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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday demanded dissolving the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, saying that all the elections were illegal and even Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of all the states were illegal. He said fresh polls should be conducted on ballot papers. "Today, the entire country is being run on illegal elections. Modi is an illegal Prime Minister, Shah is an illegal minister, and all the chief ministers who have been elected anywhere are illegal. All of them should be dissolved, elections should be held, and elections should be conducted through ballot papers," he told reporters here. Kharge alleged that the EVMs were being misused and said that "their own people" are saying this. He alleged that the ongoing SIR of the electoral roll has many irregularities and is undermining democracy, pointing out that the government is making many mistakes in the process. He said the opposition would continue to hold agitations across
AAP national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday quit the party and joined the Congress, saying she could no longer defend the indefensible. Kakkar joined the Congress along with former Uttar Pradesh MLA Shyam Sunder Sharma and Rajat Rakesh Tandon in the presence of senior party leaders, including Rajiv Shukla, Pawan Khera and the party's Delhi unit chief Devendra Yadav. Welcoming her and others into the party, Congress general secretary Naseer Hussain said Kakkar has been a former chief national spokesperson of AAP, Shyam Sundar Sharma is a former MLA from Uttar Pradesh, while Rajat Rakesh Tandon hails from the family of freedom fighter Purushottam Das Tandon. "Today, from Ladakh to Kanyakumari, people are placing their trust in the leadership of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition (in the Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi and joining the Congress. We welcome everyone with open hearts," Hussain said. "Today is a day of great joy. Shyam Sundar Sharma, who is .
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that truth is being suppressed and that it was his responsibility to ensure this did not happen, as he launched the 'Satyagraha' digital platform to consolidate issue-based protests occurring across the country. He urged people to register their protests against the government on the 'Satyagraha' platform, which he launched a day after the 152nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, to help ensure aid for people wherever "truth was being crushed". "Across the country, people are fighting for their rights - and too often, fighting alone. Gen Z, students, farmers, Adivasis, Dalits, women -- every struggle has its own story. But a lone voice is often easier to silence. "'Satyagraha' is an initiative to bring these voices together on one map," he said in a post on X. Invoking Mahatma, the Congress MP said, "Bapu taught us that truth is our greatest weapon. But an even greater weapon is standing together with the truth. If you too are ...
After his appointment as the Punjab Congress president, Pargat Singh on Saturday thanked the party leadership for entrusting him with the responsibility and said he will work with dedication to strengthen the party and serve people in the state. The Congress appointed Singh as the president of the Punjab PCC on Friday after Amrinder Singh Raja Warring submitted his resignation. "I sincerely thank Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Punjab Congress in-charge Sachin Pilot and all senior Congress leaders for entrusting me with the responsibility of president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee," Singh said in a post on X. "I will work with complete dedication and commitment to strengthen Congress in Punjab and serve the people of our state," he added. Singh, 61, is a former Indian Hockey captain who led the Indian team in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. He made his entry into the political arena with the Shiromani
The Supreme Court on Friday said once nomination of a candidate is rejected by the returning officer, the only remedy is to approach the Election Commission as it heard Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan's plea challenging rejection of her nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha polls. The court also asked Natarajan to show any judgement passed by the it where it has interfered in such cases. A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Atul S Chandurkar said, "However erroneous the decision may be, once a nomination is rejected, the remedy ordinarily lies elsewhere. Is there any judgment of this Court where we have interfered at that stage? Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Natarajan, submitted that a candidate is supposed to disclose a criminal case which provides for a minimum sentence of two years and, in the present matter, only summons were issued. He said the nomination paper for the Rajya Sabha poll in Madhya Pradesh was wrongly rejected by the returni
Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy on Friday announced that he will tender his resignation from the post of minister, expressing displeasure over allocation of portfolio. The minister said he wanted the Bengaluru Development portfolio but was made minister for Major and Medium Irrigation projects. The resignation comes after Chief Minister D K Shivakumar allotted the portfolios on Thursday night. "I am resigning from my post because I cannot work against conscience," Reddy said at a press conference here. He said, "How long can I tolerate this humiliation and what else were options before me?" This was a major setback for the Shivakumar government, which came to power on Wednesday. The Congress leadership made a last ditch attempt in the middle of the press conference to persuade the disgruntled minister, but he remained firm in his decision. He told the leaders who approached him with the party leadership's message that the time is now lapsed to pay heed to any suggestions.
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