assembly elections, all eyes are ...Read More >
New Delhi, Nov 28 (UNI) Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took oath as a Lok Sabha member on Thursday following her thumping victory from Kerala's Wayanad in a by-poll. Priyanka won the bypolls in Wayanad earlier this month by defeating her nearest CPI rival Sathyan Mokeri by over 4.10 lakh votes. While taking the oath, the 52-year-old Priyanka held a copy of the Constitution. The Wayanad Lok Sabha seat was vacated by Priyanka Gandhi's brother, Rahul Gandhi, who had won from there in the Lok Sabha elections this year. However, he opted to remain an MP from the Gandhi family b ...Read More >
In a sharp rebuke aimed at Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve on Thursday pointed to the party's perceived arrogance following the Lok Sabha elections as a key factor in the poor performance of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the Maharashtra assembly elections. Danve's remarks came during a press briefing in Mumbai, where he criticized Congress for appearing overconfident in various regional elections, including those in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, and Maharashtra. Danve argued that Congress had become complacent after the national elections, suggesting that senior leaders, like Rahul Ga ...Read More >
Ahead of the fifth day of the Parliament winter session, Congress MP Manickam Tagore filed an adjournment notice in Lok Sabha on Friday (November 29, 2024) to discuss the Gautam Adani indictment in the lower house. Opposition MPs have repeatedly sought to discuss the Adani indictment in the Lok Sabha since the start of the winter session on November 25. Justifying the public adjournment motion in the letter submitted to the Lok Sabha Secretary General, Mr. Tagore wrote that the issue is of "public importance," and "strikes at the core of public trust in India's governance and regulatory fram ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday expressed her sorrow over the havoc wreaked by Cyclone Fengal in south India including Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Offering her condolences to those who lost their loved ones, Vadra appealed to the Congress workers to work with the administration in relief work amid the crisis. "Deeply saddened by the devastation caused by Cyclone Fengal in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. My prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and those facing immense loss and hardship. I appeal to all Congress workers to join hands with ...Read More >
The Huddle was a two-day conclave featuring thought leaders from the world of politics, business, academics, sports and the arts. This conclave saw Sri Lanka's the then leader of Opposition, Mahinda Rajapaksa, politicians Jairam Ramesh, Arif Mohammed Khan, tennis player Sania Mirza, the then Home Minister Rajnath Singh, among other leaders and academics share their ideas. Photo: MURALI KUMAR K A Mixed Legacy: The many facets of Indira Gandhi : Srinath Raghavan, Academic & Author, Jairam Ramesh, Economist & Politician, Shekhar Gupta, Journalist In conversation with Mini Kapoor, Ideas Editor, ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], November 27 (ANI): Indian Railways is advancing the electrification of Broad Gauge railway lines at a mission-driven pace, achieving approximately 97 per cent electrification of its total Broad Gauge network, Union Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw stated in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. Vaishnaw noted that around 45,200 route kilometres of the Broad Gauge network have been electrified since 2014-15. He highlighted a significant increase in the pace of electrification, from approximately 1.42 k ...Read More >
A group of villagers from Maharashtra's Malshrias assembly segment insisting on a "re-election" with ballot papers relented on Tuesday and gave up their plan after police intervention, the NCP (SP) winning candidate from the seat said. A senior police official said they had cautioned the villagers that legal action would be initiated if they went ahead with their "polling" plan. Earlier, residents of Markadwadi village under Malshiras segment in Solapur district had put up banners claiming a "repoll" will be held on December 3. The village comes under the Malshiras assembly constituency, whe ...Read More >