Mlas

Rise and greet MPs, MLAs during visits: Maharashtra govt tells officials

Officials in Maharashtra have been told to stand and greet MPs and MLAs during visits, reply to their letters on time, and meet them regularly as part of a new government order

Maha orders officials to stand when MLAs or MPs visits, be more courteous

Rise from your seats when legislators or MPs visit your office, listen to the them attentively, and use polite language during phone calls to them -- these are some of the new set of guidelines that the Maharashtra government issued for its officials on Thursday. A Government Resolution (GR) issued by state Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar to this effect said, giving due respect to elected representatives is an important part of making administration more reliable and accountable. It also warned of taking action against those officials who do not follow these instructions. This new GR brings together several older circulars and updates them with clearer, firmer instructions. In the recent past, some elected representatives, including those from the ruling parties, had expressed displeasure over officials not giving time to meet them and address their concerns or issues. In the preface of this GR, the government says it considers good governance, transparency and efficiency as top ...

Datanomics: Half of Bihar's MLAs face serious charges ahead of polls

As Bihar heads to the polls, new data from ADR exposes deep-rooted criminalisation across parties - with nearly half of its former MLAs facing serious criminal charges

FIR registered against MLA Rahul Mamkootathil for stalking women

A case was registered against Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil on Wednesday by the Kerala police for various offences, including stalking and harassing women on social media. The development came hours after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram that all possible legal steps would be taken in connection with the allegations against Mamkootathil. The Crime Branch wing of the police registered the case and launched an investigation on the instructions of state DGP Ravada A Chandrasekhar, a statement issued by the State Police Media Centre said. The case was registered after it was found that complaints received by the DGP included commission of cognizable offences, it said. The FIR was registered under sections 78(2) (stalking) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section 120 (o) (causing, through any means of communication, a nuisance of himself to any person by repeated or undesirable or anonymous call, letter,

MLA Rahul Mamkootathil quits as IYC Kerala president amid misconduct probe

Congress MLA from Kerala, Rahul Mamkootathil, who faces an internal party inquiry over a misbehaviour allegation by an actress, on Thursday announced his resignation as state Youth Congress president. He announced this while speaking to reporters at his residence in Adoor near here. After actress Rini Ann George accused "a young leader" of a well-known political party of misbehaviour, BJP and CPI(M) affiliated youth organisation DYFI were protesting against Mamkootathil and demanding his resignation as MLA. His decision to resign from the party post came soon after Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan asserted that nobody found guilty will be spared. The MLA began the press conference by saying that he had spoken to the opposition leader, as well as KPCC and AICC leaders, on Thursday morning. "They did not demand my resignation. The actress is my friend, and I don't believe the person she mentioned was me. She is my good friend and will rema

Jharkhand declares one-day state mourning following minister's death

The Jharkhand government declared a one-day state mourning on Saturday to mark the death of Education Minister Ramdas Soren, an official statement said. The National Flag will be flown at half-mast at all buildings in Jharkhand and no official function will take place, it said. Soren died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi on Friday night and his body was brought to Ranchi on Saturday morning. "The state government has decided to observe one-day of state mourning on August 16 in honour of the minister, who died in a hospital in Delhi," the statement said. The National Flag will be flown at half-mast in all buildings and no official functions will be held during this period, it added. The 62-year-old Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader was airlifted to the hospital in the national capital from Jamshedpur after he fell in the bathroom of his residence on August 2. Soren's condition was critical and he was on life support. A multidisciplinary team of senior specialist

Jharkhand Education Minister Ramdas Soren passes away in Delhi

The minister was seriously injured in a bathroom fall at his residence on August 2 and was first admitted to a hospital in Jamshedpur before being shifted to Delhi

Resident doctors at AIIMS-Patna call off strike over MLA 'misbehaviour'

Resident doctors of AIIMS-Patna, who are on indefinite strike in protest against alleged misbehaviour of Sheohar MLA Chetan Anand, on Tuesday called off their cease work "for 10 days". In a statement issued late in the evening, the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) said, "The abeyance of our strike shall be with immediate effect from today in view of the larger public interest and our moral responsibility towards patient care." The RDA also said that it was "satisfied that an FIR has been filed promptly" against Chetan Anand and his security guard, who allegedly roughed up resident doctors last week. "This abeyance is not a withdrawal of our stance but a responsible step taken in good faith and in the larger public interest. We remain vigilant and united, and we trust the administration will uphold its assurances in both letter and spirit", said the statement, adding that "We will review the situation after ten days and take further decisions accordingly." The RDA said most of its

MLAs can now use funds to carry out development works through MCD: CM Gupta

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday said the MLAs can now use their funds to carry out development works through the MCD as against the earlier norms when such projects could only be executed through the Irrigation and Flood Control Department or the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). The chief minister said this often caused delays in completing smaller projects, as these departments prioritised larger works. With this change, minor development works will now be handled more swiftly by the Municipal Corporation, she added. The chief minister has introduced key reforms to fast-track development projects, enhance transparency and eliminate financial hurdles, and taken crucial decisions in construction-related procedures, said an official statement. Gupta said these decisions will ensure rapid execution of development works, ease the burden on implementing agencies and provide financial relief to construction companies, steering the capital

Samajwadi Party expels 3 MLAs for anti-party stance, ideological deviation

The Samajwadi Party on Monday expelled three of its MLAs for allegedly siding with ideologies opposed to the party's core values and working against public interest. Those expelled from the party are Abhay Singh (MLA from Gosainganj), Rakesh Pratap Singh (Gauriganj) and Manoj Kumar Pandey (Unchahar), the SP said in an official statement shared on its social media handles. The party said the legislators were removed for endorsing "communal, divisive, and negative ideologies" that go against the Samajwadi Party's inclusive and progressive principles. The party accused the expelled leaders of supporting forces that are anti-farmer, anti-women, anti-youth, anti-business, anti-employment, and against the rights of the marginalised. The SP said these leaders were earlier given a "grace period" for self-correction, but that time had now lapsed. It added that there is no room in the party for individuals acting against public welfare or its core ideological framework. The statement conclu

Ex-AAP MLA's wife files defamation suit against FM Sitharaman in Delhi

A Delhi court on Thursday fixed on June 26 the criminal defamation complaint filed by Lipika Mitra, wife of former AAP MLA Somnath Bharti, against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for allegedly making statements over their marital discord. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal deferred the hearing on the request of Sitharaman's counsel. The judge also directed Mitra's counsel to provide a copy of the complaint to the opposite party. "Time sought by the proposed accused side to file vakalatnama (document regarding hiring of the lawyer). "Although the summons have been received back duly served. The proposed accused side has sought a copy of complaint. The complainant side agrees to supply the soft copy of the same along with the link of the purported defamatory material/interview. Matter be fixed for consideration/arguments on June 26, 2025," the judge said. Sitharaman has been accused of making "defamatory, false, and malicious statements" at a press conference

Gujarat raises MLA fund by Rs 1 cr to ₹2.5 cr with focus on water projects

The Gujarat government has increased the annual MLA local area development to Rs 2.5 crore from the existing Rs 1.5 crore. Half of the additional allocation must be spent on water conservation, an official release said on Wednesday. The chief minister has significantly increased the grant allocated to the MLAs for the development and to further enhance the established identity of Gujarat as a role model of development, it said. The existing annual grant of Rs 1.5 crore allocated to the members of legislative assembly (MLAs) for local area development has been increased by Rs 1 crore, it said. The additional funds have been earmarked with a focus on the Centre's Catch the Rain' initiative for the collection and storage of rainwater, the release said. MLAs will have to carry out works worth Rs 50 lakh from this additional grant for the Catch the Rain' campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for water conservation and rainwater harvesting, it said. To ensure future water .

Statsguru: How literate are Indian legislators? Here's what data reveals

Of the six states with the highest number of MLAs, in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, formed in 2022, more than 75 per cent members are at least graduates - 34.24 per cent postgraduates

India's MLAs own more assets than combined Budgets of 3 N-E states

ADR, a non-profit organisation working on electoral and political reforms, analysed the self-sworn affidavits of current Members of Legislative Assemblies

SC directs UP Police to complete probe against MLA Abbas Ansari in 10 days

MLA Abbas Ansari is facing charges under the the Gangsters Act, as well as, separate allegations connected to money laundering

Private schools mushroom under ruling party MLAs, but outcomes remain low

A recent study found a three-fold increase in establishment of new private schools in the constituencies of ruling party-aligned MLAs, largely because of the influence they have over the bureaucracy

Kejriwal meets new AAP MLAs, urges them to continue working for Delhi

Speaking about their meeting with Kejriwal, AAP leader Mukesh Ahlawat said that the national convenor had asked the elected leaders to play the role of the Opposition strongly

Delhi polls: Fewer MLAs with criminal cases; average asset value surges

Thirty-one of the 70 candidates elected to the eighth Delhi Assembly have declared criminal cases against their names, according to poll rights body ADR. The figure is lower than the 43 MLAs in the seventh assembly who had declared criminal cases. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Delhi Election Watch, which analysed the affidavits submitted by all 699 candidates who contested the assembly elections, said the number of winning candidates with serious criminal cases remained a concern. The analysis found that 17 newly-elected candidates were facing serious criminal cases, including those related to attempted murder and crimes against women. In the 2020 election, 37 candidates who had emerged victorious declared serious criminal cases. One newly-elected MLA in 2025 has declared cases related to attempted murder while two others are facing charges of crimes against women. A party-wise breakdown shows that 16 of the BJP's 48 MLAs and 15 of AAP's 22 lawmakers have crimi

BJP seeks time from Delhi L-G for meeting new MLAs ahead of govt formation

A day after registering a massive a victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP on Sunday sought time for a meeting of the newly elected party MLAs with Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva wrote to Saxena, seeking an appointment for a meeting with the 48 newly elected party MLAs and seven Lok Sabha MPs from the city. "I along with the BJP MPs from Delhi and our newly elected 48 MLAs wish to meet you at an early date. Please, allow an appointment at an early date according to your convenience," he wrote to the LG. The BJP has returned to power in Delhi after 26 years, defeating the AAP in the assembly polls. The AAP managed to win 22 of the 70 assembly seats while the Congress drew a blank in the elections held on February 5. The BJP leaders said that formation of the government is likely to take place after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns from his foreign visit. The buzz over the new chief minister of Delhi has intensified in the

Delhi election results: How can a leader become CM without being an MLA?

Delhi election results 2025: If speculation is to be believed, among the frontrunners are Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, Virendra Sachdeva, and Manoj Tiwari, among others