Page 9 - Lok Sabha Elections

PM Modi calls ex-Prez Patil, former PM Manmohan as he begins 3rd term

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called up former President Pratibha Patil and former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Devegowda and sought their blessings as he began his third term, official sources said. The prime minister spoke to them soon after he assumed charge on Monday morning. PM Modi had taken oath along with 71 other ministers, including 30 cabinet rank ministers, at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday evening. Both Patil and Singh were president and prime minister respectively during the UPA government, while Devegowda was prime minister during the United Front government which was supported by the Congress. Devegowda's party Janata Dal (Secular) is also a part of the current NDA and his son H D Kumaraswamy is a minister in Modi 3.0 cabinet.

Modi 3.0 Cabinet: Pralhad Joshi becomes Union Renewable Energy Minister

A die-hard RSS loyalist and long-time BJP worker Pralhad Joshi has been appointed New & Renewable Energy Minister, who replaces RK Singh as he lost the election from the Arrah constituency. Joshi is a five-time member of Parliament from the saffron party's bastion of Dharwad in Karnataka. His main challenge will be to push the National Green Hydrogen Mission in the country. The government had also provided Rs 19,744 crore for setting a manufacturing capacity of electrolysers used for producing green hydrogen. The mission also provides incentives to produce green hydrogen and ammonia. Besides, Joshi will have to ensure 50 GW capacity addition of renewable energy every year to achieve the ultimate target of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based power generation by 2030. India has set a huge trajectory of renewables to achieve the ambitious target of net zero emissions by 2070. Joshi is said to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leader Amit Shah. He held portfolios of Coal, .

Modi 3.0 Cabinet: Bhupender Yadav returns as environment minister

Bhupender Yadav, who defended India's dependence on coal at international climate talks, retained his portfolio as environment minister in the third Narendra Modi government. Kirtivardhan Singh, the BJP MP from Gonda and a first-time minister in the Modi government, has been appointed as Union minister of state for environment. A key organisational member of the BJP, Yadav took over as environment minister from Prakash Javadekar in the second Modi government in July 2021. He also served as the Union labour and employment minister in the previous government. This portfolio has now been allotted to Mansukh Mandaviya. Under Yadav's leadership, India's climate actions were rated the fourth strongest in an annual performance index released by Germanwatch in 2023, up one place from the previous year. His achievements also include the reintroduction of cheetahs in India, a ban on identified single-use plastic items, and an increase in Ramsar sites -- wetlands of international importance

Nehru's idealism, Ambedkar's social justice: Yogendra Yadav on Rahul Gandhi

Political commentator Yogendra Yadav analyses the Congress' performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, noting that Rahul Gandhi believes in 'socialist principles of economic equality'

Chirag Paswan, JP Nadda: Full list of union ministers in Narendra Modi govt

In total, 72 ministers were sworn into office, including 30 cabinet ministers, 36 Ministers of State (MoS), and five MoS with independent charge

People voted to check power from being in few hands, says Sharad Pawar

NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said that in the recently held Lok Sabha polls, the people voted to put a check on power being concentrated in the hands of one or two persons. He said it would have been difficult for the ruling BJP to achieve the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha had it not received the support of the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), Telugu Desam Party of N Chandrababu Naidu and other allies. Pawar also exhorted his party workers to be ready for the Maharashtra assembly elections due later this year and claimed the power of the state will be in their hands after the polls. He was addressing the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) workers as the party celebrated its 25th foundation day at its office here, days after his outfit won 8 out of 10 Lok Sabha seats it contested from Maharashtra as part of the opposition alliance in the 2024 general polls. Though the BJP could not get a majority on its own in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the party-led National Democratic .

Who are the 30 Cabinet ministers in Modi's 71-strong council of ministers?

PM Modi along with 71 ministers, including 30 cabinet ministers, 5 ministers of state (Independent charge) and 36 Ministers of State (MoS) were sworn in on Sunday

Here's how international media reported on Narendra Modi 3.0 oath-taking

International media reported Narendra Modi's third swearing-in as Prime Minister, noting the ceremony's grandeur and his need for coalition support

PM raising Katchatheevu issue during LS polls highly irresponsible: Cong

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the Katchatheevu issue during the Lok Sabha polls campaign, the Congress on Monday said it threatened to derail India's relationship with Sri Lanka and asked if he and his colleagues would apologise for having created this "huge scare" with a neighbouring country. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also said raking up of the issue was "highly irresponsible" and a "severe distortion of history". In the run-up to the polls in Tamil Nadu, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had claimed that former prime ministers of the Congress displayed indifference to the Katchatheevu island and gave away Indian fishermen's rights despite legal views to the contrary. Jaishankar made the remarks at a press conference after Modi cited a media report to assert new facts revealed that the Congress "callously" gave away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. In a post on X, Ramesh noted Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was present during ...

Chirag Paswan solidifies status as political heir of father Ram Vilas

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has solidified his status as the real political heir of his father, Ram Vilas Paswan. In a stunning turn of events, Chirag was inducted into the Narendra Modi government on Sunday, marking a remarkable comeback in Bihar's turbulent political landscape. Chirag's meteoric rise came by winning all five Lok Sabha seats allocated to the party in the NDA alliance in the recent elections, maintaining the party's 100 per cent strike rate. This sensational success has catapulted him as the new Dalit icon in Bihar politics, overshadowing many seasoned politicians. In a stark contrast to this victory, the 2019 elections had seen LJP, under Ram Vilas Paswan's leadership, sweep all six seats allotted to the party. The drama heightened in June 2021, when Chirag's uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras, orchestrated a midnight coup, ousting Chirag from all key party positions and claiming a spot in Modi's cabinet. Chirag was left in the political wildernes

Meet BJP leader Amit Shah, an astute politician and master strategist

Often likened to the modern-day Chanakya, Shah made history by becoming the youngest president of the Bharatiya Janata Party at 49 in 2014

No longer Modi govt, NDA govt taking oath, says RJD leader Manoj Jha

It is an NDA government that is taking oath this time and not a "Modi government", RJD leader Manoj Jha said on Sunday and expressed hope that the ruling dispensation will work on issues such as providing employment. Jha also said the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will not attend the swearing-in ceremony and the INDIA coalition will be represented by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. Narendra Modi will on Sunday take oath for a third consecutive term as prime minister, along with members of his council. "The NDA government is taking oath today ... After a long time, it is not the Modi government anymore, it is the NDA government," Jha told PTI Videos. "We hope it will create less polarisation in society this time, the lives of the weaker sections are improved and the government is free of crony capitalism. The biggest requirement of youngsters today is employment, so employment is a big issue, he should work on it," the RJD leader added.

Naveen Patnaik's close aide Pandian quits politics after BJD's defeat

VK Pandian announced his withdrawal from politics following Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) defeat in the Odisha state Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in 2024

Man who claimed he would be no more if Pankaja Munde loses dead in accident

A 38-year old truck driver who made a video claiming he would be "no more" if BJP leader Pankaja Munde lost the Lok Sabha polls from Beed was crushed under a bus on Friday night in what police suspect may be a case of suicide. The incident took place on Ahmedpur-Andhori road near Borgaon Pati at around 9pm and the victim has been identified as Sachin Kondiba Munde (38), a resident of Yestar in Latur's Ahmedpur, the Kingaon police station official said. "The bus driver has been arrested, while a probe is underway to find out if it was an accident or a case of suicide. It happened when the Yalderwadi night halt bus stopped at Borgaon Pati. Sachin was standing behind the bus and was crushed to death when it reversed," he added. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation bus has been confiscated as part of the probe, Assistant Inspector Bahuasaheb Khandare of Kingaon police station said. The deceased, who is unmarried and lived with his parents and brother, had released a video .

Politics, exit polls, market and retails investors

Are retail investors reading the market better than institutional investors? Are they getting smarter?

Modi does not have mandate like Nehru did: TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay Sunday said Narendra Modi might be taking oath as prime minister for a third term, but he does not have a mandate like Jawaharlal Nehru, the only other PM to have three consecutive terms, had. Bandyopadhyay, who was on Saturday re-elected as the leader of the TMC in Lok Sabha, also said the opposition will play a positive role in the functioning of parliament. "People have given some opinion in his (PM Modi) favour... But it is not like Nehru ji (who) had the verdict behind him," he said. Bandyopadhyay said the government is going to take an oath on Sunday "which is okay" according to democratic process but "our leader Mamata Banerjee has declared yesterday this government cannot last long". Nehru was sworn in as the prime minister for the third time in 1962, when the Congress had won 361 seats, 10 down from the Lok Sabha polls of 1957. Asked about the role the Opposition, rejuvenated by its gains in this election, would play in the ..

PM Modi to take oath today for third consecutive term post election setback

Key questions still hang over the new government, including who will be named to major posts in the cabinet

AAP leaders take feedback from Delhi councillors after LS poll defeat

AAP leaders on Saturday took feedback from party councillors in Delhi on the Lok Sabha elections and resolved to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level. AAP failed to win a single seat in Delhi in the Lok Sabha elections. As part of a seat-share arrangement with its INDIA bloc ally Congress, AAP contested four seats while the grand old party fielded candidates from three. It was decided to further strengthen the organisation, said Durgesh Pathak, senior AAP leader and the party's Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in-charge. "AAP will continue to fight for the Constitution and democracy alongside the people of Delhi," he said, alleging that the Narendra Modi-led government is continuously doing injustice to Delhi. The meeting reviewed the results of the elections and decided on the party's future strategy. Sandeep Pathak, AAP's national general secretary (organisation), its Delhi unit convenor Gopal Rai, and other senior leaders attended the meeting. "The senior le

New updates: Sonia Gandhi unanimously elected as Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson

Catch all the latest updates from around the world here

Akhilesh Yadav to be Samajwadi Party's leader in LS, will resign as UP LoP

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will be the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, the formalities for which will be completed in Delhi. Yadav will resign from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, where he is the Leader of Opposition, a senior party leader said on Saturday. Rajendra Chaudhary, the Samajwadi Party's chief spokesperson, told PTI, "It is understood that Yadav will be the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha but there is a formality of choosing the leader of the parliamentary party and this will be completed in Delhi." "The formality of electing the leader of the parliamentary party will be completed after the swearing-in of the prime minister and the selection of the Lok Sabha's protem speaker," he added. Chaudhary also confirmed that Yadav will resign from the assembly, where he represents the Karhal seat in Mainpuri. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister has been elected to the Lok Sabha from the Kannauj constituency. As a constituent of the opposition INDIA bloc, the ...