Page 2 - National Political Parties

Didn't intend to insult anyone, says Ajay Rai about remarks on Smriti Irani

Following an uproar over his Latka-Jhatka comment about Union Minister Smriti Irani, Congress leader Ajay Rai clarified that he had no intention of insulting anyone

BJP will cross 350 seats in 2024 polls: National Gen Secy Dushyant Gautam

BJP's National General Secretary, Dushyant Kumar Gautam has said that his party will win more than 350 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election

Cong promises farm loan waiver in MP if elected in 2023 polls: Kamal Nath

The Congress in Madhya Pradesh has promised that if it is voted to power in the state Assembly polls next year, it would reintroduce the farm loan waiver scheme which it had brought after forming a government in 2018. The party's state unit president and former chief minister Kamal Nath made this announcement on Saturday evening, when he also said that the farm loan of every farmer in the state would have been cleared by now if his government was at the helm. Ahead of the last Assembly polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had promised to implement a farm loan waiver scheme in the state if the party came to power. The party delivered on its promise as Kamal Nath signed the file for waiving loans of up to Rs 2 lakh soon after taking oath as the chief minister in December 2018. It is widely believed that the grand old party's promise of farm loan waiver was one of the major factors behind its victory. Sharing the order of the loan waiver scheme issued on December 17, 2018, the day he ..

Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' resumes from Golya in Rajasthan's Dausa

Congress' ongoing mass movement 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' resumed on Thursday from Golya village in Rajasthan's Dausa district

TMS Ep324: GM crop fears, Covid-19 in China, New-age stocks, national party

Should India abandon GM crop fears? Should India be worried about China's Covid-19 surge? Will fortune change for new-age stocks in 2023? What does it take to become a national party? Answers here

What does it take to become a national party?

The recent assembly elections have helped AAP qualify for the national party status. So, what is it to be a national party in India? And what are the benefits of becoming one?

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu sworn in as Himachal Pradesh's 15th chief minister

Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, a four-time MLA, was on Sunday sworn in as the 15th chief minister of Himachal Pradesh in a ceremony attended by senior party figures including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Sukhu, 58, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at a ceremony under the open sky at the historic Ridge ground here. Mukesh Agnihotri, the leader of opposition in the outgoing assembly, was administered the oath as the deputy chief minister. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot also attended the ceremony. Union minister Anand Sharma, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajeev Shukla, state Congress chief Pratibha Singh and senior leader Sachin Pilot were also present.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to take oath as Himachal's chief minister today

Former Congress state chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will take oath as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday

Cong leaders greet Sonia on birthday, Kharge hails her 'indomitable spirit'

Several Congress leaders greeted former party chief Sonia Gandhi on her birthday on Friday, with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge saying her "indomitable spirit" in the wake of adversity has inspired millions. The former Congress president is in Rajasthan on her 76th birthday and is spending time with her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Rahul Gandhi is leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra that is currently passing through Rajasthan.Today is a pre-declared holiday for the Yatra. In a tweet, Kharge said, "Extending my warm birthday greetings to CPP Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji. Her grace, dedication, indomitable spirit and dignity in the wake of adversity has inspired millions. I wish her a long and healthy life". The Congress, from its official Twitter handle, said, "Warm birthday wishes to Smt Sonia Gandhi who epitomizes sacrifice, courage & dedication.Her sense of duty and grace is an inspiration." Several top Congress leaders including party general secretary ...

Himachal Pradesh Election Results 2022: Here's what happened in 5 key seats

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election Results 2022: Congress has emerged victorious in the state after BJP's Jai Ram Thakur conceded defeat

Target 151: BJP sets eyes on the prize in Gujarat Assembly elections

The greatest solace for the BJP was the Congress' inability to mount a robust campaign. But a bigger imponderable was how the Aam Aadmi Party would fare

Gujarat Assembly elections: Of development, inflation, and rebellion

As 89 Gujarat Assembly seats go to the polls later this week, Radhika Ramaseshan travels to Saurashtra to gauge what voters are thinking

Govt convenes all-party meeting on Dec 6 ahead of Parliament session

The government has convened an all-party meeting on December 6 to discuss the legislative business and important issues likely to be taken up during the winter session of Parliament. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi has sent out invitations to the floor leaders of political parties in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for the meeting. "It is my pleasure to invite you for a meeting of floor leaders of political parties in Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha to discuss legislative business and important issues likely to be taken up in the ensuing winter session of Parliament," the invite read. "I would also like to seek your cooperation to ensure smooth functioning of both Houses. The meeting shall be held on Tuesday the 6th December, 2022 at 11.00 AM in Parliament Library Building, Parliament House, New Delhi," it said. The winter session of Parliament will commence from December 7 and continue till December 29 having 17 sittings spread over 23 days.

BJP, Congress fight it out as Himachal Pradesh all set to vote on Saturday

Rebels could spoil the party for several official candidates

UP CM Yogi Adityanath attacks previous governments for 'abandoning' Ayodhya

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic Ayodhya visit, criticized the previous governments for "abandoning" Ayodhya for their "sick politics"

Congress to get first non-Gandhi president in 24 years today

The Congress will get its first non-Gandhi president in 24 years on Wednesday after more than 9,500 votes cast to choose between senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are counted to cap the election contest, the sixth in its 137-year-old history. The counting of the votes cast on Monday will begin at 10 am on Wednesday at the AICC headquarters here. While Kharge is considered the firm favourite with his perceived proximity to the Gandhis and a large number of senior leaders backing him, Tharoor has pitched himself as the candidate of change. The process of bringing all the ballot boxes from the 68 polling booths set up across the country by the party will be completed by Tuesday. The sealed boxes will be kept in a "strong room" at the party headquarter. The sealed ballot boxes will be opened before the candidates' agents and the votes will be mixed repeatedly as they are added from various boxes. Congress central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry has ...

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

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 hails Congress' decision to have secret ballot for party prez polls

Congress's presidential election candidate Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the party's Central Election Authority to have a secret ballot in the polls for the grand old party's top post, and said it would enable all delegates to be able to vote as per their wish. He also said that this presidential election was important for the party to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha election with courage and confidence. "The system of election as declared by the (Congress) Central Election Authority (CEA) chairman Madhusudan Mistry is very good. He talked about the secret ballot...Voting will be carried out secretly and nobody gets to know who voted for whom...People can vote as per their wish," Tharoor told reporters during his election campaign here. He was referring to Mistry's press conference held in Delhi earlier in the day, where he said that the Congress's presidential polls will be held by a secret ballot and no one will get to know who voted for whom in order to ensure