Politics News

Sonia Gandhi's health shows improvement, will be discharged soon: Doctors

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's health is showing steady improvement, and she will be discharged from the hospital within one to two days, her doctors said on Friday. The 79-year-old leader was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Tuesday night at around 10:22 pm after developing a fever. According to hospital chairman Ajay Swaroop, Gandhi is "much better", showing medical improvement and is comfortable. "She is walking around and has taken her breakfast. Overall, her progress is smooth, and we hope that she will be fit to be discharged within a day or two," he said. According to the doctors attending the Congress leader, Gandhi is undergoing treatment for a systemic infection and is responding well to antibiotics. She remains under the supervision of a team of senior doctors, who are closely monitoring her condition. Sources said she is likely to stay under observation for a short period as a precaution, though her condition is stable and not serious.

KC Tyagi quits JD(U), says will decide further course of action soon

Senior JD(U) leader K C Tyagi on Tuesday said that he has left the party and will decide his further course of action soon. Tyagi was associated with the JD(U) since it came into existence in October 2003 with the merger of the Samata Party and the Janata Dal. He served the JD(U) in various capacities including its chief general secretary, chief spokesperson and political adviser. "Yes, I have left the party," Tyagi told PTI, when asked. In a statement, the former Rajya Sabha member said, "The membership campaign of the party has ended. This time I've not renewed the membership of the party." He, however, asserted that his commitment to the "larger and wider ideological points" concerning the interests of downtrodden, peasants and agriculturalists including the deprived sections of society "remains as firm as ever". "My personal respect for Nitish Kumar who remained my comrade for close to half a century also remains unchanged," he added. Tyagi said that his "further course of a

Datanomics: The age divide in politics as Nepal readies youngest PM

Balendra Shah's rise at 35 highlights a growing generational shift in politics even as South Asia and India remain dominated by older leaders

From rapper to Nepal's likely PM: All you need to know about Balendra Shah

From rapper and civil engineer to Kathmandu mayor and now prime minister-in-waiting, Balendra 'Balen' Shah has emerged as the face of Nepal's youth-driven political shift

India eyes reset in Nepal ties under Balen Shah's stable government

With Balen Shah's Rashtriya Swatantra Party heading for a landslide in Nepal's polls, New Delhi hopes a stable majority government will reset strained ties after the K P Sharma Oli era

As Nitish Kumar steps aside, Bihar faces an unfinished political agenda

As Nitish Kumar steps aside after two decades, Bihar faces a political transition while grappling with persistent poverty, fiscal stress and large-scale youth migration

Nitish Kumar's son Nishant joins JD(U) amid buzz over deputy CM role

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar joined the JD(U) on Sunday and said he would work to strengthen the party's organisation. Nishant, an engineering graduate who is in his 40s, was inducted into the party at its headquarters here in the presence of top leaders, including Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan' and JD(U)'s national working president Sanjay Jha. After joining the party, Nishant said, "My father decided to go to the Rajya Sabha. It was his personal decision. We all respect it. We will keep working under his guidance. I will work to strengthen the organisation." Nishant claimed his father, as the longest-serving chief minister of Bihar, did a lot for the state in the last twenty years. People of the state will never forget the CM's contribution to the state's development, he said. "I thank everyone. I will honour the trust you all have placed in me. The country, our state and I are proud of what my father has done in the last 20 years. I will take

Decision on J-K statehood soon, says Union Minister Arjun Meghwal

Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Meghwal on Tuesday said statehood to Jammu and Kashmir would be restored soon, prompting a quick response from Chief Minsiter Omar Abdullah who said that he hoped that the wait is not too long. After attending a function at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) here, Meghwal told reporters that while it was a "very sensitive issue", Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said in the LoK Sabha that J-K's statehood would be restored. "You will get it but there is a process for it. I feel you will soon get to hear about a decision in this regard," he said. Reacting to Meghwal's comment, Abdullah, who was also present at the function, said, "I heard on the sidelines that the (Union) minister said that we will be hearing good news soon. "It has been one and a half years of wait. We hope we do not have to wait much longer," Abdullah told reporters. The chief minister said no one in Jammu and Kashmir will be satisfied till it is ..

Ajit Pawar's death was an accident, don't politicise it: Sharad Pawar

In an apparent snub to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the plane crash involving his nephew Ajit Pawar and four others was an accident which shouldn't be politicised. Addressing reporters, he said Ajit's death was a big shock for Maharashtra, which has lost a hardworking and efficient leader, and this loss is irreparable. "Not all things are in our hands," he added. "A stand was floated from Kolkata that there is some politics involved in this incident. But there is nothing like this. There is no politics in it. It was an accident. I request not to bring politics into it," he added. Banerjee has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the death of Ajit Pawar, alleging that "all other agencies" have been "completely compromised". Stressing that the truth would not emerge through existing mechanisms, Banerjee said only a probe under the supervision of the Supreme Court would be credible.

PM Modi kicks off NDA's Tamil Nadu poll campaign, brands DMK 'CMC'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday kickstarted the NDA's 2026 election campaign in Tamil Nadu, mounting a spirited attack on the ruling DMK on issues, including corruption and coined an abbreviation--CMC-- to lash out at the Dravidian party. According to the PM, CMC means "Corruption, Mafia, Crime." "The DMK is CMC -- a Corruption, Mafia, Crime promoting government. The people of Tamil Nadu have made up their mind to uproot DMK, CMC," he said at the massive gathering comprising of public and cadres from NDA constituents, including the AIADMK, AMMK and PMK (Anbumani faction). In his maiden visit to Tamil Nadu in the poll year, the PM's rally turned out to be a show of strength with top leaders from the key alliance parties --- AIADMK chief and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) chief TTV Dhinakaran, PMK's Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, TMC-M leader G K Vasan and many others in attendance. Continuing his attack against the DMK, Modi said the

I am secular in true sense, appeasement charge is wrong: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday rejected allegations of indulging in appeasement, asserting that she is "secular in the true sense" and participates in programmes across faiths without discrimination. She was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Durga Angan', a cultural complex dedicated to Goddess Durga, at New Town in Kolkata. People accuse me of indulging in appeasement, but it is not correct. I am secular in the true sense, she said, adding that she attends programmes of all religions. The Trinamool Congress chief did not identify the accuser, but the opposition BJP often charges her with appeasing the Muslims. You do not say anything when I visit a gurdwara, but start criticising me when I attend an Eid programme, Banerjee said. Banerjee also flagged concerns over the ongoing SIR process, alleging harassment of people and loss of lives. People are being harassed unnecessarily. Over 50 lives have been lost within a month during the SIR proc

BJP scores record local body poll win, says Fadnavis; Oppn cries foul

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the BJP has set a record in local body polls with 48 per cent of councillors winning on the party symbol, and its candidates elected as presidents in 129 municipal councils. He attributed the Mahayuti alliance's success in the municipal council and nagar panchayat elections to the BJP organisation and development agenda of the government. Counting of votes for elections to the posts of president and members in 286 municipal councils and nagar panchayats held in two phases began in the morning. Fadnavis said the BJP has once again emerged as the single largest party. "48 per cent councillors have been elected on the BJP symbol, which is a record. The BJP has created another record with 3,300 councillors being elected from the party. "BJP candidates have been elected as presidents in 129 municipal councils. In 75 per cent of the local bodies, Mahayuti nominees have been elected as municipal presidents," he said. Fadnavis .

BJP slams Gehlot's 'Save Aravalli' campaign, assures mining will not expand

Senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore on Sunday rejected former chief minister Ashok Gehlot's claim that the Union government's report redefining the Arvallis would destroy 90 per cent of the mountain range in the state, and claimed it lays down a stricter framework for its conservation. The Supreme Court, on November 20, 2025, accepted the recommendations of a committee under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on the definition of Aravalli Hills and Ranges. According to the new definition, "Aravalli Hill is any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above its local relief" and an "Aravalli Range is a collection of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other". However, Rathore noted that the 100-metre criterion is not limited to height alone. "According to the court-approved definition, all hills of 100 metres or more, their slopes, and terrain within 500 metres between two hills remain outside the mining ambit

Lok Sabha clears SHANTI Bill by voice vote amid Opposition walkout

The tough provisions of India's nuclear liability laws led to "silent phobia" among industry, prompting the government to bring a new comprehensive bill to address their concerns and open up the atomic energy sector for private participation, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday. Singh was replying to a discussion in the Lok Sabha that passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill by a voice vote amid a walk out by the opposition. The opposition contended that the government was putting citizens in harm by allowing suppliers of nuclear equipment to escape the liability net in case of a nuclear accident. "The government will deal only with the operator, it is upon the operator to deal with the supplier," Singh, the Minister of State in the PMO, who oversees the Department of Atomic Energy, told the Lok Sabha. He said the operator liability has been rationalised through graded caps linked to reactor size to encoura

SIR opposed to keep illegal immigrants on poll rolls, says Amit Shah

Shah attributed the Opposition's protest against the SIR to the incompetence of its leadership to win elections, and not Electronic Voting Machines or 'vote chori (theft)'

No law should be burden on citizens, govt reforms must make life easy: PM

Sending a clear message that making people's lives easy is his government's priority in its third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said no law should be a burden on any citizen, and rules and regulations should always be for people's convenience. Addressing an NDA parliamentary party meeting here, Modi also said the country is now in a full-fledged "Reform Express" phase, where reforms are happening rapidly and with clear intent. The government's reforms are completely citizen-centric and not just economic or revenue-focused. The goal is to remove everyday hurdles of people so that they can grow to their full potential, the prime minister emphasised. Briefing reporters after the meeting, which was attended by all NDA MPs, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Prime Minister Modi gave very good guidelines for the lawmakers and conveyed that the most significant issue in the third term of his government is the "Reform Express". "I want to stress that the

Law, identity, and the 2026 Assam mandate amid Sarma's reform pitch

Report looks at how the Sarma government's pitch for reform and transparency through three key decisions could open wounds in the state right before it goes to the polls

Interlocutor's Darjeeling visit in limbo as CM objects, demands unresolved

The interlocutor's Darjeeling visit is in limbo amid CM's objections, leaving Gorkha political demands unresolved

Uddhav, Raj Thackeray discuss alliance, seat-sharing for civic polls

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj in Mumbai and both leaders are understood to have discussed seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming municipal corporation polls. Uddhav visited 'Shivtirth', the residence of Raj in Dadar in central Mumbai, the latest in a series of meetings this year between the once politically estranged cousins who have been warming up to each other in recent times amid signs of reconciliation and possible alliance between their parties. Although the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are yet to formally announce an alliance, the Thackeray cousins have given enough hints of an imminent tie-up for local body polls, especially the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic bodies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune and Nashik, where the two outfits have pockets of influence. A Shiv Sena (UBT) leader disclosed that during the meeting, Uddhav and Raj are believed to have discussed ..

AAP, BJP clash over Yamuna pollution in Delhi after Chhath festival

The Aam Aadmi Party and the ruling BJP in Delhi sparred over the pollution in the Yamuna on Sunday, with the opposition party's Saurabh Bharadwaj alleging the river has returned to its polluted state after the Chhath festival. The BJP was quick to hit back, saying the opposition has scored a self-goal by "admitting" the Yamuna has "returned" to the same condition the AAP government had left it. Days after Chhath Puja ended, AAP's Delhi unit chief Bharadwaj visited the Vasudev Ghat on Sunday and alleged that workers were dismantling the pipeline that had secretly supplied filtered water to the "fake river the BJP had created" for the festival. In a video, he was seen holding the Yamuna's black water in his palms. "After being caught red-handed, the BJP government is now erasing every trace of the fake Yamuna it created," he said. Bharadwaj had earlier alleged that a section of the river was filled with clean water at the Vasudev Ghat for Chhath Puja. "At the Vasudev Ghat, the BJP i