Page 81 - Politics

Cong leaders greet Sonia on birthday, Kharge hails her 'indomitable spirit'

Several Congress leaders greeted former party chief Sonia Gandhi on her birthday on Friday, with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge saying her "indomitable spirit" in the wake of adversity has inspired millions. The former Congress president is in Rajasthan on her 76th birthday and is spending time with her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Rahul Gandhi is leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra that is currently passing through Rajasthan.Today is a pre-declared holiday for the Yatra. In a tweet, Kharge said, "Extending my warm birthday greetings to CPP Chairperson, Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji. Her grace, dedication, indomitable spirit and dignity in the wake of adversity has inspired millions. I wish her a long and healthy life". The Congress, from its official Twitter handle, said, "Warm birthday wishes to Smt Sonia Gandhi who epitomizes sacrifice, courage & dedication.Her sense of duty and grace is an inspiration." Several top Congress leaders including party general secretary ...

Guj poll result HIGHLIGHTS: Massive victory for BJP, Patel to be CM again

Gujarat election result 2022: Exit polls have predicted a landslide win for the ruling BJP, while AAP could see a 'positive sign'. Stay tuned for Gujarat Assembly election result LIVE updates

Gujarat election results 2022: Here is what happened in five key seats

Gujarat Assembly Election Results 2022: According to the Election Commission's counting, BJP is leading in the state and is likely to cross the majority mark comfortably. Here are five key battles to

Himachal Pradesh Election Results 2022: Here's what happened in 5 key seats

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election Results 2022: Congress has emerged victorious in the state after BJP's Jai Ram Thakur conceded defeat

Nepal's ruling alliance wins majority of seats in provincial assembly polls

Nepal's ruling alliance has won a majority of seats in four of the seven provinces, as the Election Commission announced the results for the provincial Assembly polls

Pak's Election Commission plans to oust Imran Khan as chairman of PTI party

Pakistan's Election Commission on Tuesday initiated the process to remove Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan from his post following his disqualification in the Toshakhana case. A notice has been issued to the former prime minister and the case has been fixed for hearing on December 13, the Dawn newspaper reported, quoting a top ECP official. Khan,70, is in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit. He was later disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) under Article 63 (i) (p) for making "false statements and incorrect declaration." According to the ECP records, the gifts were purchased from the Toshakhana -- the state depository established in 1974 -- for Rs 21.5 million on the basis of their assessed value, while they were valued at around Rs 108 million. There have been numerous allegations and ...

Vasundhra Raje shares emotional connect with people: BJP MP Dushyant Singh

BJP MP Dushyant Singh on Monday said former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhra Raje shares an emotional connect with people and nobody fears her. His remarks came after state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra said party leader Rahul Gandhi received a grand welcome from people in Jhalwar on Sunday despite there being fear of Raje. Singh, who is the son of Raje, said the former chief minister brought development to the area and promoted social harmony. Those who failed to bring even two people together in Rajasthan are today claiming to connect India, he said referring to the Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by Gandhi. Raje has continuously won from Jhalwar not because of fear but because of her emotional connect with the people and party workers, Singh said.

Target 151: BJP sets eyes on the prize in Gujarat Assembly elections

The greatest solace for the BJP was the Congress' inability to mount a robust campaign. But a bigger imponderable was how the Aam Aadmi Party would fare

YS Sharmila, Telangana's X-factor, turns out to be new irritant for KCR

Dramatic visuals of YS Sharmila sitting defiantly in her car being towed away by Telangana Police have brought to the fore another dimension to the conundrum of politics in the two Telugu states

Kharge makes strong pitch for fixing accountability in Cong organisation

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday strongly pitched for organisational accountability from top to bottom in the party, and said those unable to fulfil their responsibilities will have to make way for their colleagues. In his opening remarks at the first meeting of the Congress steering committee constituted by him, Kharge also asked state in-charges to submit a roadmap for holding mass movements on people's issues over a period of 30 to 90 days, and called for a schedule of plans of the party in states where elections are due before 2024. "I believe that the biggest part of our responsibility towards the party and the country is -- organisational accountability from top to bottom. If the Congress organisation is strong, accountable, lives up to the expectations of the people, then only we will be able to win elections and serve the people of the country," the Congress chief said. In a stern message to office-bearers, Kharge also said that while there are very responsibl

Campaigning ends for Gujarat Assembly polls' second phase; voting on Dec 5

The high-voltage campaigning for the second and final phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections ended at 5 pm on Saturday. As many as 833 candidates are in the fray across 93 constituencies which will go to polls on December 5. Votes will be counted on December 8. Prominent candidates in the second phase include Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel from Ghatlodia, Patidar leader Hardik Patel from Viramgam and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor from Gandhinagar South. Both Hardik Patel and Thakor are contesting on BJP ticket. The first phase of voting for 89 seats in Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat was held on December 1 with average turnout of 63.31 per cent, lower than the last time. The main contenders in the elections are the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The 93 constituencies where polling will be held on Monday are spread across 14 districts of north and central Gujarat including Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Gandhinagar. There are

Pakistan govt invites Imran Khan's party for 'unconditional negotiations'

The Pakistan government on Saturday invited Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party for holding unconditional talks, saying negotiations are part of the political process and complex problems are resolved when two sides hear each other out. Addressing a joint press conference with Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party should sit down and negotiate with the government to resolve the impasse over holding early general elections. At the same time, they said that threats and talks cannot go together. The development comes after PTI chief Khan on Friday warned that he would dissolve the assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces ruled by his party if the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did not sit down for talks and announce dates for the general elections. The federal government led by Prime Minister Sharif is opposed to holding elections now. The term of the

Recruitment scams did not take place during my tenure: Uttarakhand CM Dhami

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday steered clear of recruitment scams in the state and said his government was "only cleaning the system". He was speaking at a function held in Raj Bhawan to felicitate Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Rakesh Kumar. Referring to the controversy that erupted in September over the alleged irregularities in Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) examination, Dhami said he visited the BJP headquarters in Delhi soon after and faced a volley of questions from journalists. "I told them clearly that the scams did not take place during my time. They were carried out from 2014 to 2016. All we did was get them probed and bring the culprits to book. We are only cleaning the system," Dhami said. A surfeit of recruitment scams, including those in police and civil services, have hit the state over the years. Dhami has already ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team, which has arrested 45

Guj polls: 60% females, 65% males voted in phase I, total turnout 63.31%

In the first phase, 63.31% of voters cast their votes in 89 assembly seats in Saurashtra and Kutch and South Gujarat

Swara Bhasker joins BJY; BJP calls her person with 'anti-national mindset'

Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker on Thursday joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh which invoked a strong reaction from the ruling BJP which accused her of having "anti-national mindset". Bhasker joined the foot-march in two stretches and walked with Gandhi for almost 15-20 km, a Congress leader said. The actor, who is vocal about her political and social views, was seen talking with Gandhi as they talked. Uttarakhand's former chief minister Harish Rawat, Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh, ex-parliamentarian Prem Chand Guddu and All India Mahila Congress's former president Shobha Oza followed Gandhi as the march resumed from Ujjain early in the morning. "Joined @bharatjodo yatra today & walked with @RahulGandhi. The energy, commitment & love is inspiring! The participation & warmth of common people, enthusiasm of Congress workers & RG's attention & care toward everyone & everything around him is astounding! @INCIndia," ...

'Maharashtra Governor Koshyari planning to quit is only speculation'

Certain media reports claiming that the beleaguered Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was planning to quit are 'pure speculation', official sources said here on Monday

Gujarat elections: Here's a comparative analysis of crorepati candidates

The average assets per candidate contesting the Gujarat Assembly elections in Phase I is Rs 2.88 crore

From corruption to Purvanchali identity, big issues in the elections to MCD

The upcoming civic elections in Delhi (polling on December 4) have pushed all the three parties - the BJP, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Congress - into pulling out their big campaigning guns

Gujarat Assembly elections: Of development, inflation, and rebellion

As 89 Gujarat Assembly seats go to the polls later this week, Radhika Ramaseshan travels to Saurashtra to gauge what voters are thinking

SC flags concerns about ECI autonomy and 'lightning speed' CEC appointment

The SC's observations on the appointment of Election Commissioners have focused attention on one of India's most respected institutions