Page 15 - Politics

SC pulls up TN Guv RN Ravi for refusal to reinduct K Ponmudi as minister

Voicing "serious concern" over the conduct of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for his refusal to reinduct senior DMK leader K Ponmudi as a minister in the state cabinet, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed him to decide the issue within 24 hours. It said Ravi was defying the Supreme Court. The governor has refused to re-induct Ponmudi, whose conviction and three- year sentence in a disproportionate assets case the apex court stayed recently, despite Chief Minister M K Stalin's recommendation. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud wondered how can the governor say that Ponmudi's reinduction will be against constitutional morality. "Mr Attorney General, we are seriously concerned about the conduct of the governor. We did not want to say it out loud in court but he is defying the Supreme Court of India. Those who have advised him have not advised him properly. Now the Governor has to be informed that when the Supreme Court stays a conviction, it stays a conviction,

What is the 60% Kannada signage rule? Here's all to know about the law

After the Karnataka HC asked the State to avoid any coercive action against shops failing to comply with the Kannada on signboards rule, here's a look at the history of the Kannada preference struggle

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Here's why BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje is in trouble

After complaints against her divisive remarks in the Bengaluru blast case and against the Tamil-speaking people, the Election Commission directed Karnataka CEC to take immediate action

Lok Sabha elections: Suspended BSP leader Danish Ali joins Congress

Suspended BSP leader and Lok Sabha MP Danish Ali joined the Congress on Wednesday in the presence of senior party leaders. After joining the Congress here, he said that going by the prevailing situation in the country, it is important to join the grand old party in the fight against "divisive" forces. "On one side are divisive forces and on the other are those forces fighting to get 'nyay' (justice) for the poor and oppressed sections of society, and the choice is very clear," Ali said, asserting that time has come to decide where one stands. "If we have to fight with divisive forces, then one has to strengthen the Congress under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi," he said. "The ideology with which we started our politics...we have to now strengthen the forces fighting against those divisive forces. That is why I took this important decision while charting my future political journey by becoming a member of the Indian National Congress," he told ..

Jan Adhikar Party leader Pappu Yadav joins Congress, merges his outfit

Jan Adhikar Party leader Pappu Yadav joined the Congress on Wednesday and announced the merger of his outfit. A former five-time MP from Bihar, Yadav is the husband of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan and is known for having influence in Seemanchal area of the eastern state. He was accompanied by his son Sarthak Ranjan and other party leaders as he announced his decision at the AICC headquarters. Yadav said the Congress leadership gave him respect and he was joining the party's fight against "dictatorship" in the country to help save democracy and the Constitution. "The honour that the entire Congress family has given is enough for us. Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have given us a lot of love. "If anyone has won the hearts of people in India, it is Rahul Gandhi and people love him. He has also raised the concerns of OBCs by raising the issue of holding a caste census," he said. "To save this country and its democracy and protect the Constitution, there was no

Vladimir Putin: From the KGB to running Russia for nearly three decades

With an 87 per cent vote share, 71-year-old Putin has cemented his power, and if he completes his six-year tenure, he will become the longest-reigning Russian leader ever

Speculations rife after Raj Thackeray arrives in Delhi; may join NDA

Hours after a meeting between Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and BJP's top leadership over seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Thackeray arrived in Delhi to meet Amit Shah

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress, DMK finalise seat-sharing in Tamil Nadu

DMK will contest in 22 seats; Congress 9 seats; VC, CPI and CPIM will contest 2 seats each, while MDMK and IUML will contest 1 seat each

Electoral bonds dropped at office, got by post: Political parties on donors

Several political parties declined to share details of electoral bond donors citing various legal provisions, while others said they received the funding instruments through "drop box" or by post without any name. The DMK, which received most of its donations from a lottery firm, reached out to its donors to seek details of the electoral bonds as demanded by the Supreme Court in 2019. The BJP cited the amendments to the Representation of People Act, 1951 and the relevant portions of the Reserve Bank of India Act and the Income Tax Act for not revealing its donors. "It is duly submitted that the electoral bonds were introduced with the aim of bringing only accounted for funds in political funding while protecting the donors from any consequences, therefrom," the BJP said in its letter to the Election Commission. The Congress shot off a letter to the State Bank of India (SBI) seeking details of donors of electoral bonds, the amount, the bank account in which it was credited and the .

Remembering 'Shakti': Why PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi are talking about it

Stating that he considers every mother, daughter, and sister, as well as 'Bharat Mata' as 'Shakti', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he accepts Congress' challenge

Sunak's leadership in turmoil amid infighting in Conservative Party

Transport Secretary Mark Harper was directly asked during a television interview if he thinks Sunak will be the leader of the Conservative Party at the general election

Influencer show: How important are social media personalities in elections?

The evolving relation between social media personalities and the political landscape continues to intrigue and challenge the norms of electoral engagement, Aditi Phadnis explains

Beauty of democracy lies in 'Janbhagidari': PM pens open letter to citizens

In his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the citizens as "dear family members," emphasizing that their partnership is on the brink of reaching a decade

Delhi excise policy scam: K Kavitha sent to ED custody till March 23

A Delhi court will pronounce later on Saturday its order on the Enforcement Directorate's plea seeking BRS leader K Kavitha's remand in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. The agency produced Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, before Special Judge for ED cases M K Nagpal, and sought her custody for 10 days. While being produced before the court, Kavitha termed her arrest as illegal and said, "We will fight it (case) out in court." Kavitha, 46, a Telangana Legislative Council member, was arrested by the central probe agency from her residence at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad Friday evening. During the hearing, senior advocate Vikram Chaudhari, appearing for Kavitha along with advocate Nitesh Rana, told the judge her arrest was "illegal". The counsel also accused the federal anti-money laundering agency of flouting the Supreme Court direction while arresting her. They claimed the apex court had directed the ED

Gujarat key LS seats: Amit Shah in Gandhinagar, Mandaviya in Porbandar

Of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, the electoral battle in Gandhinagar, where Union minister Amit Shah is in the fray to retain his seat, will be among the most keenly watched one in the ensuing elections. Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. Following are the Lok Sabha seats to watch out for in Gujarat: 1. Gandhinagar: This urban seat has been a BJP bastion for long, having sent stalwarts like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani to Parliament. It is now represented by Shah, who defeated Congress' C J Chavda by 5.57 lakh votes in the 2019 polls. 2. Porbandar: The BJP is the dominant party here due to the large presence of Leuva Patidars, a sub caste of the numerically and electorally strong Patel community. The party has fielded Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya, a Leuva Patidar, from the seat. The minister, who hails from Bhavnagar district, has so far reached Parliament through the Rajya Sabha route. The

Singer Anuradha Paudwal joins BJP ahead of LS polls at party's headquarters

After joining the party, the singer expressed happiness saying, it was her fortune that she was becoming a part of the BJP

UK PM Rishi Sunak rules out possibility of holding early general election

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has firmly ruled out an early general election to coincide with local polls scheduled for May 2 amid intense speculation from the Opposition Labour benches. The British Indian leader had indicated earlier in the year that he was considering going to the polls in the second half of the year but in recent weeks there had been mounting theories that he may call a snap election in early May. But during an interview with ITV News West Country' channel on Thursday, he sought to quash the speculation having previously preferred to keep people guessing. In several weeks' time we've got elections for police and crime commissioners, for local councils, for mayors across the country, the 43-year-old prime minister said. Asked if there would also be a general election at the same time, Sunak said: There won't be a general election on that day but when there is a general election, what matters is the choice. I can see that the Labour Party are trying to whip

SC orders SBI to disclose full electoral bond data to EC by 5 pm on Mar 16

The Supreme Court granted the EC's request for the unique identification numbers that will help link donors to the donations made to political parties under the now-scrapped electoral bond scheme

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,

Khattar announces resignation as MLA, says Saini will take care of Karnal

The former chief minister, who was named in the BJP's second list for the Lok Sabha polls, announced he was resigning after the Nayab Saini government won the trust vote in the Assembly