Page 18 - Lok Sabha

Didn't want my wife to contest polls, but Cong brass insisted: HP CM Sukhu

Congress leader and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Wednesday said he did not want his wife to contest elections, but the party high command insisted she should, and announced her candidature for the Dehra assembly seat bypoll. Sukhu's wife Kamlesh Thakur's name appear in the list of candidates released by Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday. She has been fielded from the Dehra seat against two-time Independent MLA Hoshiyar Singh, who is contesting this election on a BJP ticket. "I was not willing that my wife contests elections but could not refuse to the Congress High command" Sukhu told reporters late on Tuesday night. He said the party leadership had told him during the Lok Sabha elections too that Thakur should contest the elections "but I was not willing". "This time again when the High Command insisted, I could not refuse" given what the political scenario in the state demanded. He said his wife emerged as the front-runner in the part

No change in Maharashtra's leadership, plan to win Assembly elections: BJP

The BJP on Tuesday ruled out any change in its leadership in Maharashtra after its poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections and asserted that it is working on a blueprint for the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP coalition to emerge victorious in the assembly polls, due later this year. The decision was taken at the Maharashtra BJP's core group meeting with party president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "There will be no change in leadership in Maharashtra," Union Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters at the BJP headquarters. The leaders discussed the strategy to ensure the re-election of the MahaYuti alliance in the upcoming assembly elections, Goyal said. The meeting was attended by senior BJP leaders BL Santosh, Bhupender Yadav, Ashwini Vaishnaw, state BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrakant Patil, Pankaja Munde, Raosaheb Danve and Vinod Tawde, among others. The BJP won nine seats in Maharashtra in the recent Lok Sabha elections, down from its 2019 tally

B'luru court remands ex-MP Prajwal Revanna to judicial custody till Jun 24

A special court here on Tuesday remanded former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of rape and sexual abuse, to judicial custody till June 24. The 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court had on June 12 remanded him to the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the cases against him, till June 18. The 33-year-old had failed in his bid to retain the Hassan parliamentary constituency in the recent polls. SIT officials arrested Revanna soon after he landed at Bengaluru airport from Germany on May 31. He had left for Germany on April 27, a day after Hassan went to the polls. A 'Blue Corner Notice' seeking information on his whereabouts had earlier been issued by the Interpol, following a request by the SIT via the Central Bureau of Investigation. Revanna was arrested in a case registered against him in Holenarasipura in Hassan district on April 28. He was accused of sexually harassing a 47-year-old former maid. He has been booked in t

Should MPs get a salary hike? Here is what other major countries do

They are paid less than elected representatives in other major nations

Priyanka's presence in Parliament will be huge asset to Congress: Tharoor

Priyanka Gandhi's presence in the Lok Sabha would strengthen the opposition benches and Wayanad would have a very strong person to represent them in Parliament, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday. Tharoor, speaking to the PTI on the sidelines of his 'thanksgiving' campaign in Neyyattinkara Assembly constituency, said Priyanka has been a very effective orator during the election campaigns and he was happy that she decided to enter electoral politics from Kerala. "I think Rahulji absolutely had to keep Rae Bareli, it is a very important signal to the people of Uttar Pradesh and of North India in general. "At the same time, he did not want to feel that he was abandoning the people of Wayanad and it is better to entrust it to his own sister. So I think it is a wonderful decision," Tharoor said as he travelled through the constituency in an open vehicle, thanking the voters. He said the same was his preference for the last few weeks, when it was clear tha

Rahul in Raebareli, Priyanka in Wayanad: What it means for the Congress

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi announced that he would represent the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat in Parliament, vacating the Wayanad seat in Kerala, where Priyanka Gandhi would now fight the bye-election

Priyanka Gandhi to make poll debut as Rahul to leave Wayanad for Rae Bareli

Kharge attributed the party's decision to have Rahul retain Rae Bareli to the Nehru-Gandhi family's "emotional" and "generational" ties with that seat

Rahul Gandhi picks Rae Bareli, Priyanka to contest from Wayanad LS seat

Rahul Gandhi said it was a difficult decision for him as he has an emotional connection with both Rae Bareli and Wayanad

8-term Chhatisgarh MLA Brijmohan Agrawal resigns after being elected to LS

Chhattisgarh minister and MLA Brijmohan Agrawal on Monday resigned from the state Assembly after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Raipur in the recent general elections. Agrawal submitted his resignation to Speaker Raman Singh at the latter's residence in the presence of BJP leaders. Singh said Agrawal's resignation from the Assembly has been accepted. "It is an emotional moment for me as I have been an MLA in undivided Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh without a break for 35 years. In Parliament, I will raise issues of Chhattisgarh's development," Agrawal told reporters. He said he was starting a new innings with the blessings of everybody, adding that he had no regrets about anything. Agrawal won the Raipur Lok Sabha seat by defeating Congress's Vikas Upadhyay by a record margin of 5,75,285 votes. An eight term MLA, Agrawal had won from Raipur City South assembly seat in the 2023 polls with the highest victory margin of 67,719 votes. He has been undefeated in polls since 1990.

Wayanad or Rae Bareli? Cong to hold discussions to decide on Rahul's seat

Congress' top leadership on Monday held discussions on Monday at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence here to decide whether Rahul Gandhi should vacate his Wayanad or Rae Bareli seat. The meeting also discussed whether Rahul Gandhi would take up the post of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, sources said. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former party president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present during the discussions. Sources said the leaders are learnt to have held crucial discussions on which seat should Rahul Gandhi vacate or keep, and whether he should take up the position of Leader of Opposition. Rahul Gandhi had won both from Wayanad and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies and he has to vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the Lok Sabha results, which came out on June 4. The Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, has also urged Rahul Gandhi to tak

'Teary' PM said NDA couldn't win single Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu: DMK

DMK's Tamil mouthpiece 'Murasoli' on Monday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the recent meeting of MPs of the National Democratic Alliance had said with 'teary eyes' that they could not win even a single Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu. "He did not say why they could not win. He does not seem to have realised the reason for that. He will not spell out the reason even if he has realised and he cannot disclose that reason," Murasoli said in its editorial on June 17. The DMK-led INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu has been unmasking the BJP not only for electoral politics but it is being done ideologically and this alliance was not formed in the state just before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "This alliance has been waging a democratic war against the fascist BJP for the past five years." The DMK and its allies could secure a landslide victory by its grassroots campaign that nurturing BJP would be dangerous for the whole of India. DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin's pitch of a vote

Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as LS member: Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar should be stopped from taking oath as the Lok Sabha member, amid a controversy after he won the Mumbai North West seat by a thin margin of 48 votes. The Vanrai police in Mumbai have registered a case against Waikar's brother-in-law for allegedly using a mobile phone at a counting centre in Goregaon (which is part of Waikar's constituency) on June 4, when results of the general elections were announced. Speaking to reporters here, Raut said, "Waikar's electoral victory is under suspicion, and a complaint has already been filed at the Vanrai police station in Mumbai. Due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the poll outcome, Waikar should be prevented from taking oath as a member of the Lok Sabha." "It would be a true display of democracy if he is stopped from being a Lok Sabha member until the investigation is concluded," he added. Waikar, candidate of the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Ekn

Categorically refused to be Minister of State again, says BJP MP Kulaste

MP Faggan Singh Kulaste, who did not find a place in Modi 3.0 council of ministers, has said that he had categorically refused to be a junior minister for the fourth time. I was a Minister of State (MoS) three times. It is not good to become MoS for the fourth time. So, I flatly refused. I said it would be fine if I became a cabinet minister. I have nothing to harbour, said the BJP tribal leader who has won from the Mandla Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh seven times. The 65-year-old MP was on Saturday replying to a query about his exclusion from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers in the third term of the NDA government. He was at the Niwas area of Mandla where he had gone to thank voters. Kulaste was the MoS for Rural Development in the previous government. He was the MoS for Health and Family Welfare during the first of Modi as PM. Kulaste had served as MoS for Tribal and Parliamentary Affairs when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM between 1999 and 2004. He had ...

Om Birla discusses statue relocation in Parliament with stakeholders

Statues of freedom fighters and national icons spread across the Parliament complex have been relocated to a new enclosure on its premises, Prerna Sthal, following discussions with different stakeholders, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Sunday. The relocation of the statues, he said, were done as part of a landscaping and beautification exercise. Addressing reporters here, Birla also asserted that discussions were held from time to time with different stakeholders on the relocation of statues as such decisions were within the purview of the Office of the Lok Sabha Speaker. "None of the statues have been removed, they have been relocated. There is no need to indulge in politics on this," the outgoing speaker said when asked about the opposition criticism on the relocation of the statues. "From time to time, I have been discussing these issues with different stakeholders. People were of the view that having these statues at one place will help disseminate information about their .

EVMs in India are 'black box', nobody allowed to scrutinise them: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said EVMs in India are a "black box" which nobody is allowed to scrutinise, and asserted that "serious concerns" are being raised about transparency in India's electoral process. "Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability," Gandhi said and tagged a media report which claimed that a relative of Shiv Sena's candidate, who won the polls from Mumbai's north west by 48 votes, had a phone that unlocks an EVM. The former Congress president also tagged the post on X by Elon Musk in which he talked about eliminating EVMs. "We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high," Musk had said in his post. The opposition parties have been raising concerns over EVMs for some time now and had demanded a 100 per cent count of the VVPAT slips which was not allowed.

J-K Cong passes resolution, appeals Rahul Gandhi to take role of LoP in LS

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of Congress on Saturday passed a resolution here, appealing former president Rahul Gandhi to take the role of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The resolution was passed at a one-day convention of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chaired by J-K unit president Vikar Rasool Wani and attended by almost all senior leaders and workers, a party spokesman said. "Rahul Gandhi taking over as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha is the need of the hour. This is the demand of general workers and the people of this country who desire a strong opposition to raise the issues faced by the common people," the spokesman said, quoting the resolution. The convention, first after the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls which saw the BJP retaining both seats of Jammu region for the third term, also congratulated Sonia Gandhi on being elected chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party, lauding her leadership and dedication towards the party throughout her political ..

LS poll results: BJP's arrogance, pride crushed, says TMC's Abhishek

Hailing the Lok Sabha elections as that of "protest, resistance and revenge", senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee said the poll results have "crushed BJP's arrogance and pride into dust". He also accused the saffron party of "abusing central agencies, corrupting the judiciary, gagging the media and manipulating the Election Commission to cling to power". In a Facebook post late on Friday night after meeting party workers and common people in his Diamond Harbour constituency, from where he was re-elected by a record margin of over 7 lakh votes, the TMC national general secretary said that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be etched in golden letters in history as 'jonogoner gorjon' (people's roar). "The 'jonogoner gorjon' (people's roar) will be etched in golden letters in the history. This Lok Sabha election was one of 'protibaad, protirodh and protishodh' (protest, resistance and revenge). BJP's arrogance, pride, and backbone have been crushed into dust," he said. Altho

Bill on water dispute adjudication lapses following dissolution of 17th LS

Pending in Rajya Sabha since 2019 following its passage in the lower house, a bill which sought to address the adjudication of disputes concerning inter-state rivers and river valleys has lapsed following the dissolution of 17th Lok Sabha. Bills passed by Lok Sabha and pending in Rajya Sabha or those passed by Rajya Sabha and pending in Lok Sabha lapse after the lower house is dissolved. However, bills introduced and pending in Rajya Sabha do not lapse. A Rajya Sabha bulletin issued on Thursday said 'The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019', passed by Lok Sabha and pending in Rajya Sabha, has lapsed under clause (5) of Article 107 of the Constitution, following the dissolution of 17th Lok Sabha. The amendment bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 25, 2019, by then Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The bill sought to amend the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, which addresses the adjudication of disputes concerning inter-state rivers

Genuine introspection, strategy needed to revive BJP's fortunes: Fadnavis

In the wake of the BJP's Lok Sabha tally coming down from 23 to 9 in Maharashtra, senior party leader and state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday stressed the need for genuine introspection and a strategy to revive the saffron outfit's fortunes. Addressing a meeting of the party aimed at taking stock of the results of the Lok Sabha elections, Fadnavis claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost several seats due to polarisation. "We require a strategy and genuine introspection. Just analysis is not enough," he said. "Heavens have not fallen. We got only two lakh votes less in the state, while in Mumbai we received two lakh more votes. BJP was ahead in 130 assembly segments. But there was tremendous polarisation," the former chief minister said. There was a false narrative that the BJP would change the Constitution if voted to power. This narrative was strong in the first three phases. But we countered this narrative well after the three phases. Hence, we ...

In dilemma on whether to retain Wayanad or Rae Bareli LS seat: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who won from Wayand and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 general elections said on Wednesday that he was in a dilemma as to which constituency he should relinquish. Gandhi, however, said that whatever decision he takes, both constituencies will be happy with it. He thanked the people of Wayanad for electing him for a second term in Lok Sabha and said, "I look forward to seeing you soon." "I have a dilemma before me, whether I should be the MP of Wayanad or of Rae Bareli. What I will commit to you is that both Wayand and Rae Bareli will be happy with my decision," the Congress leader said while speaking at a public meeting here. It is his first appearance in the state after winning the Wayanad LS seat by a huge margin for the second consecutive time. Gandhi took a dig at Narendra Modi by saying that he does not receive any directions from God on what has to be done the way the PM does. Mocking at Modi, the Congress leader said God directs the PM