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.
Jamshedpur: The counting of votes for the Ghatshila by-election began on a charged note on Friday morning, with the JMM camp erupting in loud celebrations as party candidate Somesh Soren secured a strong early lead. The atmosphere outside the strong room at Jamshedpur Co-operative College, where the counting was underway, transformed into a festival-like scene immediately after counting commenced at 8 am. BJP's Babulal Soren started trailing in the very beginning. From the very first round, Somesh Soren surged ahead, taking an impressive lead of 3,246 votes, sending waves of excitement across the JMM camp. Supporters waved party flags, danced to the rhythmic beats of dhol, burnt crackers, and flashed V-signs as the early figures brought fresh energy and confidence. With each subsequent round, Soren continued to maintain a comfortable margin, further strengthening the party's optimism. Drum players kept the momentum alive, breaking into celebratory beats after the announcement of every round. The JMM tent, set up near the strong room alongside a similar BJP enclosure, quickly became the centre of jubilant activity. In contrast, the atmosphere in the BJP camp grew tense and quiet, with leaders and supporters closely monitoring the numbers but refraining from public reactions. "The verdict was clear from day one. We were confident of our victory, and today's early trends prove that the people of Ghatshila trust Hemant's vision and leadership," said Kunal Sarangi, JMM leader. "Every party worker has worked tirelessly for this moment. Their dedication has paid off, and voters have placed their faith in our candidate once again." As the rounds progressed and Soren's lead solidified, the mood within the JMM rank-and-file grew increasingly festive. At the JMM office in Kadma, activities peaked as workers gathered to follow the live developments, eagerly awaiting the final declaration. Once the results were confirmed, party members poured into the streets in full celebration mode, distributing sweets, bursting crackers, and raising slogans of victory. The early trend has not only boosted morale in the JMM but also indicated a potential return of the seat to the party's fold, reinforcing its strong presence in the region. Meanwhile, silence prevailed in the BJP camp, which was banking on a close contest but found the early momentum slipping away. Historically, Ghatshila has been a JMM stronghold. The Congress held sway here till 2009, after which Ramdas Soren's victory marked the rise of the JMM. Even the 2014 Modi wave could only briefly dislodge the party, which reclaimed the seat in 2019 and strengthened its hold further in 2024 when Ramdas Soren defeated BJP's Babulal Soren by over 22,000 votes. His untimely death turned this by-election into an emotional and political test for the ruling 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 >
Bhubaneswar: The Winter Session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Tuesday witnessed intense discussions on Tuesday over delays in drinking water projects, with senior BJD MLA Badri Narayan Patra making a striking admission. During the Question Hour, Patra attributed the party's setbacks in the 2024 Assembly elections to voter dissatisfaction stemming from unfulfilled promises regarding drinking water infrastructure. "I have personally experienced voters' anger over the non-completion of promised projects before the elections. Candidates who narrowly lost felt the brunt of this frustration ...Read More >
OCCRP had published news articles against Adani; BJP MP Sambit Patra calls Rahul 'traitor of highest order' After a hiatus of two days, the Winter Session of Parliament plunged into chaos again Thursday, this time due to the ruling BJP targeting Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, accusing them of being part of a plan to "derail" India's economy and "disrupt" its democracy. Senior BJP MP Nishikant Dubey raised the matter in the Lok Sabha, alleging that a "dangerous triangle" ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal has clarified that he is not in the running for the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election. Speaking to the media, Samal stated that the decision on the party's nominee will rest with the BJP parliamentary board. According to Samal, the party parliament board will decide the candidate for Rajya Sabha election. He further said that whatever discussion is doing the round about his possibility to be selected from the party for the Rajya Sabha election is fictitious and the party parliament board will take a formal decision in this regard soon. The Ele ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 11 (ANI): A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation, led by senior leaders, met Himachal Pradesh Governor Pratap Shukla recently to submit a comprehensive 106-page memorandum titled "Kachcha Chittha". The document, which alleges rampant corruption and administrative failures in the two years of Congress rule under Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, aims to hold the state government accountable for what the BJP describes as a period of "unprecedented mismanagement and destruction." Speaking to the media after meeting the Governor, Himachal Prade ...Read More >
Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and Union minister JP Nadda on Thursday said that the Chair should not be questioned or criticised about admissibility, calling it contempt of the House and Chairman. He also condemned Mallikarjun Kharge for criticising the Chair in a press conference the day before, calling it wrong. "The Chair cannot be questioned with regard to admissibility or for any other purposes. The Chairman's ruling cannot be questioned or criticised; to do so is contempt of the Hous ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 17 (PTI) Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday hit out at the government, saying voting at the introduction stage of two bills on simultaneous elections in the Lok Sabha showed the BJP did not have the two-third majority required to pass a constitutional amendment. Two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections were introduced in the Lok Sabha after a fiery debate on Tuesday. Opposition parties dubbed the draft laws -- a Constitution amendment bill and an ordinary bill -- as an attack on the federal structure, a charge rejected by the government. "We (th ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], December 18 (ANI): Congress MP Pramod Tiwari lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah who has been in the eye of a storm over his remarks on Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The Congress member said that without Ambedkar, Amit Shah would not have been a member of the Lower House of the Parliament. "... If Ambedkar ji was not there, he (Amit Shah) would not have even sat there. There would have been no Lok Sabha, no Rajya Sabha and no Constitution. So this is not only an insult to Baba Saheb Ambedkar but also to the Constitution, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha ...," the Congress MP told ...Read More >
Belgavi (Karnataka) [India], December 26 (ANI): Congress leader Supriya Shrinate on Thursday lashed out Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pralhad Joshi's statement on the CWC meeting and said that people like Joshi did not understand the ethos of Mahatma Gandhi or Congress. "People like Pralhad Joshi don't understand the ethos of Mahatma Gandhi, they don't understand the ethos of Congress. They don't understand that Congress was born out of freedom struggle, we fought for India's independence, we are the architects of modern India...we have had Presidents like Mahatma Gan ...Read More >
Pointing to the increase in the country's stature in the world forum, he asked how, under these circumstances, the promises made to farmers cannot be fulfilled. "Policy-making is not on right track," he added.. Jagdeep Dhankhar's comments come amid a spike in farmer protests. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar took up the farmers' issue and questioned the government on their behalf today, directing most of his queries at the Union agriculture minister. Pointing to the increase in the country's sta ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly on Tuesday witnessed a noisy scene as Opposition BJD and Congress members held protests inside the House over alleged non-payment of salaries to around 60,000 women supporting staffers under the 'Mission Shakti' scheme. Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik accused the BJP government of "conspiring to stop" salaries of the 'Mission Shakti' staff. As soon as the Question Hour began, the BJD and Congress members trooped to the well of the House and demanded immediate release of salaries of around 60,000 women supporting staff working under the 'Mission Shakti' sch ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet cleared the bill for the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal on Thursday (December 12). This development comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA have been repeatedly advocating for this initiative asserting that it will "strengthen the democracy" by holding simultaneous elections in the country. "Elections are held at different places every few months and it hampers the developmental work and all of you know it. Therefore, it is must to have deep study and deliberation on 'One Nation, One Election'," the PM said. "Only one voters' list should be used f ...Read More >
Jharkhand supplementary budget: The Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday (December 12) passed the second supplementary budget of Rs 11,697.45 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Following the budget's passage, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato adjourned the four-day session of the assembly sine die. Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled the second supplementary budget, with the largest allocation of Rs 6,390.55 crore directed to the Women, Child Development, and Social Security Department. This significant funding aims to enhance the government's flagship initiative, the Maiyan Samman Yojana. Und ...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 >
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 >
Bengaluru: A internal fight is going on in Karnataka BJP between Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and state president BY Vijayendra faction, and Vijayendra's close associates are insisting on Yatnal's expulsion. On Saturday, Renukacharya's team said that evil will be destroyed in the presence of Chamundi. Now, a group of former MLAs visited Yediyurappa's residence in Dollars Colony in Bengaluru in the early hours of the morning and held an important meeting. Renukacharya's team is insisting on Yatnal's expulsion. Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Yediyurappa, MP Renukacharya said, "Where i ...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 >
Bengaluru, Dec 15 (VOICE) Former Minority Commission Chairman Anwar Manipaddy on Sunday refuted the bribery charge levelled by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying the Congress leaders have been offering him bribes to suppress the Waqf encroachment report. CM Siddaramaiah on Saturday alleged that BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra "tried to bribe" the former Minority Commission Chairperson during the previous government with Rs 150 crore to suppress a probe into the Waqf property encroachment. Speaking to the media, Anwar Manipaddy stated that if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has any genuine co ...Read More >
Mhow (M.P), Jan 27 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday urged party workers to unite in saving the Constitution, saying the Dalits, backwards, tribals and poor will suffer otherwise. Addressing the "Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan" rally here, he also branded the BJP-RSS people as "traitors" and said the Congress will never tolerate the exploitation of the poor in the name of religion. Taking a swipe at BJP leaders taking holy dip at the Maha Kumbh, Kharge said taking a dip in the holy Ganga will not help remove poverty. He, however, stressed that he does not wish to hurt ...Read More >
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 26 (VOICE) Karnataka BJP has slammed Congress over the display of posters depicting a distorted map of India at the venue of the centenary celebrations of the INC's 1924 session in Belagavi, saying that it shows utter disrespect for India's sovereignty and is shameful.Taking to social media handle X on Thursday, the BJP said, "Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has been handed over to Pakistan by the Indian National Congress - Karnataka! It is truly an act of treason that Congress members have distorted India's map in the name of Gandhi Bharat. The banners displayed in B ...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 >
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday (December 5, 2024) expanded his Cabinet with 11 Ministers. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath in a swearing-in-ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi. Six from Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), four from Congress and one from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have been inducted in the Cabinet of Mr. Soren. From JMM quota, six MLAs took oath at the event organised at Ashok Udyaan includes Chaibasa MLA Deepak Birua, Ghatsila MLA Ramdas Soren, Giridih MLA Sudivya Kumar , Bishunpur MLA Chamra Linda, Gomia MLA Yogendra Prasad and Madhupur MLA Haf ...Read More >
The BJP has accused Rahul Gandhi of collaborating with "anti-India international forces," citing a Mediapart report on OCCRP's funding and Gandhi's meetings with alleged Modi government critics. The party highlighted the timing of reports critical of India coinciding with parliamentary sessions, including those on farmers, Pegasus, Hindenburg, and the BBC documentary.BJP on Thursday accused Lok Sabha's Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of colluding with 'anti-India international forces'. The ruli ...Read More >
Chief Minister Hemant Soren proposed Rabindra Nath Mahato's name for the post and the proposal was seconded by JMM MLA Mathura Prasad Mahato JMM legislator Rabindra Nath Mahato was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the Speaker of the sixth Jharkhand assembly. Chief Minister Hemant Soren proposed Mahato's name for the post and the proposal was seconded by JMM MLA Mathura Prasad Mahato during the second of the four-day session of the assembly. Soren congratulated Rabindra Nath Mahato on behalf of ...Read More >
Ranchi, Dec 12 (PTI)The Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday passed the second supplementary budget of Rs 11,697.45 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal. After this, the four-day session of the assembly was adjourned sine die by Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato. Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled the second supplementary budget, allocating a maximum outlay of Rs 6,390.55 crore to the women, child development and social security department to boost the government's flagship scheme Maiyan Samman Yojana. Under this scheme, the state government initially provided Rs 1,000 per month to women between the ...Read More >
Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 13 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) leader ST Hasan on Friday said that the 'One Nation, One Election' rule was not possible in the country with the various cultures and laws present. "The One Nation, One Election rule is not possible in our country. Our country has a lot of different cultures and religious laws. There is a huge conspiracy behind it... Indirectly, only the centre will rule. They are trying to change the Constitution. They are talking about a common civil court, saying One Nation One Constitution... tomorrow you'll say One Nation One Cult ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has issued a whip ordering its party MPs to attend the Lok Sabha sessions on December 13 and 14 (today and tomorrow), as some important legislative business is likely to be discussed, said a Daily Thanthi report. They have been asked to be present in the lower House ahead of the rare Constitution debate which is all set to take place in the Lok Sabha on December 13 and 14, and in the Rajya Sabha on December 16 and 17. The discussion is being held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of adoption of India's Constitution. The Bharatiya Janata Party (B ...Read More >
INDIA bloc MPs, donning black jackets with slogans like "Modi Adani Ek Hai", protested at Parliament demanding a joint probe into the Adani issue. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused PM Modi of evading discussion on the "Adani mega scam" while defending Adani's alleged corruption. Rahul Gandhi asserted that Modi won't investigate Adani as it would be like investigating himself.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday said the country's people want the "Adani mega scam" to be discussed in Parliame ...Read More >
NDIA bloc leaders, who submitted a notice of no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday, blamed the chair for not allowing them to speak in the Rajya Sabha. The leaders held a joint press conference labelling several charges against the chairman. "His behaviour (RS chairman) has damaged the dignity of the country. He has brought such a situation in the history of parliamentary democracy that we had to bring this notice for the resolution (of no confidence ...Read More >
New Delhi: India's opposition MPs on Wednesday, December 11, greeted their BJP counterparts in Parliament premises with the tricolour in one hand and a red rose in the other, urging the ruling party to ensure that the Parliament functions properly. This is the latest in a series of demonstrations led by Congress over the issue regarding industry mogul Gautam Adani getting indicted by the US. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also offered the tricolour in the form of a card to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh when the latter was entering the main Parliament building. Congress ...Read More >