Page 26 - Indian Politics

Mallikarjun Kharge: Some lesser known facts about Congress' 98th president

Interim president Sonia Gandhi met Kharge today and congratulated him for winning the elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his wishes to Kharge

96% turnout in Congress presidential polls, all eyes on Oct 19 results

More than 9,500 Congress delegates across the country on Monday voted to elect the party's first non-Gandhi president in 24 years, choosing between senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor as successor to Sonia Gandhi. Of the total 9,915 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates that form the electoral college to pick the party chief in a secret ballot, over 9,500 cast their ballot at all PCC offices and the AICC headquarters in Delhi, party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry announced here. The results of election will be declared on October 19, after ballots from all PCC offices reach Delhi and the votes polled are mixed before counting. "I have been waiting for a long time for this day," Congress chief Sonia Gandhi told reporters after voting at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here. Sonia Gandhi, who had been the party president from 1998 to 2017, was made interim president after Rahul Gandhi resigned in 2019 over the party'

About 9,500 PCC delegates cast their votes in Congress presidential polls

About 9,500 Pradesh Congress Committee delegates out of the total around 9,900 cast their votes in the Congress presidential polls, the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry said on Monday. The overall voter turnout was about 96 per cent and in small states, it was nearly 100 per cent, he said at a press conference after voting ended in the Mallikarjun Kharge versus Shashi Tharoor contest. Mistry said by and large the voter turnout in all places was over 90 per cent. "The most satisfactory thing for us was that in all states where polling booths were set up, no adverse incident was reported. This is a big achievement...polls were held in an open process in a peaceful manner," Mistry said. "Congress party has shown what internal democracy is and other parties that want to take a lesson from it, can do so," he said. Mistry said no one should have any apprehensions as it is a secret ballot and nobody will get to know who voted for whom. Kharge is considered t

Without ideology or loyalty: Arvind Kejriwal and his pursuit of power

Rajendra Pal Gautam, Tahir Hussain and Amanatullah Khan have joined a long list of colleagues who have been left high and dry by Kejriwal. They were, in the end, mere props in his pursuit of power

Situation in Vizag still tense, Jana Sena's Pawan Kalyan confined to hotel

The situation in the port city of Visakhapatnam remained tense for a second day on Sunday as the police barred Jana Sena Party (JSP) leader and actor Pawan Kalyan from holding meetings or rallies

Embrace change, show courage, says Tharoor in final appeal to Cong electors

Calling on electors to show courage to "embrace change", Congress' presidential polls candidate Shashi Tharoor on Sunday asserted that in the change he envisions, the party's "values and loyalties" will remain the same with only the ways of achieving the goals undergoing a transformation. In his "last appeal" to the over 9,000 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) delegates who constitute the electoral college to pick the next AICC chief, Tharoor noted that from his conversations over the last few days he gathered that many of them may have concerns or hesitation about change. While Tharoor has pitched himself as the candidate of change, Kharge is considered the favourite and the 'unofficial official candidate' with a large number of senior leaders backing him. "It is natural to have concerns about change in any organisation of the scale and size like ours, that's why I want to address this directly," Tharoor said in his video appeal which he posted on Twitter. "In the conversations tha

Tharoor's 'netagiri' jibe at Kharge camp on eve of Congress president polls

Congress presidential poll candidate Shashi Tharoor on Sunday took a veiled dig at the Kharge camp saying some colleagues were "indulging in 'netagiri' and telling party workers" that they know whom Sonia Gandhi wants elected. If anyone has "fear or doubt" in their mind, the party has made it clear that it will be a secret ballot, he said and urged the Congress delegates to listen to their hearts while voting to elect the new party president. "I also asked Sonia Gandhi how she views the elections. She said that it is very good for the party, and you fight with full courage ('himmat'), and we will stay neutral. She had said that there will be no official candidate from their side," Tharoor told reporters at the Uttar Pradesh Congress headquarters. The Thiruvananthapuram MP, who is contesting against veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge in the Monday election, emphasised on "decentralisation" in the organisation so that "'all decisions are not taken in Delhi. He said that there should b

Gujarat wants 'new engine government' not 'double engine' one: Kejriwal

Taking a dig at the BJP-led Central government, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said Gujarat doesn't want a "double-engine government" but a "new engine" government. Addressing a rally in Bhavnagar city in the poll-bound state, Kejriwal said if Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) comes to power, it will withdraw on priority all "false cases" registered against people from various communities, groups and government employees for agitating against the BJP government in the last 27 years. In a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's events in Gujarat where he launched projects worth crores, Kejriwal said he cannot announce such a huge package but will ensure benefits worth Rs 30,000 to households through his "guarantees". "They say 'double engine ki sarkaar' (a double-engine government). This time, Gujarat does not want a double-engine, it wants a 'new engine.' The double engine is very old, both engines are 40-50 years old. A new party, new faces, new ideology,

Will work with 'samajwadis': Nitish Kumar vows never to ally with BJP again

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar vowed that he would never ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party again, and said that he will work for the progress of the country along with Bihar

Scindia to execute power show during Amit Shah's Gwalior visit on Oct 16

The political gallery in Madhya Pradesh is set to witness a power show of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia when Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrives in Gwalior on October 16

The Congress president's election: All you need to know about its history

As Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor battle it out, here is a concise history of the Congress party's presidency

SP members to commemorate Mulayam's legacy; seek Bharat Ratna for leader

After the demise of Samajwadi patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, party workers are seeking steps to commemorate his memory

Nitish slams Amit Shah, says 'he has no knowledge of our country's history'

Nitish Kumar has slammed Amit Shah and said that he does not have any knowledge about Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) movement or socialist leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia

Being in Jamkandorana is always special, says PM Modi during Gujarat rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting at Jamkandorna in Rajkot district of Gujarat today

Amit Shah to visit Bihar on Jayaprakash Narayan's 120th birth anniversary

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit the birthplace of Jayaprakash Narayanan, popularly known as JP, in Bihar's Saran district on Tuesday to attend the 120th birth anniversary celebrations of the socialist icon. Accompanied by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Shah will reach Sitab Diara via Varanasi. He will unveil a life-size statue of JP in Sitab Diara and address a public gathering. Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the home minister's visit, officials said. This will be Shah's second visit to Bihar after the BJP was ousted from power in the state. Earlier, he visited Purnea and Kishanganj in the Seemanchal region on September 23.

Mulayam Singh Yadav (1939-2022): The Samajwadi who held sway over UP

His moves in UP politics sometimes earned him the sobriquet of an opportunist

Indian politicians mourn Mulayam Singh Yadav's death, condolences pour in

The 82-year-old veteran leader was in poor health for some time and was hospitalised in the city on August 22

SP lost its guiding light with Mulayam's death, his insights will be missed

Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav's death might not have any direct political impact on the party, but its President Akhilesh Yadav will now have to work without his "shield and shadow." Besides, the party is sure to miss Mulayam Singh's emotional bonding with every camp and also his expert guidance in crucial times, according to political observers and party insiders. Akhilesh Yadav, his son, became the party president in 2017 after a feud with uncle Shivpal Yadav. Even though he is already at the helm of affairs and has his team in place, Mulayam Singh has left behind him a void which will be hard to fill, they believe. According to political observer JP Shukla, Mulayam had stopped running the everyday affairs of the party long back, but his blessings were sought before every major decision by the party chief. "Mulayam had founded the party but he had not interfered in the party's functioning for the past several years. His name was a shield for Akhilesh in whatever ...

President calls Mulayam Singh Yadav's death 'irreparable loss' to country

President Droupadi Murmu expressed condolences on the demise of veteran politician and Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying his death is an "irreparable loss" to the country.

What's good for Rahul Gandhi isn't necessarily good for the Congress

While Congress can go on and on about how voters are economically worse off today, social issues matter more in politics. The BJP understands this and has its messaging electorally right