Page 3 - National Democratic Alliance

NDA leaders back CM Nitish Kumar as face for upcoming Bihar elections

The ruling NDA in Bihar on Friday dismissed speculations that the coalition could do a rethink on projecting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as its leader in the assembly polls due next year. Speaking to the media after a meeting held here to bring about better coordination at the grassroots level, state presidents of parties like the BJP, Kumar's JD(U) and Union minister Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) also rubbished suggestions triggered by Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent statement. Dilip Jaiswal, state minister and Bihar BJP chief said, "We should understand that Amit Shah was trying to underscore that he was a karyakarta' (worker) of a party in which big decisions are taken by the parliamentary board". "But, the leadership role of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had been a given for long. There is no question of going back on that, asserted Jaiswal. He was responding to Shah's recent interview to a news channel in which he was asked whether the NDA could go to po

NDA supports One Nation, One Election, calls separate polls as time waste

Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayanade noted that the continuous elections 'waste' the country's time and money and emphasised on the necessity of One Nation, One Election

Oppn MLAs protest outside Bihar Assembly for withdrawal of pre-paid meters

A raucous protest was held outside the Bihar assembly on Thursday by opposition members who demanded withdrawal of pre-paid electricity meters, citing that this arrangement causes inconvenience to common people. Leaders belonging to the RJD, the Congress and three Left parties stood in front of the portico, waving placards and raising slogans until the bell rang announcing that it was time for commencement of the day's proceedings. Some of the placards had the picture of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with colourful slogans like 'it is not a smart meter but a smart cheater'. Some other placards highlighted inflated billing and disconnection without warning, the two most common gripes against the new electricity meters. Before dispersing, the MLAs vowed to continue with their protest and claimed that smart meters have made the government in the state hugely "unpopular" and would cause its "defeat in assembly polls" due next year. The government, however, maintained that pre-paid meter

Defence shares extend rally after NDA alliance victory in Maha; GRSE up 10%

GRSE, Cochin Shipyard, BDL, BEML, MDL, MIDHANI, BEL and HAL are up in the range of 3% to 10% on the BSE in Tuesday's intra-day trade in otherwise subdued market.

Jharkhand Election Results updates: Will work to remove state's 'backward' tag, says Soren

Jharkhand Assembly Election Results 2024 Updates: Catch all the live action of Jharkhand Assembly results as the competition remains tight between the ruling JMM alliance and NDA

Mahayuti set to sweep Maharashtra: What worked for the BJP-led alliance?

Maharashtra Assembly election results: Women-centric schemes to Maratha reservation, what helped the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secure victory in the state

Maharashtra results: NDA leads comfortably in 229 seats - show 4 pm trends

At 9 am, counting trends showed the Mahayuti-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leading on more than 153 of the 288 seats. Meanwhile, the Opposition was ahead on 86 seats

Election results: NDA set to stun in Maharashtra, INDIA to retain Jharkhand

At 1 pm, the trends showed that the NDA was leading on 224 seats out of the total 288 in Maharashtra, while the INDIA bloc was ahead on 51 of the 81 seat Jharkhand Assembly

Maharashtra polls: Mahayuti, MVA suggest different leaders for next CM

Even before the first votes are counted in Maharashtra, fissures have emerged within the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on who will head the next government with constituents in both camps laying claim over the chief minister's post. After polling for the 288-member assembly ended on Wednesday evening, the ruling as well as opposition fronts have started claiming that mandate will be in their favour when votes are counted on November 23. Soon after polling, state Congress chief Nana Patole asserted an MVA government would be formed in Maharashtra under the leadership of his party. Voting trends suggest the Congress will get the maximum number of seats in the new assembly, he said. His remarks did not go down well with ally Shiv Sena (UBT), whose leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday insisted the chief ministerial face will be decided by all alliance partners jointly once the MVA secures majority. The Rajya Sabha MP said if the Congress high command has told ..

Majority of exit polls give BJP-led NDA edge in Maharashtra, Jharkhand

Almost all pollsters had failed to predict the results of the Haryana Assembly polls

Ajit Pawar's NCP manifesto promises Rs 2,100 for Ladki Bahan scheme

The NCP led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday unveiled its manifesto for the state assembly polls, promising to raise the amount of Ladki Bahin scheme's monthly financial assistance to Rs 2,100 from the present Rs 1,500. For farmers, the party promised to raise the Shetkari Sanman Nidhi scheme amount from Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 per year. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is contesting the November 20 assembly elections as part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which also comprises the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The NCP, which is fighting the elections from 52 constituencies, also unveiled constituency-specific manifestos for all the assembly seats it is contesting. The manifesto was unveiled separately by party president Ajit Pawar in Baramati, by its state unit president Sunil Tatkare in Mumbai, and working president Praful Patel in Gondia. NCP candidates and local leaders also released the poll manifestos in their respective ...

Madhabi Puri Buch skips House panel meet; hearing deferred amid protests

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) members of the PAC challenged the postponement of the meeting

Jharkhand polls: NDA 'almost' finalises seat sharing; BJP gets 68, AJSU 10

Jharkhand elections: The BJP is likely to contest 68 seats, but discussions are ongoing in the final stages, Assam CM Himanta Sarma said at a press conference in Ranchi

Joint Parl panel on Waqf Bill seeks suggestions from experts, stakeholders

The Joint Committee of Parliament scrutinising the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Friday sought suggestions from stakeholders, experts and other institutions on the proposed law. The bill seeks to reforming the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal. According to a statement issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the committee led by BJP's Jagdambika Pal has asked for "views/suggestions from the public in general and NGOs, experts, stakeholders and institutions in particular" considering the "wider implications" of the bill People have been asked to share their suggestions in writing in the next 15 days. The memoranda and suggestions submitted to the committee would form part of the records of the Committee and would be treated as "confidential", it said. Those who wish to appear before the committee, besides submitting views in writing, have been asked to specifically indicate so in their correspondence. The Bill is the first major initiative from the BJP-

Hindenburg row: Oppn calls for JPC probe, suspension of Madhabi Puri Buch

Opposition parties claimed govt cut short Budget session to avoid questions on the issue

Limit chemical fertiliser use, promote organic farming: Ramnath Thakur

Union Minister Ramnath Thakur said on Saturday that the Centre is focusing on limiting the use of chemical fertilisers in agriculture and promoting organic farming, especially in the northeastern states. He maintained that budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector has increased manifold under the BJP-led NDA government, with special attention on minimising problems faced by farmers. Addressing a press conference on the provisions of Union Budget 2024-25, Thakur said, You must have seen in media that two states have been given special attention in this Budget Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. But our Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ji has already clarified that not just two states, allocations have been made for all states across sectors, be it railways, health, agriculture or other." The Union budget had been prepared under the guidance of the prime minister, after taking into account the problems faced by different states, he said. In the agriculture sector, where the use of ..

MP Kangana Ranaut asks if CISF jawans on duty are monitored; govt responds

Kangana Ranaut assault case: Web-based personal information system is maintained for each CISF personnel, Union minister Murlidhar Mohol told the Lok Sabha

Congress govt in Telangana presents Rs 2.91 tn Budget; major announcements

The government spent Rs 34,579 crore on various schemes from December until now, said Telangana finance minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka

Can we bank on the Budget?

With the structural change in the ruling National Democratic Alliance, will the government be able to move on the bank privatisation front in this Budget?

Bihar CM should 'strike', he's in position to get it done, says Congress

The Congress on Monday sought to know what Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is doing about the demand for special category status for the state and asserted that "he should strike" as he is in a position to get this done now. The opposition party's remarks come after Bihar ministers claimed that the latest report of NITI Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2023-24 vindicated the state's long-standing demand for greater central financial assistance. On July 12, NITI Aayog released the SDG India Index 2023-24 -- an assessment of the country's sustainable development. Bihar has figured at the bottom of the index despite improvements on some parameters. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said senior ministers in Bihar are now arguing that NITI Aayog's latest analysis vindicates their demand for special category status in the matter of Central assistance to the state. "Basically this would mean that instead of 70 per cent of such ...