Page 26 - Politics

Red Sea crisis: No claims yet, but insurance cost may rise if tensions grow

Insurers are keeping a close eye on the developments and have made an upward revision to their risk perception with companies turning cautious of the tense geopolitical scenario

Congress concludes the 18-day 'Uttar Pradesh Jodo Yatra' in Lucknow

The Congress accused the Narendra Modi government of putting the country under Emergency and called on the people to unite against the BJP government, as it concluded its 18-day Uttar Pradesh Jodo Yatra here on Saturday. The Yatra started from western UP's Saharanpur on December 20. "The way the Modi government of the centre is playing with the Constitution and has set up an emergency in the country, the time has come to stand against him," Avinash Pandey, National General Secretary of the Congress, said in a statement. Pandey, the newly made party in-charge of UP, also called on people to join Rahul Gandhi's Nyay Yatra, which will start from January 14 and traverse the swathe of the country from Manipur to Mumbai. The party workers on the last day of the 'UP Jodo Yatra,' walked from Rakab Ganj in Lucknow to the martyr memorial, where they concluded the rally. State Congress President Ajay Rai, who was involved in the entire yatra, said the campaign would not have been possible ..

Cong blames EVMs, internal sabotage for rout in MP polls at review meeting

Most of the 164 nominees of Congress who lost the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls last November on Saturday blamed EVMs for the poor show against BJP at a review meeting held here, a leader said. Some contestants claimed "internal sabotage" was the reason for the drubbing and demanded strict action ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP swept the state assembly elections to retain power by winning 163 seats out of 230, reducing the Congress tally to 66. About 164 defeated contestants of Congress attended the marathon meeting which lasted for nearly six hours chaired by MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari, one of the candidates who contested unsuccessfully. Many of them said the "EVM issue" should be raised nationwide and those in the state Congress unit responsible for the sabotage should be dealt with an iron hand if the party wants to put up a good show in the Lok Sabha elections, said the party leader, who had lost the elections, after attending the meeting. "Majority of the defeat

BJP sets target of increasing vote share by 10% in Lok Sabha polls in HP

The Himachal Pradesh BJP has set a target of increasing its vote share by 10 per cent in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, banking on the opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, party leaders said on Saturday. The party charted a road map for the elections at a meeting of its state core committee in the presence of national president J P Nadda Friday night. The leaders discussed about increasing the vote share and winning margin, the party's media department in-charge Randhir Sharma said on Saturday. The target is to increase the vote share by 10 per cent in the Lok Sabha polls, due in April-May, coming after the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya. After the party's victory in recent assembly elections in three states, the aim is to surpass the previous victory margin in Himachal Pradesh, he told reporters. He said Nadda visit to the state, following the party's victory in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, has enthused the party cadre in the hill state. A meet

INDIA bloc to decide in 10-15 days on who will hold which post: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said leaders of INDIA parties would take a decision within 10-15 days on allocation of posts in the opposition bloc, remarks that come amid speculation that the alliance could pick a convener ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a press conference, he also said that all other matters including seat-sharing of the INDIA bloc would be resolved soon, with party sources indicating that this is likely to be concluded by the month-end. Kharge said the Congress is working on all the 545 Lok Sabha constiutencies and has appointed observers for all the seats, but which party will contest which seat and how many will be decided soon after consultations with all constituents of the opposition alliance. Asked on how many seats the party would contest, he said, "We have already finalised parliamentary observers for all the constituencies... We will go and assess in each Parliamentary constituency." "Ultimately, when INDIA alliance is the

Rahul chose Manipur to launch Nyay Yatra due to concern about state: Cong

Congress spokesperson Mahima Singh on Saturday said party leader Rahul Gandhi has chosen Manipur to launch the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' due to his concern over the situation in that state. She also alleged that the BJP is not bothered about the problems faced by people, and it is only concentrating on headline management. "The BJP, wherever it is in power, is concerned with headline management and people's issues have been sidelined," Singh, also the in-charge of communication and media coordination in Assam for the yatra, told reporters here. "Look at Manipur, the situation remains volatile. Rahul Gandhi was among a handful of national leaders who went and spent time there. That is why he has chosen Manipur to start this yatra," she said. More than 180 people have been killed and several hundred injured due to the ethnic conflict between the Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur since May last year. The Rahul Gandhi-led Manipur-to-Maharashtra yatra, which will begin on January 1

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, who mimicked Jagdeep Dhankhar, now lauds vice-prez

'I am truly overwhelmed that the vice president spoke to me and my wife and invited us for dinner at his place,' TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said on Friday

68 Rajya Sabha members including nine Union ministers to retire in 2024

Sixty-eight Rajya Sabha members, including nine Union ministers, are completing their tenures this year, triggering a race of sorts among leaders across political parties to eye a six-year term in the Upper House of Parliament. Of the 68 vacancies, elections have already been called for three seats in Delhi where AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Narain Dass Gupta and Sushil Kumar Gupta will complete their tenures on January 27. Elections have also been called for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Sikkim where SDF member Hishey Lachungpa will retire on February 23. As many as 57 leaders, including Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Health Minister Mansukh Madaviya and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, will complete their tenures in April. Uttar Pradesh will have the highest number of vacancies of 10 seats, followed by Maharashtra and Bihar (six each), Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal (five each), Karnataka and Gujarat

Congress renames Rahul Gandhi-led yatra as Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

The Congress on Thursday renamed the Rahul Gandhi-led Manipur-Mumbai yatra starting on January 14 as 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' which will travel through 15 states, including Arunachal Pradesh. This was announced by Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh after a meeting of party general secretaries, state in-charges, state unit chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge at the Congress headquarters here. Earlier it was named Bharat Nyay Yatra. Ramesh said the Congress invites all INDIA bloc leaders to participate in this yatra and pointed out that invitations were being sent out for it. He said the yatra of over 6,713 km will be covered in buses and on foot. It will cover 110 districts, about 100 Lok Sabha seats and 337 assembly segments. Ramesh claimed the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra would prove to be as transformative for politics as the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir did.

Internal discord persists in TMC amid calls for unity ahead of LS polls

Internal strife within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) showed no signs of abating on Wednesday, with senior leaders continuing to trade verbal jabs, even as the party leadership issued a subtle call for setting aside grievances and focusing on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The recent controversy unfolded after West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee had in November advocated the need to give due respect to senior members and rejected the notion that elderly leaders should retire from active politics. Following this, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee's nephew, proposed a retirement age in politics, citing declining work efficiency and productivity with advancing age. The party has since become a battleground for allegations and counter-allegations between senior and young leaders. The tensions reached a new low when five-time TMC MLA Tapas Ray criticised veteran leader and TMC's Lok Sabha party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, accusing him

Those engaged in violence to be responsible if AFSPA reimposed : Manipur CM

Chief Minister N Biren Singh Tuesday said that he is "highly upset" with the ongoing violence in Manipur and elements who engage in it will be held responsible for any stringent government action, including the reimposition of AFSPA. "Whatever is going on in the society now is too much. The government will find it really hard to tolerate if anyone or any group keeps on taking the law into their own hands. The central government will not keep on looking. If AFSPA is again reimposed, they will be held responsible," he said after visiting those injured in a firing incident at Lilong Chingjao area in Manipur's Thoubal district. "Elements who continuously engage in violence should be held accountable if the government takes any stringent action, including reimposition of the unwanted AFSPA ... I am highly upset (sic). The government cannot watch all these forever," he said. AFSPA was extended for six months in the hill areas of the north eastern state for six months since October last .

Concerns of South to be taken care of during delimitation of LS seats: Govt

Concerns of Southern states will be taken care of during the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, a senior government functionary said on Tuesday, assuring the five states they would not suffer and asking them not to have any apprehension about the exercise. Delimitation literally means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body. The job of delimitation is assigned to a high-powered body. The body is known as Delimitation Commission or a Boundary Commission. In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted four times: in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952; in 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962; in 1973 under Delimitation Act, 1972 and in 2002 under Delimitation Act, 2002. "The census will be carried out after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. After the census is over, the delimitation of the constituencies will be carried out on the basis of the coming ...

BJP to form seat clusters under leaders, hold nation-wide rallies: Shelar

The BJP will form separate clusters of three assembly segments and as many Lok Sabha constituencies which will be assigned to senior leaders as part of its nationwide preparations to face elections, Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar said on Tuesday. "Accordingly, nationwide tour plans have been scheduled wherein the party president JP Nadda, Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh will hold meetings by forming clusters of three to four Lok Sabha constituencies across the country," Shelar told reporters after attending a meeting organised by the BJP. Before organising mega rallies, the state president will hold meetings in every Lok Sabha constituency by forming a cluster of three Assembly constituencies at a time, he said. "Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule will begin his tour soon," Shelar added. He said a meeting of "super warriors", a group of BJP workers who will oversee the election process in every Assembly segment, will be held in Mumbai. "The aim is to r

ED conducts searches in money laundering case against AAP MLA Khan

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday undertook fresh searches at about four-five premises in the national capital as part of a money laundering probe against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan linked to alleged irregularities in recruitment of staff for the Delhi Waqf Board, official sources said. The raids are being carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. About four-five premises are being covered by the ED officials, they said. The agency had in October raided the premises of the 49-year-old legislator who represents the Okhla constituency in the Delhi assembly. It had also arrested three of his alleged associates in this case in November. The ED had alleged that Khan acquired "huge proceeds of crime" in cash from illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Waqf Board and invested these for purchasing immovable assets in the name of his associates. "The searches (in October) were conducted in the case related to illegal ..

Merger with Congress: YS Sharmila to meet AICC leadership in Delhi on Jan 3

Y S Sharmila, founder of YSR Telangana party, will travel to Delhi on Wednesday to finalise the merger of her party with the Congress, sources here said on Tuesday. Sharmila, who chaired her party meeting today, said she and other leaders will meet the top leadership of the Congress including AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and make a "crucial" announcement in Delhi tomorrow. Sharmila is the daughter of former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, and younger sister of Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. Sources told PTI that Sharmila will be given a post in Congress at the national level and is likely to be made in-charge of elections for Southern states after the merger of YSRTP with Congress. Everything will be clear in one or two days. Please be patient, she told reporters after the meeting, when asked. The Congress leadership assured Sharmila that her colleagues in Telangana will be suitably placed, the

PM Modi seeks public's feedback on progress achieved by India in 10 years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday sought people's feedback on the progress achieved by India in various sectors in the last 10 years. With Lok Sabha polls months away, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'NaMo' app last month had launched a survey to gauge the popular mood on a variety of issues, including people's views about the performance of his government and that of the MPs. In a post on X, Modi said, "What do you think of the progress achieved by India in various sectors in the last 10 years? Share your feedback directly with me through the Jan Man Survey on the NaMo App!" He also shared the link for participating in the survey. The 'Jan Man Survey' seeks people's responses on various aspects of governance and leadership and its questions include both central-level development and specifics related to constituencies.

Sale of 30th tranche of electoral bonds will start from January 2

The government has approved the issuance of the 30th tranche of electoral bonds that will open for sale on Tuesday. Electoral bonds have been pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency to political funding. General elections are due later this year as the term of the 17th Lok Sabha is coming to an end. "State Bank of India (SBI), in the XXX Phase of sale, has been authorised to issue and encash Electoral Bonds through its 29 Authorised Branches w.e.f. January 2 to January 11, 2024," the finance ministry said in a statement on Monday. The sale of the first batch of electoral bonds happened in March 2018. Electoral bonds are encashed by an eligible political party only through a bank account with the authorised bank. SBI is the only authorised bank to issue electoral bonds. The authorised SBI branches include those in Bengaluru, Lucknow, Shimla, Dehradun, Kolkata, Guwahati, Chennai, Patna, New Delhi, Chandigarh, ...

'Awami League has found way to create illusion of multiparty election'

Sreeradha Datta tells how this week's general elections in Bangladesh could turn out to be a friendly contest for the ruling Awami League

Elections in 41 countries in 2024: Impact on world politics, economy

It is not only India that is set to witness its biggest electoral battle in 2024, but over 40 per cent of the world. Archis Mohan explains why these polls will have ramifications for global politics

AI-powered deepfakes rise in 2023; concerns of its impact on privacy

From politics to films and even war, the year 2023 has demonstrated that not everything one sees or hears on the internet may be real. With the ever-evolving Artificial Intelligence technology rapidly becoming a part of people's lives, a sharp rise in deepfakes has raised concerns in the country about its potential to influence electoral politics, especially during the Lok Sabha polls slated to be held next year. Deepfakes are manipulated videos or other digital representations that use artificial intelligence to create cogent videos or audio of individuals they never did or said, posing a risk of spreading misinformation and damaging their reputation. According to the '2023 State of Deepfakes Report' by 'Home Security Heroes' -- a US-based web security services company -- deepfake videos saw a five-times increase since 2019. In 2023, India witnessed scores of troubling instances related to deepfake videos, like the one involving actor Rashmika Mandanna, whose face was superimposed