Page 43 - Parliament

Statsguru: After a long LS poll campaign, results will be declared on Tue

Challenges persist for incoming MPs, with over half of the constituencies off-target on 18 out of 33 SDGs

ANC loses majority in Parliament for first time in South African democracy

The African National Congress (ANC) party lost its majority in the South African Parliament on Saturday for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to victory in the first democratic elections in 1994 at the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule. With the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) having finished counting 99.8 per cent of the ballots cast on Wednesday, the ANC had garnered only 40 per cent of the votes, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) coming in at 22 per cent; Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the new party founded by former president Jacob Zuma, securing almost 15 per cent and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) dropping its share to just nine per cent. Analysts across the board said that there would now be intense negotiations to decide who would govern the country in a coalition. I don't think that the ANC membership, us as leaders of the ANC and our supporters must see this as a signal of the end of the ANC. This must be a learning point for the ANC. It's a

Taiwanese parliament passes bills expanding legislative oversight

Amendments will enhance checks and balances and empower the legislature to combat corruption, the move has sparked significant concerns within civil society and academia

Nepal PM to take test of strength for fourth time amid Opposition protest

The latest vote of confidence comes after the withdrawal of support by the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and within 18 months of Dahal taking office

The post-June 4 challenges

Both majority and coalition govts will have to rule by consensus henceforth

LS polls: Rajasthan records over 40% turnout in 13 constituencies till 1 pm

Over 40 percent voting was recorded till 1 pm in 13 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan where elections are being held in the second phase on Friday. 40.39 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm across the 13 parliamentary constituencies. At the same time, 51.50 percent voting took place in Bagidora assembly constituency, according to official data. The voting percentage in the first four hours in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls is above that of the first phase. The polling percentage in 12 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls on April 19 was 33.73 per cent by this time. Around 2.8 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the polls. This is the final phase of polling in Rajasthan. Voting is underway in Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Kota-Bundi, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran, along with the Bagidora Assembly constituency where a bypoll is underway. The highest voter

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Polling begins for 12 of 25 seats in Rajasthan

Polling for 12 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan began on Friday morning in the first phase of elections. Voting began at 7 am in Churu, Nagaur, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa constituencies. It will continue till 6 pm. Over 2.54 crore voters are eligible to vote in this round in the two-phase election in Rajasthan. Altogether, 114 candidates are in the contest for the 12 seats. A total of 23,000 polling booths have been set up in the first phase where around 75,000 policemen have been deployed to ensure law and order, ADG Law and Order Vishal Bansal said earlier. Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure elections in a free and fair manner, Bansal said. In the first phase, the number of sensitive booths is 10,000. The Bharatiya Janata Party won all 25 seats in Rajasthan on its own in 2014, and in 2019, NDA won 25 seats, the saffron party won 24 seats and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party

Nomination process begins for Phase 3 of Lok Sabha elections on May 7

The nomination process for the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls to be held in 94 constituencies across 12 states on May 7 began on Friday. The process started after a notification was issued by the Election Commission on behalf of the President. April 19 is the last date for the filing of papers. Separately, another notification was issued for the "adjourned" poll in the Betul constituency of Madhya Pradesh, the EC said. The election in the Betul Lok Sabha seat was "adjourned" following the death of the BSP's candidate. In case a candidate of a recognised national or state party dies before the polls, the election is postponed to allow the party to identify and field a fresh candidate. Voting in the Betul constituency was earlier scheduled to be held in the second phase on April 26. The states and union territories included in the third phase are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya

Lone warriors: Here're independent members of Parliament in Lok Sabha

The 10th Lok Sabha in 1991 had only one Independent MP, Satyendra Nath Brohmo Chaudhary, who was from Kokrajhar

VP moves Dhankhar into new official residence with secretariat, pool

New Vice-President Enclave near North Block in central Delhi is the first completed residence under the Central Vista redevelopment plan

Highlights of the day: Earthquake of 5.3 magnitude hits Chamba region in Himachal Pradesh

Latest news updates: Catch all the news updates from around the world here

Singapore plans to build a pool of nearly 100 nuclear energy experts

Singapore is planning to build a pool of approximately 100 nuclear energy experts in the medium to long run, though no decision has been made on the deployment of nuclear energy, and the city-state is unable to commit to a timeline for taking a position on it. This was stated in Parliament by the Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng on Wednesday in response to a question posed by opposition Member of Parliament Gerald Giam. Giam from the Workers' Party had asked how many scientists were currently at the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative, as well as the number of scholarships awarded each year to help build a pipeline of nuclear scientists and expertise. Giam also asked if the government is building up the necessary regulatory policy frameworks that will be needed to oversee potential nuclear energy programmes such as nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. In his response, Tan said the government supports efforts to train scientists and experts in local an

Lok Sabha polls: 47 candidates file nomination for second phase in UP

Forty-seven candidates filed their nomination papers on Tuesday for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, a senior election official said. Voting in the second phase will be held in eight parliamentary constituencies -- Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budhnagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Mathura -- on April 26. State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said that till now 81 candidates have filed their nomination papers of which 47 filed on Wednesday. Prominent among those who filed their nominations for the second phase of the elections in the state are Kunwar Danish Ali of the Congress from the Amroha Lok Sabha seat, Atul Garg of the BJP from Ghaziabad and Dr. Mahesh Sharma of the BJP from Gautam Buddh Nagar. The CEO said that the last date for filing nominations for the eight Lok Sabha seats in the second phase is April 4. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on April 5 (Friday) and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is schedu

Manmohan Singh's Rajya Sabha tenure ends; Kharge lauds his 'quiet dignity'

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will retire from Rajya Sabha at the age of 91. He is among 54 other MPs bidding goodbye to the Upper House

Manmohan Singh bows out of politics after serving over 3 decades in Parl

"Let the whole world hear it loud and clear," Singh said in his maiden budget speech. "India is now wide awake. We shall prevail. We shall overcome"

Three criminal laws crucial step towards modernising justice system: CJI

The CJI said that the new laws encompass "substantive crime, procedure and evidence" and keeping a digital record of every stage of criminal investigation ensures a seamless flow of information

Ceiling for LS polls expenditure: District poll panels fix menu, rates

Candidates in Punjab's Jalandhar can spend Rs 15 for a cup of tea and the same price for a samosa they offer to people during public meetings and campaign trails in the Lok Sabha elections. However, those in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla can spend Rs 7 for a cup of tea and another Rs 7.50 for a piece of samosa, considered a staple snack in many parts of the country. With polls to elect the 18th Lok Sabha approaching, district poll panels are fixing the rates for expenses as part of the election expenditure monitoring process. The candidates will have to manage their expenditure within the prescribed limit. These rate cards often become a subject of "meme-fest" on social media about the prices not being in sync with the current inflation level. In most states, including Andhra Pradesh, the expenditure ceiling for a Lok Sabha candidate is set at Rs 95 lakh. However, in Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Sikkim, the limit is slightly lower at Rs 75 lakh per candidate. Similarly, for Union territori

Highlights: Govinda joins Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ahead of LS

Lok Sabha polls 2024 latest news: Catch all the latest updates on the announcements related to the General Elections here

LS polls: Cong to declare remaining candidates for Jharkhand seats by Apr 1

The Congress will announce the names of its remaining candidates for the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Jharkhand by April 1, a party official said. The grand old party had announced the names of candidates for Lohardaga, Khunti and Hazaribag on Wednesday evening, following a go-ahead from the Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC). Kalicharan Munda, Sukhdeo Bhagat and Jai Prakashbhai Patel will contest the polls in Khunti (ST), Lohardaga (ST) and Hazaribagh seats, respectively, the party had announced in New Delhi. "Congress will announce the remaining candidates for four seats by April 1, while a consensus on seat-sharing is likely by tomorrow," the party leader told PTI. The Lok Sabha polls will be held in four phases for the 14 seats in Jharkhand, starting May 13. There are more than 2.54 crore voters in the state 1.29 crore males, 1.24 crore females and 413 transgenders.

India's House delegation leaves for Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union

The delegation, attending the event scheduled between March 23 and 27, will raise issues like parliamentary diplomacy, and building bridges for peace and understanding