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, Oct 26: The Election Commission (EC) will hold a press conference at 4:15 pm on Monday, where it is expected to announce a pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list -- a large-scale exercise aimed at updating and cleaning up electoral rolls across the country. According to officials, the Commission is set to unveil the first phase of the revision, which will cover 10 to 15 states, including those headed for Assembly elections in 2026 such as Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry. The SIR is a key pre-election process through which the EC verifies and updates voter details, removes duplicate or invalid entries, and enrolls new voters -- particularly first-time electors who have turned 18. The exercise ensures that the electoral rolls remain accurate and inclusive ahead of major elections. Monday's announcement is significant as it will set the tone for the 2026 Assembly polls and may also signal the EC's preparedness for upcoming electoral cycles, including the Lok Sabha elections slated for 2029. Observers say the press conference will also be closely watched for any new digital or procedural measures the EC may introduce to make voter registration simpler and more transparent.
The AICC OBC Advisory Committee has requested the central government to implement the Telangana model of caste survey in the upcoming national census. The committee also aims to relax the 50% reservation cap for OBCs. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah mentioned Rahul Gandhi's influence on the caste census decision. He also spoke about a previous socio-economic survey ordered during his tenure. The AICC OBC Advisory Committee on Wednesday urged the Centre to adopt the Telangana model of the social, edu ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Congress on Friday alleged that the government has called a "special session" for passing bills related to amending the women's quota law and delimitation to "grab political mileage" in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu polls, which is a "gross violation" of the model code of conduct. Asserting that the government's push for rushed delimitation exercise would have "dangerous consequences", Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said "we do not want any disturbance in the present differentials and relative strength." He said the government kept "sleeping" fo ...Read More >
Voting began at 7am on Thursday across 126 assembly constituencies under tight security arrangements, with voters queuing outside polling stations ahead of time at many places. Authorities said voters who arrive at the polling station before the voting ends at 5pm will be allowed to vote even after. Over 25 million voters are eligible to vote for 722 candidates, including 59 women, in the fray. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is contesting the election from Jalukbari, Congress state chief Gau ...Read More >
Puducherry [India], April 9 (ANI): Congress State President and Thattanchavady Assembly candidate V. Vaithilingam on Thursday cast his vote in the ongoing Puducherry elections and expressed confidence in his party's prospects. Speaking to ANI, Vaithilingam said, "Today's polling has been favourable, particularly for Congress. The DMK alliance is also performing well. We are confident that we will form the government on 4 May." Also Read | Badlapur Shocker: Tea Stall Owner Assaults Customer With Teapot, Pours Hot Tea After 'Cold Tea' Complaint. He added that the polling process has been smoo ...Read More >
New Delhi, December 15: The 'One Nation, One Election' Bill, officially known as the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, will not be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Revised Business List of the Lower House for the day does not mention the Bill. The first list had scheduled the Bill for Monday. It mentioned, "... Arjun Ram Meghwal to move for leave to introduce a Bill further to amend the Constitution of India. Also to introduce the Bill." One Nation, One Election: Union Cabinet Approves Bills for Simultaneous Lok Sabha, State Assembly Elections, Say Source ...Read More >
The Election Commission of India on Monday said it will conduct the second phase of the electoral roll revision in 12 states and union territories. In this pan-India special intensive revision (SIR) exercise, which will begin from Tuesday (October 28), three states and one UT - Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry - will go to polls next year while three states - Goa, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh - will have elections in 2027. The Election Commission (EC) said the SIR exercise in these ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) The country has added 2,361 megawatt of biomass and 228 MW of waste-to-energy capacity in the last 10 years under various programmes of the government, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Besides, 2.88 lakh biogas plants were installed at various locations in the country, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik said in response to a question in the Lok Sabha. In November 2022, the government, with an aim to support the installation of bioenergy projects, notified the National Bioenergy Programme (NBP) Phase-I with an outlay of Rs 998 crore, ...Read More >
Nagpur: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday claimed the Centre's move to introduce a bill on simultaneous polls in the Lok Sabha was an attempt to divert attention from issues plaguing the country. Addressing reporters in Maharashtra's Nagpur city, Thackeray demanded a transparent election process before implementation of the 'One Nation One Election' proposal. Even the election commissioners should be elected through polls, the former state chief minister said but did not elaborate on how to go about it. Thackeray also said that the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government ...Read More >
Panchkula (Haryana) [India], December 17 (ANI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini on Tuesday welcomed the 'One Nation, One Election' bill stating that One Nation One Election will create a balance between speed of work and finances. He also dismissed opposition protests over the bill saying that Congress opposes every good initiative, that's their only agenda. Speaking to mediapersons, the Haryana Chief Minister said, "Continuous elections cost a lot and slow down development and progress. One Nation One Election will create a balance between speed of work and finances. This bill should be ...Read More >
CP Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the 15th Vice President of India at Rashtrapati Bhawan, with President Droupadi Murmu administering the oath. The event was attended by several chief ministers and governors from various states. Radhakrishnan, the NDA nominee, secured 452 votes, surpassing B. Sudershan Reddy, and the election saw a high turnout of 98.2%. CP Radhakrishnan took oath as the Vice President on Friday at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in Delhi. The oath was administered by President Droupadi M ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The upcoming Puducherry assembly elections will see several candidates with strong political family backgrounds contesting across various constituencies. A total of 291 candidates are in the fray for the April 9 elections. Polling is held to elect 30 members of the 33-seat Puducherry legislative assembly, while the remaining three members are nominated by the central government. A Johnkumar: BJP leader A Johnkumar, a minister in the outgoing N Rangasamy-led government and the sitting MLA from Kamaraj Nagar, is contesting from Nellithope. He had earlier won the same seat as a Congres ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 3 (PTI) The Congress on Friday alleged that the government has called a "special session" for passing bills related to amending the women's quota law and delimitation to "grab political mileage" in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu polls, which is a "gross violation" of the model code of conduct. Asserting that the government's push for rushed delimitation exercise would have "dangerous consequences", Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said "we do not want any disturbance in the present differentials and relative strength". He said the government kept " ...Read More >
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 4 (ANI): Following his exclusion from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate list for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, former state BJP president K Annamalai on Saturday clarified that he "wasn't denied a ticket, but he chose not to contest." Briefing reporters at Chennai airport, Annamalai expressed gratitude to the party high command for respecting his decision, adding that he had already submitted a written communication stating that he would not contest from any constituency but would instead campaign for the National Democratic Alliance ...Read More >
Thane, Apr 5 (PTI) A family from Maharashtra's Thane district was allegedly swindled of more than Rs 1.66 crore by a man who exploited their fear of "black magic" and promised them divine remedies through elaborate rituals and pilgrimages, police said on Sunday. The Kasarvadavali police district on April 2 registered a first information report (FIR) against Manjunath Shetty, a resident of Andheri in neighbouring Mumbai, based on the family's allegations that they were manipulated into paying the accused over a period of two years to "neutralise black magic" performed by a relative, an officia ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], April 6 (ANI): Congress MP from Alappuzha, KC Venugopal, criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing the party of spreading lies over the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, and demanded that the Centre should not bring a similar statute in the future. While the INDIA bloc parties have criticised the Bill, in a poll rally in Keralam, PM Modi accused the Opposition of lying about the FCRA Amendment Bill and Uniform Civil Code. In a letter to the PM, Venugopal questioned the Centre, alleging a "rush" to introduce the Bill, despite objections rais ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved bills to implement 'One Nation, One Election', and the draft legislations are likely to be introduced in Parliament in the ongoing Winter session, sources said. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government is keen on holding wider consultations on bills which are likely to be referred to a parliamentary committee. Sources said the government was also keen to consult the Speakers of various state legislative assemblies through the committee. Moving ahead with it ...Read More >
New Delhi: Maharashtra Governor Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, a veteran BJP leader from Tamil Nadu with over four decades in politics, has been named as the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate for the upcoming Vice-Presidential election. Born in Tiruppur on October 20, 1957, Radhakrishnan began his political journey in the 1970s with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and served on the State Executive Committee of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974. He went on to become the BJP's Tamil Nadu state president between 2004 and 2007 and was twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Co ...Read More >
Chennai: Unable to tackle the internal wrangling and increased demands for seats from electoral aspirants, both the top national parties, the Congress and BJP, are delaying the release of the list of candidates for the April 23 Assembly elections in the State, triggering anxiety among the local leaders over catching up the deadline of April 6 for filing nominations. The Congress party that had been putting pressure on DMK, the leader of the Secular Progressive Alliance, for finalizing the seat sharing process more than a month in advance has been struggling to pick the candidates for the 28 c ...Read More >
Amid speculation over K Annamalai's absence from the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate list for the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections, he on Saturday made it clear that the decision was his own. Speaking to reporters at Chennai airport, the former state BJP chief said he "wasn't denied a ticket, but he chose not to contest," reported news agency ANI. He said he had already informed the party leadership in writing of his decision to stay out of the electoral fray and to campaign for the Nati ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 3 (PTI) The Congress on Friday alleged that the government has called a "special session" of Parliament for passing bills related to amending the women's quota law and delimitation to "grab political mileage" in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu polls, which, it claimed, is a "gross violation" of the model code of conduct. Asserting that the government's push for rushed delimitation exercise would have "dangerous consequences", Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "We do not want any disturbance in the present differentials and relative strength." Th ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], April 5 (ANI): Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that both Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are unlikely to respond to the party's recent questions concerning BJP's Puducherry President and Raj Bhavan constituency candidate VP Ramalingam and Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) chief Jose Charles Martin hosting a Sri Lankan diplomat in Puducherry. Replying to Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera's post on X, Ramesh wrote, "The answers to your three questions are self-evident: 1. He will not, 2. He will not, ...Read More >
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday urged voters in Assam to remove the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in the state, terming it the country's most corrupt, and attacked chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for enriching himself instead of working for the people. He referred to a mood change in the state and said it reflected in his interactions with voters. Kharge cited feedback from the ground and added that it indicates that Congress will come to power and win 72-73 of the ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 5 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may soon appoint a new national president, as the party has completed the process of appointing the required number of state presidents in accordance with its constitution. Since the conclusion of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, internal discussions have been underway regarding several potential candidates for the top organisational post. The current BJP president, JP Nadda, officially completed his term in January 2023, but it was extended until June 2024 in view of the general elections. His term has since been extended again, ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 19 (ANI): A contingent of 23 athletes supported by Reliance Foundation look to compete at the World University Games across six cities in Germany, with events running until July 27. Representing athletics, archery, and judo, these young talents aim to improve international rankings, achieve personal bests, and bring home laurels. The athletics team forms the backbone of the foundation campaign, with 18 athletes competing in sprints, jumps, throws, hurdles, relay, long jump, decathlon, among other events, beginning July 21, a release said. James Hillier, Di ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, April 2: The Budget Session of Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on April 16, likely for three days, to consider key legislation, including bills to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816, enabling the implementation of the women's reservation law, the Nari Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023. The government is expected to introduce the bills in the Lok Sabha first and has reportedly engaged in back-channel discussions with opposition parties to facilitate their passage. The move is seen as a priority for the government, which aims to fulfil its commitment to women's politic ...Read More >
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 4 (ANI): Following his exclusion from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate list for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, former state BJP president K Annamalai on Saturday clarified that he "wasn't denied a ticket, but he chose not to contest." Briefing reporters at Chennai airport, Annamalai expressed gratitude to the party high command for respecting his decision, adding that he had already submitted a written communication stating that he would not contest from any constituency but would instead campaign for the National Democratic Alliance ...Read More >
PM Modi accused the Congress of creating unnecessary panic and harming India's foreign relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a scathing attack at Congress over its statements on the ongoing West Asia conflict, accusing the party of putting Indian lives at risk, particularly those from Kerala working in the region. Addressing a rally in Keralam, he warned that comments made by opposition leaders could have serious consequences for Indians living in conflict-hit areas. He a ...Read More >
Assembly elections 2026 LIVE updates: Voting for high-stakes Assembly elections in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry will begin at 7am today. In Kerala, 2.6 crore electors will decide the fate of 883 candidates for its 140-member Legislative Assembly in a tight contest between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In Assam, polling for 126 seats will be held today where over 2.5 crore electors are eligible to ...Read More >
Puducherry [India], April 9 (ANI): Puducherry Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan cast his vote on Thursday at the DMS office during the ongoing Assembly elections, while urging other citizens to fulfil their "primary duty". Speaking after casting his vote, Lt Governor Kailashnathan emphasised the importance of citizen participation in the voting process and appealed to all voters to come forward and exercise their right. "It is the primary duty of every citizen to cast vote in elections. I request all the citizens to cast their vote," he told ANI. Earlier in the day, Puducherry Chief Minis ...Read More >
Puducherry [India], April 9 (ANI): Congress State President and Thattanchavady Assembly candidate V. Vaithilingam on Thursday cast his vote in the ongoing Puducherry elections and expressed confidence in his party's prospects. Speaking to ANI, Vaithilingam said, "Today's polling has been favourable, particularly for Congress. The DMK alliance is also performing well. We are confident that we will form the government on 4 May." He added that the polling process has been smooth and voters have exercised their democratic right responsibly. Vaithilingam's statement comes amid keenly contested el ...Read More >