Page 14 - Congress

Congress releases first list of 48 candidates ahead of Bihar Assembly polls

The Congress on Thursday released its first list of 48 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, fielding its state unit chief Rajesh Ram from Kutumba seat and CLP leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan from Kadwa. The party announced the candidates even before finalising the seat-sharing arrangement with its Mahagathbandhan allies, including the RJD. The last date for filing nominations for the first phase of polls is October 17, while that for the second phase is October 20. The Congress leadership has been in talks with its alliance partners, including the RJD and the Left. According to the list, the party has fielded Bihar Youth Congress chief Prakash Garib Das from Bachhwada seat. Jayesh Mangal Singh will contest from Bagaha, Amit Giri from Nautan and Abhishek Ranjan from Chanpatia seat. From Bettiah seat, the party has fielded Wasi Ahmed, while Shyam Bihari Prasad will be its candidate from Raxaul. From Govindgan seat, the Congress named Shashi Bhushan Rai alias Gappu Rai as

News highlights: PM Modi lays foundation for multiple projects worth Rs 13,430 cr in Andhra Pradesh

Latest news updates, October 16: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

PM Modi lets Trump decide, frightened of him: Rahul Gandhi on US Prez claim

Rahul Gandhi's remarks came after Trump claimed that PM Modi assured him that India would stop buying oil from Russia, which he called "a major step" to isolate Moscow over Ukraine war

News highlights: Prashant Kishor says he will not contest Bihar assembly polls as candidate

Latest news updates, October 15: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Prashant Kishor says will not contest Bihar polls, will focus on party work

On the prospects of his party, Prashant Kishor stated that he was certain that the contest would either be a huge win or a total debacle for the Jan Suraaj party

PM Modi expresses grief over demise of Goa Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed grief over the death of Goa Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik, and said he will be remembered as an experienced administrator who enriched the state's development trajectory. Naik, 79, suffered cardiac arrest at his hometown, 30 km away from Panaji, sources said. The former chief minister was shifted to a private hospital in Ponda town where he was declared dead around 1 am on Wednesday. Condoling his death, PM Modi in a post on X said, "Saddened by the passing away of Shri Ravi Naik Ji, Minister in the Goa Government. He will be remembered as an experienced administrator and dedicated public servant who enriched Goa's development trajectory." "He was particularly passionate about empowering the downtrodden and marginalised. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of grief. Om Shanti," the PM said. Naik was a seven-term MLA (six times from Ponda assembly constituency and once from Marcaim assembly constituency) an

CEC approves Bihar poll candidates; Congress gains clarity on quality seats

After atleast a 2-hour-long meeting held at the party's office in Delhi, the party has made strong decisions on the 'quality faces' for the Vidhan Sabha seats Congress plans to contest

News highlights: Nitish Kumar's residence sealed off as protests erupt over ticket allocation

Latest news updates, October 14: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Bihar polls: Top Congress leaders discuss names of probable candidates

Top Congress leaders on Tuesday discussed the names of probable candidates for the Bihar assembly elections at a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge along with AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal and party treasurer Ajay Maken were present at the meeting. Rahul Gandhi joined the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting virtually. Sources said the party discussed more than 50 candidates for assembly seats on which the party is likely to contest the polls. The Congress is likely to get a lesser number of seats than the last time due to its dismal performance in the 2020 assembly polls, when it won 19 out of 70 seats it contested. "Today, in the presence of Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi, and Congress General Secretary (Organization) Shri K C Venugopal, an important meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) related to the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections

Rahul Gandhi gets relief in 12-year-old case linked to Muzaffarnagar riots

A court here on Tuesday dismissed a revision petition filed against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in a 2013 case in which he was accused of making objectionable remarks against Muslims. It was alleged that during an election rally in October 2013, Gandhi referred to Muslim youths in connection with the Muzaffarnagar riots and claimed they had links with the ISI, the Pakistani intelligence agency. Originally, advocate Mohammad Anwar had filed a court complaint when Gandhi was the Congress Vice President. Mohammad Anwar, Raja Ram Upadhyay, and Vishal Barnwal were presented as witnesses in the case. On January 30, Special Magistrate Shubham Verma dismissed the complaint. Following this, Mohammad Anwar approached a District Judge's court with a revision petition against the magistrate's order. Gandhi's counsel, Kashi Prasad Shukla, presented his arguments in the Fast Track Court-2. After hearing both sides, Judge Rakesh quashed the petition, effectively giving the Leader of the Oppositio

Tejashwi Yadav overrides Lalu, recalls party tickets distributed by father

Ahead of the high-stakes elections in Bihar, members of the RJD received party symbols on Monday, which were later taken back

Haryana cop's death about all Dalits; PM, CM should act immediately: Rahul

Opposition leaders on Monday intensified their attack on the Haryana government over IPS officer Y Puran Kumar's alleged suicide, demanding swift action on his "final note" and the police complaint filed by his wife against the officers accused of harassing him. With Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announcing that he would meet the officer's family on Tuesday, politics over the incident is set to heat up, even as there was no breakthrough in the impasse over Kumar's family not consenting to his autopsy and cremation on Monday -- seven days after the alleged suicide. In an eight-page final note purportedly left behind by Kumar, he accused eight senior IPS officers, including Haryana DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and now-transferred Rohtak SP Narendra Bijarniya, of "blatant caste-based discrimination, targeted mental harassment, public humiliation and atrocities." The IPS officer's wife -- senior IAS officer Amneet P Kumar -- has demanded that Kapur and Bijarniya be named in the FIR for allegedly

Congress slams Modi govt after Trump calls Pak army chief his 'favourite'

The party further alleged that the incident reflects poorly on India's foreign policy, which it claimed has "completely fallen apart"

Priyanka slams Centre for not providing enough aid to disaster-hit Himachal

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday accused the Union government of not providing adequate help to disaster-hit Himachal Pradesh, claiming that the Centre was "ignoring" states ruled by the Congress. She made the remarks during a rally that followed after a statue was of six-time Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh was unveiled by senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi at Daulat Singh Park on the historic Ridge Ground in Shimla. "After Sukhvinder Sukhu became CM, heavy rains hit Himachal, but the Union government did not provide adequate help to Congress-ruled state despite several requests," Priyanka said. She alleged that the BJP government, which was only interested in winning elections, has discriminated against the Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh. From June to September this monsoon, 47 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods and 148 major landslides were reported in the state, killing 270 people in rain-related incidents. The total loss was pegged at Rs .

Congress slams BJP for not naming Metro station in Mumbai after Nehru

The Mumbai Congress on Monday claimed the ruling BJP has deliberately not named the Science Centre Metro station on Line 3 here after the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. In a post on X, Mumbai Congress' chief spokesperson, Sachin Sawant, further claimed that Nehru's contribution is so monumental and unshakable that no matter how much the BJP despises him or attempts to malign his legacy, such efforts will remain as futile as spitting at the sky. The entire country knows that the area in Worli (where the Metro station is located) is identified by the name Nehru Science Centre, he said. Yet, because the "BJP suffers from an allergy to the name Nehru", they have deliberately omitted it and named the Metro station merely as Science Centre, Sawant alleged. "This is highly objectionable and a deep insult to the memory of former Prime Minister and world icon, Bharat Ratna Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji, whose vision laid the foundations of India's scientific temper, industrial progress

BJP, Congress hold protest over 'gang rape' of medical student in Durgapur

The opposition BJP and the Congress on Sunday held protests in various places across West Bengal over the alleged gang rape of a medical student in Durgapur, seeking exemplary punishment of the accused. Another opposition CPI(M) and the BJP questioned the law and order situation in West Bengal after the alleged incident, and claimed that the state is not safe for women. Asserting that nobody involved in the alleged gang rape of a medical student at Durgapur on Friday will be spared, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged female boarders, especially those from outside the state, to follow hostel rules and not venture out late at night. Three persons, all residents of Durgapur, have been arrested in connection with the crime. CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty criticised Banerjee, saying that by asking female students not to venture out at night, she made it clear that West Bengal is not safe for women. BJP supporters held a protest march and staged a sit-in

Bihar opposition likely to finalise seat-sharing, announce joint manifesto

The opposition 'Mahagathbandhan' alliance in Bihar is likely to finalise its seat-sharing in the next few days and may announce its candidates along with a joint manifesto this week. Top sources said talks between the RJD and Congress are underway, and their leadership may meet on Monday as RJD's Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav are in the national capital. "The Congress president has been speaking to all the coalition partners in Bihar, and the final discussion is on for deciding candidates in a few seats where the Congress and some other parties feel they are strong. The Congress president is talking to all political leaders for the last two days in Bihar," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said. He said the talks between the leaderships of RJD and Congress are also on and the leaders of the two main parties may also meet by Monday. On the delay in seat-sharing announcement, Ramesh said, "We have to adjust some new partners in the 'Mahagathbandhan' and we have to adjust th

Modi govt corroding RTI Act and hollowing out democracy, says Congress

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday accused the Modi government of "systematically corroding" the Right to Information (RTI) Act and "hollowing out" democracy and citizens' rights. In a post on X, Kharge said that 20 years ago, the Congress-led UPA Government, under the leadership of the then prime minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, ushered in a new era of transparency and accountability by implementing the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005. "In the last 11 years, the Modi Government has systematically corroded the RTI Act, thereby hollowing out Democracy and citizens' rights," he said in his post. The Congress chief claimed that in 2019, the Modi government "hacked away" at the RTI Act, seizing control over Information Commissioners' tenure and pay, "converting independent watchdogs into servile functionaries." "The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, gutted the RTI's public interest clause, weaponising privacy to shield corruption and stonewall ...

Mahagathbandhan partners to fight Bihar polls together: Pawan Khera

Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Sunday said there is no hitch in seat sharing in Bihar and Mahagathbandhan partners would fight the assembly elections together. He said every party has the right to express its views. His statement came a day after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) asked the INDIA bloc to decide on seat sharing for the Bihar polls by October 14 or else the party would take its own decision. "In Bihar, there is no hitch in seat sharing in the Mahagathbandhan, as hoped by the BJP. Every party has the right to express its views. We will fight the election together," Khera, the Congress' Media and Publicity Department head, told reporters at Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport. Khera is in Ranchi to participate in a discussion on 'tribal rights in Constitution versus ground reality' at St. Xavier's College here. JMM central general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya on Saturday said the party would take its own decision on the upcoming Bihar assembly electio

Jairam Ramesh calls Shah 'weapon of mass disinformation' over Muslim remark

Jairam Ramesh's remarks came in response to Amit Shah blaming infiltration for the increase in the Muslim population