Page 21 - Congress

Maharashtra sees 7.94% voter turnout for municipal elections till 9:30 am

An estimated 7.94 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling on Tuesday for elections to 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra, officials said. Two suspected bogus voters were caught at a polling station in Buldhana barely an hour-and-a-half after voting began for the municipal council elections there, the Maharashtra Congress claimed. It also alleged that Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad was bringing people to cast "bogus" votes in the Buldhana Municipal Council elections. There was no immediate response from the authorities on the allegation. The polling began at 7.30 am and will conclude at 5.30 pm, election officials said. Till 9.30 am, 7.94 per cent of the electors cast their votes, they said. A man allegedly attempted to cast a vote in the name of local resident Vaibhav Deshmukh at the Gandhi Primary School polling centre in ward no. 15 of Buldhana. The individual is said to be a resident of Kothali in Motala taluka, the

'Political vendetta': Congress slams fresh FIR in National Herald case

The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Modi government over the filing of a fresh FIR in the National Herald case and said it is confident that the judiciary will see through this "political vendetta and mindless attempts to hound". Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said 12 years on, and suddenly, there is a new FIR in the old case on the Gandhi family targeting the Congress party. "Simply because the Modi government and the ED have exhausted their supply of fresh smears. When facts ran thin, theatrics stepped in: selective prosecutions, recycled allegations, and a thinly veiled attempt to keep opponents in the dock," Kharge said on X. "We are confident that the Judiciary will see through this political vendetta and mindless attempts to hound!" he said. The Congress had on Monday also slammed the Centre over the FIR, describing the move as "harassment" by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and a tactic by the Modi government to divert public attention from real issues. Speaking to

Unconstitutional: Congress slams mandatory Sanchar Saathi pre-installation

The Congress on Monday rejected the directions of the Department of Telecommunications on pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app in new mobile handsets as unconstitutional, and demanded its immediate rollback. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said that the right to privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty. Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT direction is beyond unconstitutional. The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution. A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian. It is a means to watch over every movement, interaction and decision of each citizen, Venugopal said in a post on X. The move, he alleged, is part of the long series of "relentless assaults" on the Constitutional rights of Indian citizens, which will not be allowed to continue. We reject this direction and demand its immediate ...

Karnataka power tussle: Shivakumar to meet CM Siddaramaiah over breakfast

The meeting follows a high-level interaction between the two leaders on Saturday morning at Siddaramaiah's Cauvery residence

Will raise Congress's plan to go solo in BMC polls with high command: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said he will talk to the Congress high command over its Mumbai unit's decision to go solo in the forthcoming city civic body polls, as the move could benefit the BJP. Speaking to reporters after a break of more than a month, Raut, who is undergoing medical treatment, also said it is necessary to have the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi fold to ensure the ruling BJP's defeat. Elections to various local bodies in the state are scheduled for Tuesday. The schedule for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and some other civic bodies has not yet been announced. The Supreme Court has directed that the local body polls in Maharashtra be completed by January 31, 2026. Last month, the Mumbai Congress ruled out an alliance with the MNS and said it will contest the civic body polls independently. However, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) insists that the Congress should be

Congress calls PM Modi 'biggest dramabaaz', accuses him of hypocrisy

The Congress on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dubbing him the "biggest dramabaaz" after he accused the opposition of indulging in drama in Parliament. In a statement on X, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that instead of addressing the real issue of people, Prime Minister Modi has once again made his 'dramebazi delivery". He said the reality is that the government has been continuously trampling parliamentary decorum and system for the past 11 years, and the long list of such instances is well-known. "The BJP should now end this drama of distraction and engage in debate in Parliament on the real issues facing the people," Kharge said in his post. In his remarks before the start of Winter session, Modi said Parliament is not a place for drama, it is a place for delivery instead. Kharge said the truth is that the common man is struggling with unemployment, inflation, economic inequality, and the looting of the country's precious resources, while "those in po

Row in Rajya Sabha as Kharge flags Dhankhar's 'sudden exit'; BJP hits back

A heated argument broke out in the Rajya Sabha between Mallikarjun Kharge and the BJP after the former mentioned Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden exit as vice president

Congress' Venugopal moves Lok Sabha adjournment motion to debate SIR crisis

Congress MPs Manickam Tagore and Vijay Kumar Vasanth on Monday moved an adjournment motion in Parliament, seeking an urgent debate on the SIR exercise

Modi-Shah using 'vendetta politics', says Cong after FIR on Sonia, Rahul

With the Delhi Police filing an FIR against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case, the Congress on Sunday alleged that the "Modi-Shah duo" is continuing with its mischievous politics of harassment, intimidation, and vendetta against the party's top leadership. The opposition party also said the National Herald matter is a "completely bogus case" and justice will ultimately triumph. In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The Modi-Shah duo is continuing with its mischievous politics of harassment, intimidation, and vendetta against the top leadership of the INC. Those who threaten are themselves insecure and afraid." "The National Herald matter is a completely bogus case. Justice will ultimately triumph. Satyameva Jayate," he said. His remarks came after the Delhi Police filed an FIR against the Congress leaders and other accused in the National Herald case on a complaint by the ED as part of the agency's money ...

CM Vijayan is Centre's 'Trojan horse' in Kerala: Congress' Venugopal

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Saturday called Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the "Trojan horse" of the central government. Venugopal was hitting back at the ruling CPI(M) in the state a day after state Minister V Sivankutty had called the Congress leader and Alappuzha MP a "Trojan horse" deployed by the BJP to destroy the grand old party. "Pinarayi Vijayan is the Centre's 'Trojan horse' in Kerala. Every child in the state knows that," the Alappuzha MP claimed while speaking to reporters here. The Congress general secretary said that the current government in Kerala was working hard for the last few years to implement whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi was thinking of. "That is what we saw in the case of the PM SHRI scheme and the new labour codes. Even before the Centre implemented the labour codes, the government here had formulated draft regulations in connection with it," he said and questioned the intention behind it. "The CPI(M) has to clarify that

Congress appoints new chiefs for 41 district units in Chhattisgarh

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed presidents for its 41 district units in Chhattisgarh as part of the party's organisational restructuring in the state, a party functionary said on Saturday. The appointments as per the choice of Congress workers are part of a comprehensive organisational overhaul under 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan', aimed at strengthening the party's urban and grassroots structure in the state, said Dhananjay Singh Thakur, senior spokesperson of the state Congress. The list of appointments, which includes five women leaders, was issued on Friday late evening. The move comes a day after senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who is the party's state in-charge, concluded his two-day visit to Chhattisgarh. AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, in a statement, said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal for the appointment of heads of district Congress committees as part of the 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan'. He said that under this

Sabarimala missing gold: Chennithala accuses Kerala CM of shielding accused

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of trying to protect the accused in the Sabarimala gold loss case. The incident had hurt the sentiments of Lord Ayyappa devotees across the world, he said, and added that the government was the prime accused in the case. The Congress leader said former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), A Padmakumar and N Vasu, had already been arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), but they could not do anything alone without "political support". He alleged that CM Vijayan was trying to protect them and others accused in the gold missing case. Referring to the reported reference of Padmakumar about the involvement of a "god-like person" in the case, Chennithala said, "in Marxist party who is god-like other than Pinarayi Vijayan?" "The present investigation into the case is not extending to the ministers as they have the support of the CM and the government. People of the state

Siddaramaiah-Shivakumar meet clears air over Karnataka leadership row

Breakfast meeting between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar helped settle speculation over leadership issues, with leaders asserting there are no differences and they will follow the high command's guidance

Rahul Gandhi condoles demise of former Union Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal

Expressing solidarity with the family during their time of grief, Gandhi added, "In this difficult time, my condolences are with his grieving family, supporters, and well-wishers"

Congress has 'sense of timing' to resolve leadership issue: Priyank Kharge

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday said the Congress high command possesses the sense of timing to resolve the intensifying "power tussle" between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar. He said the 130-year-old party will intervene at the right time. Speaking to reporters, the minister said Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have agreed to travel to Delhi for a meeting when summoned by the party high command. "Nobody has given any official invitation or statement on the meeting in New Delhi. The CM and the Deputy CM have said that they will go to Delhi if they are invited by the Congress president or AICC general secretary and Karnataka in charge Randeep Singh Surjewala. Let the invitation come from Delhi, then only it will be decided," Kharge, who is Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son, said. Asked about the increasing confusion, Kharge said, "The high command has the sense of timing. It will take a call, keeping in mind the right time." He urged peo

Will PM Modi take up South Africa's cause with 'good friend' Trump: Cong

With US President Donald Trump announcing that he is barring South Africa from participating in next year's G20 summit in Miami, the Congress on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the "self-proclaimed champion" of both Africa and the Global South and asked whether he will take up South Africa's cause with his "good friend". Trump said Wednesday that he is barring South Africa from participating in the Group of 20 summit next year in Miami and will "stop all payments and subsidies" to the country over its treatment of a US government representative at this year's global meeting. Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said South Africa has been in the G20 from the very beginning simply because it is the largest economy measured by size of GDP in the African continent. "It is not there because the US is doing it some favour. It was very much present at the very first G20 Summit held in Washington DC that was chaired by ..

26 BLOs deaths in 20 days like 'murder in daylight': Supriya Shrinate

Earlier, on Wednesday, she accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of "blatant vote theft" through the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal

Will settle CM leadership issue after talks with senior leaders: Kharge

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said he will call for a meeting of senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in New Delhi to discuss the raging leadership issue in Karnataka. He said the leaders will discuss on the way forward and settle the issue, and there by put an end to the "confusion" that is there. The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified, amid speculations about chief minister change in the state after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, in the backdrop of an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023. "After going to Delhi, I will call three-four important leaders and discuss. After the discussion, we will say how to go ahead; there by put an end to the confusion," Kharge told reporters here. Asked of the CM and his deputy will be called to Delhi, he said, "we should certainly call them and discuss.

Himachal Assembly opens winter session with row over deferred local polls

The 10-day winter session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly began on Wednesday with a discussion on the deferment of elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) after the Opposition BJP moved an adjournment motion. Speaking on the motion, leader of the opposition (LOP) Jai Ram Thakur hit out at the government and accused it of delaying the PRI elections, fearing defeat. The elections to over 3,500 gram panchayats in the state are slated for December 2025-January 2026. The last date for conducting the elections is January 23, and the State Election Commission has set the ball rolling by initiating the preparation of electoral rolls. However, in a notification issued on October 9, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta announced that the polls will be held "only after restoration of proper connectivity", considering the damage to roads and private and public properties due to monsoon havoc this year. The state cabinet on Monday (November 24) approved the ...

Priyank Kharge denies talks with Rahul Gandhi on Karnataka CM change

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday played down reports that he has held discussions with top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the leadership change issue in the state, during a recent meeting, and has conveyed the latter's message to CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar. Maintaining that the Congress high command will decide and give clarity on the issue of CM change in Karnataka, he said, he met Gandhi to explain about KEO (Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source), an AI-ready personal computer, that was launched during the recent Bengaluru tech summit, and to discuss on "vote chori" cases in the state. The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified, amid speculations about chief minister change in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, citing purported "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023. According to reports Kharge has conveyed Rahul Gandhi's messa