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.
CHENNAI: The Election Commission of India on Wednesday assured the Madras High Court that all necessary steps will be taken for ensuring easy access to disabled voters in all the polling stations in the state before the polling on April 23. The submission was made by advocate Niranjan Rajagopalan, standing counsel for the ECI, before the first bench of Chief Justice Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan when a petition filed by activist Vaishnavi Jayakumar, in this regard, came up for hearing. All necessary steps are being taken for providing the required facilities for the voters, including the disabled voters, elders and women to have easy access to the polling booths, he said, promising to look into the deficiencies pointed out by the counsel for the petitioner Poongkhulali. Niranjan also informed that steps have been taken to identify the disabled voters and ensure they exercise their democratic duty to vote in the polls. Advocate General P S Raman submitted that the chief secretary convened a meeting with all the district collectors on March 12 and instructed them to comply with the guidelines of the ECI and file compliance report on the status of completion of arrangement of facilities including provision of ramps in all polling booths. He also told the court that all steps are being taken in compliance with the directions of the ECI to ensure all the voters are able to have free and smooth access to the polling booths including the disabled voters. Poongkhulali submitted that the ECI has been stating that all necessary steps are being taken to provide easy access but there are several polling stations which lack even the assured minimum facilities. She submitted a rejoinder to the affidavit of the ECI pointing out the deficiencies with photographs of various polling stations. Recording the submissions, the bench posted the matters after three weeks for further consideration.
A temple locked since 1978 communal riots in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has been reopened by authorities during an anti-encroachment drive. The Bhasma Shankar temple, containing idols of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling, was rediscovered during an electricity theft inspection. This follows recent violence and heightened tensions in the area, including a mosque survey dispute and loudspeaker fine.The Sambhal administration here on Saturday uncovered and reopened a temple, which is said to have been closed ...Read More >
Chandigarh, Dec 18 (PTI) Noise levels exceeded the prescribed limits during singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh's concert here on Saturday, the Chandigarh administration told the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday. The submission was made by the administration before a division bench of the high court. "Strict action" has been recommended against the violators, the court was further informed. On December 13, the high court had allowed Dosanjh's event scheduled to take place the next evening, with a direction that the organisers comply with the noise pollution regulations. While greenlighti ...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 >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...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 >
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 26, 2024), indicated a level of hypocrisy attached to criticism about Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), saying ""EVMs are tampered when you lose and fine if you win". The oral remark was made by Justice Vikram Nath before dismissing a petition filed by evangelist K.A. Paul, who urged for a judicial order to return to paper ballots. Also read:EVM-VVPAT case | Cannot disclose 'source code' of EVMs, will result in misuse: Supreme Court Justice Nath, during the hearing, asked Mr. Paul whether he wanted to turn the court into a political arena. Mr. Paul sa ...Read More >
New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to hear a plea against the nomination of AAP candidate and Delhi minister Mukesh Kumar Ahlawat in the February 5 assembly elections. Justice Subramonium Prasad observed the petition was not maintainable. "How is this petition even maintainable in law? Either you challenge (his previous) election on whatever grounds ... this is not maintainable," said the court. The plea was then withdrawn by the petitioner. The petitioner, who lives in Sultan Puri, said Ahlawat contested previous elections by concealing and withholding certain f ...Read More >
Bengaluru, June 7: The Special Wing of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will begin its probe into the Chinnaswamy stampede tragedy, which claimed 11 lives on June 4, starting Saturday. Concurrently, the magisterial enquiry by the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district is also progressing. Sources confirmed that the CID probe will be headed by SP Shubanvita and Dy SPs Gowtham and Purushottam were named as investigators. The CID is likely to seek custody of the four arrested accused, who were sent to jail, for questioning on Monday, June 9. The department has already filed a ...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 >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 8 (ANI): Reacting to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's allegations against the Election Commission of India (ECI), TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Sunday said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the first leader to raise her voice against this voter list scam in the country. On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Maharashtra assembly election held in November 2024 was 'rigged' and claimed the same could happen in the upcoming Bihar assembly polls. 'Mamata Banerjee was the first to raise her voice against this voter list scam in th ...Read More >
VISAKHAPATNAM: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar inaugurated Andhra Pradesh's first Super ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code) compliant building at Sagar Nagar in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Terming it a landmark in sustainable infrastructure, he emphasised the government's commitment to energy efficiency and green design in public facilities. The facility will serve as a national-level training hub for power sector staff. He urged power utilities to expedite 20 lakh rooftop solar connections, targeting 10,000 in each Assembly segment. He reaffirmed nine-hour uninterrupted power for agri ...Read More >
Kolkata: A two-member National Commission for Women team on Sunday visited the south Kolkata law college where a student was allegedly gang-raped last week.The team, accompanied by a videographer, was initially denied entry and asked to produce a formal order. After an hour-long discussion at the college entrance, the team, led by Archana Majumdar, was allowed in under two conditions -- no access to the crime scene and no videography permitted.The visit lasted 10 minutes. "We were denied access to the crime scene and other floors. I will include this in my report," said Majumdar, who was the f ...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 Supreme Court overturned a Madras High Court decision. The high court had refused to dismiss defamation charges against Union minister L Murugan. Murugan faced these charges over statements made in 2020. The Supreme Court accepted Murugan's argument. He said he did not intend to defame the Murasoli Trust. The case is now closed.The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed criminal defamation proceedings against Union minister L Murugan on a complaint filed by the Chennai-based Murasoli Trust for his ...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 >
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand State Election Commission (SEC), on June 21, issued a notification for the three-tier panchayat elections in 12 districts except Haridwar. Polls would be held in two phases, and the district election officers will issue notifications on June 30. The first phase will be conducted on July 24, followed by the second phase on July 28. The counting for all phases will be conducted by July 31. Earlier, the Uttarakhand High Court had stayed the panchayat elections in the state on June 23, at a time when it had already been notified by the SEC. Elections will be held in 89 ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: In a significant step toward digital transformation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has revamped its post-election data reporting process by introducing a streamlined, technology-driven system for generating Index Cards and Statistical Reports. The initiative, aimed at enhancing data accessibility and timeliness, replaces the earlier manual process that often delayed dissemination. Under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, the new system leverages automation and data integration to enab ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Rahul Gandhi claimed on Saturday that the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections were a "blueprint for rigging democracy", drawing rebuke from BJP president J P Nadda, who accused the Congress leader of "cooking up bizarre conspiracies" in his desperation after losing a series of elections. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged in an article in the Indian Express that this poll "match-fixing" would next happen in the Bihar elections and "anywhere the BJP is losing". In a post on X, he said, "My article shows how this happened, step by step: Step 1: Rig the ...Read More >
Srinagar, June 7: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Saturday, congratulated the University of Kashmir for getting an A++ grade in the NAAC inspection. The Lt Governor extended his heartiest congratulations to the Vice Chancellor, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Kashmir for attaining the prestigious A++ Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), and securing an outstanding Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.68 on a seven-point scale. Calling it a proud moment for J&K UT, the Lt Governor said, "The A++ Grade places the Un ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Revenue minister Suresh Pujari on Saturday said Odisha would not be allowed to follow the lawless path in sand operations like it is in Bihar and West Bengal, while responding to the recent assault of an additional tehsildar in Kaptipada block, Mayurbhanj district, by the sand mafia. He promised stringent action against the sand mafia regardless of their connections, while speaking to mediapersons here on Saturday."The Kaptipada incident represents a serious escalation in conflict between law enforcement and the sand mafia. The attack on officers performing their enforcement dutie ...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 >
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], June 6 (ANI): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed concern over the recent cash controversy involving former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. A substantial amount of unaccounted cash was discovered at Justice Varma's residence after a fire broke out in mid-March. The incident has sparked widespread debate and scrutiny. He questioned the absence of an investigation into the issue and why no FIR was registered for the same. The Vice President said, 'A painful incident happened in mid-March in Delhi at the residence of a sitting judge. ...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 >
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 >
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 >
India's International Train Links: These 5 Indian Stations Connect You To Another Country By Train Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the BJP of securing a victory through large-scale electoral rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections and alleged that the same would be repeated in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls and then anywhere the BJP is losing. In a post on X, LoP Gandhi said that, Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy and listed out the alleged sequence through which it was done. "How to steal ...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 >
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 >