Page 44 - Parliament

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

AAP's Sanjay Singh takes oath as RS Member of Parliament for 2nd term

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday administered oath to Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh after his re-election to the Upper House from Delhi for a second term. He was administered oath in Dhankhar's office in Parliament House in the presence of his mother and father, wife, and son and daughter. "Vice-President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar administered oath to re-elected Member of Rajya Sabha Sanjay Singh ji, in Parliament House today," the vice president's office said in a post on X while sharing pictures of the oath-taking. Singh, who is lodged in Tihar jail, was brought under a security cover, at the order of a local court. "The Jail Superintendent concerned is directed to ensure that the accused is taken to Parliament on 19.03.2024 under adequate security for the purpose of making and subscribing of oath as a Member and after the oath, he is also brought back to the jail safely," the judge said in his order. Sanjay Singh was arrested by the .

Sanjay Singh to be taken to Parl on March 19 for oath as RS MP: Delhi Court

A Delhi court has directed Tihar Jail officials to take Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, who is arrested in the excise scam case, to Parliament on Tuesday to enable him to take oath as a Rajya Sabha member. Special Judge M K Nagpal directed the jail superintendent to ensure adequate security during Singh's movement. "The Jail Superintendent concerned is directed to ensure that accused is taken to Parliament on 19.03.2024 under adequate security for the purpose of making and subscribing of oath as a Member and after the oath, he is also brought back to the jail safely," the judge said. In an order passed on March 16, the judge said that during the visit Singh will not be permitted to use mobile phone or talk with any other accused, suspect or witness in this case, or in the connected case of the CBI. He shall also not be permitted to address the press or hold any public meeting, judge Nagpal said. However, he may be permitted to meet his counsel as well as his family members du

Highlights: Electoral bonds world's biggest extortion racket, says Rahul

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE updates: Catch all the latest updates on the General Elections here

New age-based ratings for films in Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024

The Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 2024 were notified by the Centre on Friday, introducing an updated mechanism for film certification process in India

Former Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murty takes oath as RS member

Engineer-turned-philanthropist Sudha Murty on Thursday took oath as Rajya Sabha MP in the presence of her husband N R Narayana Murthy. Murty took the oath in Kannada. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar administered the oath in his chamber in Parliament House. He also congratulated Murty and her husband after the oath-taking function. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal was also present on the occasion. "Hon'ble Vice-President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar administered oath to the newly nominated member of Rajya Sabha, Smt. Sudha Murty, in Parliament House today," his office said in a post on X, while sharing a video of the function. Murty, 73, the former chairperson of Infosys Foundation and the author of several books, mostly for children, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on International Women's Day last Friday. She is also renowned for her contribution to Kannada and English literature and is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar,

Highlights: IUML files plea in Supreme Court against CAA implementation

Highlights on developments related to CAA: Catch all the news updates on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019

Portugal election wields no winner amid support for surging populist party

Portugal's political future is hanging in the balance after a general election Sunday, with two moderate mainstream parties closely contesting the race and set to wait weeks for a decision on the winner after an unprecedented surge in support for a populist party that finished third. The center-right Social Democrat-led Democratic Alliance won 79 seats in the 230-seat National Assembly, Portugal's Parliament, after all votes cast in Portugal were counted. The center-left Socialist Party, in power the past eight years, got 77 seats. The deciding votes will come from voters abroad to distrubte the final four parliamentary seats after an election night full of suspense. That count could take more than two weeks. The hard-right Chega (Enough) party came in third with 48 seats, a milestone result that presented an unprecedented challenge to politics-as-usual, underscoring a drift to the right in the European Union. Smaller parties took the rest of the vote in an election that saw turno

No jobs and a bleak future: Has the political class failed India's youth?

Rahul Gandhi has been criticised for "trivialising" the security breach in Parliament by belatedly raising unemployment as a political issue

Will voice aspirations of people of Kashmir in Parliament: Sajad Lone

Peoples Conference president Sajad Gani Lone on Sunday sought support of the electorate in the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency and said he will restore the region's glory and voice the aspirations of the people in the Parliament. "These elections will undoubtedly pave way for the collective betterment of our region, provided the right choices are made by sending representatives who can truly convey the aspirations and pain of the people of Kashmir in the Parliament," Lone, who is the party candidate for the Baramulla constituency, said at a convention of the party workers at Baramulla town. Questioning the performance of the National Conference MPs, who have been elected by the people for more than half a century, Lone criticized them for failing to meet the hopes of the people and remaining mute spectators to the issues concerning the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "There is a lot of pain, agony and suffering among the people, and only those who understand it can truly speak up for

SC hears case on Parliament's authority over state taxes on mineral rights

The original case dates back to 1992, when the Bihar government, through an amendment, imposed additional taxes on land revenue coming from mineral-bearing lands leased out to mining industries

Pakistan's PM-elect Shehbaz Sharif to take oath of office on Monday

Prime Minister-elect Shehbaz Sharif will take the oath of office for the second time on Monday, days after his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party agreed on a power-sharing deal to form a coalition government. Shehbaz, 72, earlier served as prime minister of a coalition government from April 2022 to August 2023 before Parliament was dissolved to hold general elections last month. President Arif Alvi will administer oath to Shehbaz in a ceremony at the President's House at 3 pm on Monday, sources said. They said that Army Chief Gen Asim Munir, caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar, Chief Ministers and governors of all provinces will attend in the ceremony. On Sunday, Shehbaz comfortably won a majority in the newly-elected Parliament amidst sloganeering by the Opposition. Shehbaz, the consensus candidate of the PML-N and the PPP, received 201 votes in the 336-member Parliament.

Joint session of Parliament to elect Pakistan's president called on March 9

Newly-elected National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday summoned a joint session of the Parliament to elect the next president of Pakistan on March 9, a position that former president Asif Ali Zardari is almost certain to win again after nearly 11 years. In a notification issued today, the speaker summoned the session at 10 am, with Zardari, 68, set to face off against his rival ethnic Pashtun politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai. Zardari, who is a joint candidate of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is set to become the president for the second time as he is being supported by the parties that enjoy a majority in the electoral college. He also served as president from 2008 to 2013. Achakzai, 75, from Balochistan, is the chief of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and was nominated by Imran Khan, the jailed leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. In Parliament, Achakzai would be supported by the ..

PM Modi to chair last Council of Ministers meet on Sunday before LS polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers on March 3 in what is likely to be the last such exercise during the second term of his government. The prime minister has been holding meetings of the entire Council of Ministers from time to time to discuss key policy and governance issues but the get-together on Sunday assumes political significance in view of the Lok Sabha elections, expected to be held in April-May. The Election Commission is likely to announce the poll schedule in a couple of weeks. The meeting will be held at the Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave here. One of the key points to be discussed during the exercise could the highlights of the government's performance, as the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance has expressed confidence of retaining power at the Centre for a third term under Modi on the back of its development and welfare planks. The Election Commission has begun reviewing the ...

BJP flags off vans in Goa to collect inputs for Lok Sabha poll manifesto

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday flagged off two vans in North and South Goa Lok Sabha seats to gather inputs from people for its poll manifesto. The flagging off ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, state BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade, tourism minister Rohan Khaunte, among others. "The vans will travel across the state and collect inputs from people for drafting the Lok Sabha poll manifesto of the BJP. More than 50,000 suggestions are expected to be collected. The BJP has fulfilled all its promises in the manifestos for the 2014 and 2019 LS polls," Tanavade said. The BJP's manifesto will be a "people's manifesto" and everyone, especially the youth, must give suggestions, CM Sawant said on the occasion.

Amid tensions, Iran to elect parliamentary, religious leaders today

Iranians are bracing for a pivotal moment as they prepare to cast their votes on Friday in parliamentary elections that will elect religious leaders, Al Jazeera reported.

The dehumanising factor

Social commentator Ziya Us Salam's book debunks popular myths around history and laments the slow encroachments on Muslim rights by far-right groups, providing truth and hope in the process