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The Congress Legislature Party is scheduled to meet on Saturday evening here to elect its new leader, who will succeed Siddaramaiah as the next Chief Minister of Karnataka. D K Shivakumar, who served as Deputy CM under Siddaramaiah, is widely expected to be elected as the new leader of the CLP. Siddaramaiah's resignation as Chief Minister was accepted and the Council of Ministers was dissolved by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Friday. All lawmakers have been asked to attend the CLP meeting at 4 pm in Vidhana Soudha's conference hall, which will be overseen by AICC General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala. According to sources, Siddaramaiah himself will propose Shivakumar as the new CLP leader, or a one-line resolution may be passed authorising the Congress high command to choose the next leader. The swearing-in of the new Chief Minister is likely on Sunday or Monday, and it may be held on the iconic grand steps of Vidhana Soudha, official sources said. There
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is widely expected to step down, hosted a breakfast for his cabinet colleagues at his official residence here on Thursday. His current deputy and possible successor, D K Shivakumar and other cabinet colleagues attended the breakfast meeting. It is being speculated that Siddaramaiah will announce his stepping down from the CM post to make way for Shivakumar, possibly at the breakfast meeting. The CM reportedly sought the Governor's appointment after the party high command apparently asked him to make way for a leadership change in the state. He also said he will speak on the matter on Thursday. Though the 77-year-old veteran was likely to meet Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot later today to apparently tender his resignation, Lok Bhavan sources said the Governor is not in the city; he has left for Indore for personal reasons. As the political heat rises in the southern state in anticipation of a new CM, AICC General Secretary in charge of ...
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday expanded his Cabinet by inducting 23 more legislators as ministers, including two from the Congress, which marked the return of the grand old party to governance in Tamil Nadu after almost 60 years. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Lok Bhavan and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the minister-designates. TVK MLAs, including Srinath, S Kamali, C Vijayalakshmi and R V Ranjithkumar were initially sworn-in as ministers. Congress party's S Rajesh Kumar, representing Killiyoor, and P Viswanathan, who won from Melur segment, took oath as ministers. AICC incharge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, said the inclusion of his party MLAs in the Cabinet heralded a "turning point" in the political history of Tamil Nadu. "Congress cadres have been striving for power for the last 59 years and have been working for it with loyalty and dedication. Now, they have got it," Chodankar told PTI ...
V D Satheesan on Monday took oath as Kerala's Chief Minister, and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to the Congress Legislature Party leader here. Satheesan took oath in the name of God. Besides Satheesan, his 20-member Cabinet will also be sworn in by the Governor. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others, attended the swearing-in ceremony. Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Left leaders, and BJP representatives also attended the ceremony. Thousands of Congress workers arrived in the state capital from across Kerala for the event. The Assembly elections to the 140-member House were held on April 9, with the results declared on May 4. The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats, while the LDF secured 35 and the BJP won three.
Vadasseri Damodara Menon Satheesan, who was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday, is a lawyer-turned-politician from Kochi who rose through the ranks of the Congress party with a reputation for sharp speeches and organisational discipline. Known for his calm public style and aggressive attacks on the Left government inside the Assembly, V D Satheesan--called VD or VDS by his supporters--became the face of the Congress revival in Kerala after he was made Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly five years ago. As Leader of the Opposition, Satheesan put the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government on defensive mode on various issues, including alleged nepotism and financial irregularities, pushed the Congress towards younger leadership and a more energetic campaign. He led the Congress-led UDF to power in the April 9 polls, marking the alliance's return to power in Kerala after a decade. Supporters see him as practical and accessible, while critics say his biggest
After a decade-long Left rule, Kerala is all set for a regime change on Monday, with a 21-member UDF cabinet led by Congress leader V D Satheesan set to be sworn in at the state capital at 10 am. Preparations have been completed at Central Stadium, where a massive stage has been set up for the oath-taking ceremony. Workers have put up temporary rain shelters and arranged seating for thousands of party workers, national political figures, and local dignitaries. Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and top party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among others are scheduled to attend the swearing-in. Kerala joins Karnataka and Telangana to become the third Congress ruled state in south in the recent times. Tight security arrangements have been put in place across the state capital ahead of the high-profile event. Special traffic arrangements have also been made in view of the large number of VIPs and UDF supporters arriving in the city. Traffic and parking regulations
The Delhi Congress on Saturday staged protests across the national capital against rising inflation, a day after the BJP-led Centre increased petrol and diesel prices by Rs 3 per litre. The demonstrations were held outside petrol pumps and dairy booths across Delhi under all 258 Block Congress Committees (BCCs), with party workers protesting against the rising prices of fuel and milk. "The failed policies of the Modi government have set petrol, diesel, and milk prices on fire," the party said in a post on X. Several Congress workers from the Chandni Chowk District Congress Committee also held a protest carrying placards over rising fuel prices. The placards bore slogans such as "Expensive diesel, expensive oil, the Modi government has failed" and "Costly diesel and oil have left the public distressed." Protesters alleged that the rising prices of fuel and essential commodities were burdening common people and worsening inflation. Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav also joined
Goa Congress leader Dr Ketan Bhatikar, who was the party's face during the recently cancelled Ponda assembly bypoll, died after being bitten by a snake, police said on Friday. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who is visiting the coastal state, offered their condolences on Bhatikar's demise. The incident occurred on Thursday night when Bhatikar (38) was on his way to Dandeli village in Karnataka. "Bhatikar had got down at Karmal Ghat, on the Goa-Karnataka border, for some reason, when a snake bit him. He was rushed to the Primary Health Centre in Dharbandora, Goa, where doctors declared him brought dead," a police official said. Bhatikar was the Congress candidate for the Ponda by-election, which was cancelled following a high court verdict. He had moved the Supreme Court against the HC order through a Special Leave Petition, which is pending before the apex court. CM Sawant paid tribute to Bhatikar, calling his death a profound loss
Congress general secretary and one of the contenders for the CM post, K C Venugopal, on Tuesday said that the Assembly poll results in Kerala were a repudiation of the communal polarisation attempts by some forces and a rejection of the decade-long "political arrogance and alleged misgovernance" by the LDF. Venugopal also termed the BJP's victories in West Bengal and Assam as not a genuine verdict, alleging that they were achieved through unfair practices that would prevent any opposition party from winning there. He claimed that the BJP wanted to do it in the entire country, and that is why it brought the Delimitation Bill, which was unitedly rejected by the opposition. Regarding the poll outcome in Kerala, Venugopal said that it was a big message to those attempting communal polarisation in the state that such efforts will not bear fruit. He said that the mature electorate of Kerala were adept at identifying suitable candidates and prioritised the state's welfare and party ...
Senior Congress leader Jitendra Singh on Monday tendered his resignation as the party's general secretary in-charge of Assam with immediate effect, taking responsibility for the outcome of the assembly polls in which his party suffered a crushing defeat. In his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Singh said it is in the best interest of the organization that he steps aside to allow for fresh leadership and renewed direction. "I write to tender my resignation as General Secretary In-Charge of Assam with immediate effect. The recent election results have been deeply disappointing, and I take full responsibility for my role in the outcome," Singh said. "Despite our best efforts, we were unable to meet the expectations of the people of Assam whom we sought to serve. It is in the best interest of the organization that I step aside to allow for fresh leadership and renewed direction," he said. Singh said he is grateful for the opportunity to have served and for t
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the opposition parties defeated the delimitation bill in the Parliament on Friday to defend the "idea of India." Addressing a poll rally at Ponneri here, he said the BJP-led government at the Centre brought a new bill on April 16, and said they were trying to pass the women's bill, which he said was passed in 2023. "In the so-called Women's Bill, delimitation was hidden. The idea was to reduce Tamil Nadu's representation in the Union of India... the delimitation move by BJP was to weaken the strength of southern states, small states, north eastern states," he alleged. "We defeated in Parliament, a bill in which delimitation was hidden; we defeated it to defend the idea of India." Rahul added that India that is Bharat, is a union of states, and every single state should have a voice, be free to express itself, and protect its tradition.
The Congress on Thursday said the true intent of the bills being brought by the government in the garb of implementing women's quota law is mischievous and they have to be rejected completely in their present shape and form. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the three bills are being taken up in Lok Sabha and the packaging and marketing is women's reservation but the fundamentals have to do with delimitation. "Many concerns have been raised from across the country regarding the delimitation proposals that privilege a few populous states where the BJP is strong now. The relative strength of a number of states in the Lok Sabha will actually decline," Ramesh said on X. The way delimitation has actually been done in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir shows how "diabolically the Modi-Shah duo work" he said. "The true intent of these Bills is mischievous, their content devious, and their damage enormous. They have to be rejected completely in their present .
The Congress on Friday alleged that the Modi government's "U-turn" on the implementation of the women's reservation law is aimed at covering up his "monumental failures" in governance and "severe setbacks" to foreign policy. The opposition party claimed that the PM owes an "apology" to the women of India as he did not accept the Congress' demand of implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, from the 2024 polls itself. "Actually he owes an apology to the women of India. When the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 was passed by Parliament in 2023 unanimously, the Indian National Congress had demanded its implementation from 2024 itself," Ramesh said on X. But this was not acceptable to the PM who made the reservation dependent on the delimitation and census exercises that he had failed to conduct and then dithered on for many years, the Congress leader said. Ramesh claimed that 30 months later, facing defeat in the assembly elections, in spite of the Election Commission ..
Haryana Congress' Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) will prepare a report and convey its decision to the party high command concerning the issue of alleged cross-voting by five party MLAs during last month's Rajya Sabha elections. The committee, under the chairmanship of party leader Dharampal Malik, met at the Haryana Congress office here on Friday evening. The five MLAs are accused for cross-voting in favour of BJP-backed Independent candidate Satish Nandal and have been issued a show-cause notice by the Congress. The notice was served for "anti-party activities by deliberately not casting a vote in favour of Congress' official candidate". Polling for the two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana was held on March 16. BJP's Sanjay Bhatia bagged one seat comfortably, while the Congress candidate, Karamvir Singh Boudh, secured the second seat in a close contest against Independent candidate Satish Nandal. The alleged cross-voting had dented the otherwise comfortable position of the Congre