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: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday issued comprehensive guidelines mandating pre-certification of political advertisements in print media ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections and bye-elections. The move is aimed at ensuring a level playing field and maintaining transparency in the electoral process, the poll panel said. The ECI had earlier, on March 15, announced the election schedule for Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, along with bye-elections in six states. Further strengthening its regulatory framework, the ECI has now directed that no political party, candidate, organisation or individual may publish advertisements in print media on polling day or the preceding day without prior approval from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC). According to the guidelines, individual candidates and other applicants are required to seek certification from the district-level MCMC and the recognised political parties with headquarters in a state or Union Territory must approach the state-level MCMC for approval of their advertisements. The ECI has also outlined specific timelines for compliance. In Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry - where polling is scheduled for April 9 - pre-certification will be compulsory for advertisements published on April 8 and 9. For Tamil Nadu, which goes to the polls on April 23, the rule will apply to advertisements issued on April 22 and 23, but in West Bengal, where voting will be conducted in two phases on April 23 and April 29, pre-certification will be required on April 22 and 23 for the first phase and on April 28 and 29 for the second phase.
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 >
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 2 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived at Patna airport on Wednesday for his visit to Bihar ahead of the inaugural ceremony of the BJP's state executive meeting. The visuals showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders welcoming the Defence Minister at the airport. Also Read | IT Hiring Massive Surge: India's Tier-2 Cities See 53% Rise in Hiring in Information Technology Sector, Says Foundit. Speaking to reporters, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, "Rajnath Singh is coming. He will speak about the accomplishments of the state and central governments, ...Read More >
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 6 (ANI): The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign of the electoral rolls in Bihar is progressing rapidly and recognizing the efforts of the Polling station officials, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar has announced a special incentive of Rs 6,000 for each. This additional honorarium is aimed at acknowledging their hard work and commitment during the intensive revision process. Also Read | PM Narendra Modi, Argentine President Javier Milei Agree to Diversify India-Argentina Trade Basket, Vows to Expand Cooperation in Defence, Security and Mine ...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 >
New Delhi, July 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Supreme Court on Thursday orally observed that the clutch of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) decision to revise electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar raises an issue which "goes at the very roots of democracy", involving the right to vote. After the petitioners' side presented their oral submissions, a Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi remarked, "There is no question that the issue raised goes at the very roots of democracy -- the right to vote". "They (petitioners) are challenging not only the powers o ...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 >
Srinagar- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Tharoor said Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to convey that India acted with restraint and responsibility. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self- ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being undertaken in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections is progressing smoothly on the ground, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) completing their first round of visits to nearly 1.5 crore households across the state. According to official data, more than 87 per cent of Enumeration Forms have already been distributed during the door-to-door verification drive, which is being carried out as part of the Election Commission's ongoing efforts to update and verify the electoral rolls. Also Read | CCI Directs A ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) The Puducherry administration has launched raids against private drug retailers flouting the ban on sale of anti-tuberculosis drugs in contravention of norms. The joint enforcement raids are being conducted by the State TB Cell in collaboration with the Department of Drugs Control. The Puducherry administration in alignment with the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) implemented the ban on the sale of anti-TB drugs by private chemists, Dr S Govindarajan, Mission Director of National Health Mission (NHM), Puducherry, told PTI. The move, initiated in 201 ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Supreme Court is slated to hear on Thursday a clutch of petitions challenging the Election Commission's decision to revise electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. As per the causelist published on the website of the apex court, a Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi will take up the matter for hearing on July 10. On Monday, the Justice Dhulia-led Bench agreed to urgently list the batch of pleas against the ECI's order directing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar after a battery of lawyers, including senior advoca ...Read More >
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on July 10, urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider accepting Aadhaar, ration cards, and electoral photo identity cards (EPIC) as valid documents to establish voter identity during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in Bihar, ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. While the Court declined to stay the SIR process, it repeatedly questioned the ECI's decision to exclude Aadhaar as a valid form of identification. Although no interim order was passed to halt the revision, the Court directed the ECI to provide ...Read More >
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 13 (ANI): A large number of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar have been found by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) with Aadhaar cards, domicile certificates and ration cards during house-to-house visits carried out as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, according to sources. The State will have assembly polls later in the year. ECI sources say that after a proper enquiry to be conducted from 1 Aug till 30 Aug, if found true, such names shall not be included in the final list to be published on 30 Sep 2025. M ...Read More >
Heavy rains across Tamil Nadu have led to school closures in several districts, including Chennai, on Thursday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert, predicting moderate rains and light thunderstorms in parts of the state. Rainfall figures show significant precipitation in multiple areas. Meanwhile, Northern India braces for a cold wave beginning December 9, with the IMD forecasting plunging temperatures in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.Schools acros ...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: The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) recent directive mandating large sections of voters in Bihar to furnish proof of citizenship in order to remain on the electoral rolls. Filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, the petition seeks to quash the ECI's June 24 order initiating a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar. The plea argues that the directive violates constitutional provisions inclu ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 11: Three out of every four Bihar electors have submitted their enumeration forms as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, taking the total coverage of the drive to 74.39 per cent, an ECI official said on Friday. "As of 6 p.m. on Friday, 5.87 crore Enumeration Forms, which is 74.39 per cent of the total forms, have been collected in the last 17 days, since the issue of SIR instructions on June 24. Enumeration Forms can be submitted before July 25," said the Election Commission of India (ECI) in a statement. The official said that with 14 m ...Read More >
Pune: State Election Commission (SEC) will use the July 1, 2025, updated legislative assembly voters' list for the upcoming local body elections with chairperson Dinesh Waghmare directing district collectors and municipal commissioners to begin preparations based on the updated voter rolls during video conferences on Thursday and Friday.Elections are due for 29 municipal corporations, 290 nagar panchayats and parishads, 32 zilla parishads, and 336 panchayat samitis, as their terms have expired. "There is no separate voters' list for local body polls. The Election Commission of India (ECI)'s up ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Ravada A Chandrasekhar took charge as the new State Police Chief on Tuesday. He succeeds Shaik Darvesh Saheb, who retired on June 30. His tenure will run until July 1, 2027. A 1991-batch IPS officer currently serving as Special Director with the Intelligence Bureau, Chandrasekhar is on central deputation. He was selected over Nitin Agarwal, who topped the official list of probables. The appointment order, issued by Kerala Chief Secretary Dr A Jayathilak on behalf of the Governor, was released soon after a cabinet meeting held on Monday. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh's Godav ...Read More >
Kargil , Jul 2: Pursuant to putting in place a comprehensive legal framework to ensure fair, inclusive, and transparent recruitment to public services, the Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh has initiated a large-scale recruitment drive for 359 Gazetted posts through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). This marks the first-ever recruitment of Gazetted posts through UPSC since the formation of the Union Territory, officials said. This follows the establishment of a unique and dedicated legal framework specifically designed for Ladakh. The framework ensures maximum local re ...Read More >
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 4 (ANI): Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday came down heavily on the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) over its pitch to reconsider the words 'secular and socialist' from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution while saying that it was 'all talk'. He dared and challenged RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and top leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the centre to remove the words 'secular and socialist' from the Preamble. 'Days before, I heard that some RSS person said that we should remove Secular and Socialist words from ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 6: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India (ECI) decision to order Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, apprehending that such a second revision of the voters list could be replicated in West Bengal. In her petition, filed through advocate Neha Rathi, Moitra claimed that she has information that the "said (SIR) exercise is stated to be replicated in West Bengal from August 2025 for which instructions have already been given to EROs". Bihar Electoral Roll Revision Row: P ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 9 (ANI): Following the violent protest at Kerala University, a case has been registered against 27 activists of the ruling CPM's Students Federation of India (SFI), including its state secretary P S Sanjeev, who has been named the prime accused, police said. The case also names 1,000 identifiable protesters who have been accused of damaging public property, forcibly entering the university campus, and assaulting police and university staff, police said on Tuesday. Also Read | Nobel Peace Prize 2025: From Mahatma Gandhi to Jawaharlal Nehru, Check Full ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): Congress leader Pawan Khera on Wednesday questioned the independence of the Election Commission amid revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, accusing it of acting in favour of the ruling party. This comes amid the ongoing row over the electoral roll revision in Bihar and the Opposition-led Bihar Bandh.. Also Read | Amit Shah Shares 'Retirement Plan', Pledges To Take Up Vedas, Upanishads and Natural Farming in Later Years (Watch Video). Taking to the social media platform X, Khera wrote, "Baba Saheb Ambedkar on the role of 'Central Election Commission' in prote ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 10: The Supreme Court on Thursday orally observed that the clutch of petitions challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) decision to revise electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar raises an issue which "goes at the very roots of democracy", involving the right to vote. After the petitioners' side presented their oral submissions, a Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi remarked, "There is no question that the issue raised goes at the very roots of democracy -- the right to vote". "They (petitioners) are challenging not only the powers of the Election Co ...Read More >
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 13 (ANI): A large number of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar have been found by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) with Aadhaar cards, domicile certificates and ration cards during house-to-house visits carried out as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, according to sources. The State will have assembly polls later in the year. Also Read | Kota Srinivasa Rao Dies at 83: Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu Condoles Demise of Veteran Actor, Says 'He Will Forever Stay Etched in Hearts of Telugu Audience'. ECI s ...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 >
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 >
JAMMU, June 26: Two senior IAS officers of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir cadre, Bipul Pathak and Pandurang K Pole, have been assigned significant responsibilities in the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp As per an order issued today by the office of the Lt Governor of Delhi, Bipul Pathak, a seasoned bureaucrat from the erstwhile J&K cadre, who is presently serving as Additional Chief Secretary (Industries) and holding additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary (Environment & Forests), has been transferred and appoin ...Read More >