Barely days after the Lok Sabha elections concluded in Kerala, the Congress state unit is grappling with a crisis, and it has none other than KPCC president K Sudhakaran at its crux. Though AICC did blink and allow Sudhakaranwho had handed over the charge to another leader as he was a candidate in the LS pollsto return as KPCC president, signals emanating from the party show that all is not well. Both opposition leader V D Satheesan and the temporary KPCC chief M M Hassan had skipped the event w

BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda asserts there is no anti-incumbency in the general election because of the peoples trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership and no trust at all in Opposition which is muddavihin (issueless) and Sankalp-rahit (without resolve). He says the BJP has no agenda to amend the Constitution. We are committed to preserving the vision of Babasaheb Ambedkars Constitution, he said in an interview with Rajesh Kumar Thakur . Excerpts: BJP and its NDA allies allege the Opp

RAE BARELI: From keeping the six-decade-long tryst with the Nehru-Gandhi family to handing defeat to Indira Gandhi, Rae Bareli has played a part in shaping major political events in the country. With the Congress fielding Rahul Gandhi from the seat this time, his election is considered a done deal. The only question is about the margin of victory. Considered a safe seat for the Congress, Rae Bareli has been its citadel in the worst of times, barring Indiras defeat in 1977. For the same reason, t

Last of a four-part series AYODHYA: Ram maryada purushottam, Rajputo ka Rajput, says the man in saffron regalia as a throwaway line, while putting a tika on those walking towards the temple. Whoever thought of Ram in caste terms? That idiom-like Hindi phrasing combines the old philosophical ideal with a medieval-modern folk twist. Ram, the ideal man, is also the Rajput among Rajputs. In the polling booth-bound Ayodhya of 2024, much of it boils down to just that. The caste equations of candidates

Six states and two UTs vote in fifth phase Bihar: 5 seats Jammu and Kashmir: 1 seat Jharkhand: 3 seats Ladakh: 1 seat Maharashtra: 13 seats Odisha: 5 seats Uttar Pradesh: 14 seats West Bengal: 7 seats The fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections takes place today, with 49 constituencies from six states and two union territories voting, including India's financial capital Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow. Over 8.95 crore people, including 4.26 crore females and 5,409 third-gender electors, ar

AYODHYA: As Ayodhya gears up to vote for the first time after the Ram temple consecration, Muslim voters in the pilgrim town say mandir-masjid (temple-mosque) is not an issue for them and employment and development are their primary concerns. Some, including Iqbal Ansari, who was a litigant in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, give the BJP due credit for the development of Ayodhya while others feel much needs to be done to ensure that the gains percolate to all parts of the temple town. Whe

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were forced to leave a public meeting venue hastily following a stampede-like situation. The incident was reported at Padila in Phulpur parliamentary constituency, Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, the supporters who have gathered for the rally went berserk creating a stampede-like situation. #WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: A stampede-like situation took place in the joint public meeting of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and

Phase five LS polls: EC asks city dwellers to turnout in higher numbers

BUDGAM: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has said people are identifying themselves with his party's campaign as it is talking about factors important to them: the sense of etrayal since August 5, 2019 and their issues remaining unaddressed in the absence of a popular government since 2018. Abdullah, who is contesting from the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, accuses the BJP and agencies of riding multiple horses in this race to see which one can ultimately damage the National Conference. Over

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday claimed that the Modi government's Forest Conservation Amendment Act had undid the progress of the historic Forest Rights Act of 2006 and accused the BJP of diluting tribal rights. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his rally in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur. Why do the people of Jamshedpur still suffer from poor connectivity? Why is it that the 2As and their tempo-loads of black money roam free, while Jhar

BARGARH: With the Bargarh Parliamentary constituency going to polls in next 48 hours, candidates from various political parties left no stone unturned to woo voters before campaigning came to a close on Saturday. A charged yet chaotic atmosphere prevailed in the district as parties were seen making last ditch efforts to win the election scheduled on May 20. To avoid last-minute confusion, Congress had organised a well-coordinated rally on Friday evening aimed at leaving a lasting impression on t

SAMBALPUR: Home voting process for elections in Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency is underway in full swing with over 701 votes collected so far from PwD and senior citizens aged 85 years and above. The district is set to go for polls on May 25. Sub-collector-cum-returning officer of Sambalpur, Puspanjali Panda said the first phase of home voting was held from May 13 to 16 and the second phase from May 17 to 18. Until now, home voting is over in Sambalpur and Rengali Assembly constituencies. The

ROURKELA: Union Minister for Railways, IT, and Telecommunications, Ashwini Vaishnaw, returned to Bonai in Sundargarh district on Saturday, nearly three decades after serving as the sub-collector.He struck a personal chord with the local population while campaigning for the BJP. Speaking at a well-attended Vijay Sankalp Samavesh at the Babu Nuagaon playground, Vaishnaw expressed his nostalgia and deep emotional connection with the people of Bonai. He recalled his time as Bonai sub-collector in 19

BALASORE: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan lambasted the BJD government for its alleged neglect and demolition of religious sites in Odisha during a BJP workers meet here on Saturday. Pradhan, also the BJPs Lok Sabha candidate from Sambalpur, claimed that monks in the state have lost faith in the BJD due to its monopolistic practices over the past 25 years, which have purportedly led to the destruction of mathas and temples in Puri and other areas. He accused the BJD of distributing benefits of

PURI: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) intensified its campaign for the Puri Lok Sabha constituency on Saturday, with star campaigner VK Pandian addressing multiple public meetings to garner support for its Lok Sabha candidate, Arup Patnaik and Assembly nominee Umakant Samantaray. Pandian spoke at Krushna Prasad and Kerandia in the Brahmagiri Assembly segment, as well as Pipili, Chilika, and Ranpur. At Kerandia, Pandian criticised the Opposition parties for their alleged false promises and highlighted

KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress is contesting all seats except one on a stronger wicket since it won the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 with a comfortable margin. Barrackpore is an exception because BJPs Arjun Singh won the seat in 2019, but he switched to the TMC in 2022, but was back in the saffron fold before the 2024 polls. Seven parliamentary seats are up for grabs in the May 20 elections. They are Bangaon, Barrackpur, Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly, Arambagh. In Bangaon, the bat

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat BJP has launched a campaign to attract voters from Uttar Pradesh. Thousands of migrant workers living in Surat are calling up their relatives in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, urging them to vote for the BJP. During these conversations, they highlight the Gujarat model of development. As an incentive, participants will have the opportunity to meet state BJP chief CR Patil for lunch or dinner. The innovative campaign strategy is credited to Patil. During the campai

MUMBAI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other INDIA bloc leaders on Saturday called upon the Election Commission to take action after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders repeated claims that the opposition would run bulldozer over Ram temple if voted to power. Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Kharge, NCP-SP leader Sharad Pawar and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray responded to questions on Modis charge that the INDIA bloc will bulldoze the Ram temple, dilut

RANCHI: Whether Chatra Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand will get a local parliamentarian for the first time is a major poll buzz in the constituency as all MPs elected from here since 1957 were outsiders. Sensing the long-standing demand of the locals, the BJP for the first time has fielded a local candidate, Kalicharan Singh, from the seat. The Congress has given ticket to senior leader and former Daltonganj legislator KN Triparthi, an outsider. In the 2019 general elections, despite anti-outsider s

CHANDIGARH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up his attack on the Congress, saying it was his dhakad (strong) government that brought down the wall of Article 370 in Kashmir which is now moving ahead on the path of development. He emphasized the the progress made by his government and praised Haryanas spirit: Haryana means himmat (courage) and hausla (high morale). Like Haryana, Modi has run the government for 10 years in a dhaakad manner, he said. Addressing his first election rally in the

NEW DELHI: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday claimed that India is currently at a dangerous crossroads and the fight in this Lok Sabha election is to save the nations democracy and constitution. The senior AAP leader alleged that the BJP leaders are blinded by power. They dont realize this country is not anyones personal property. It belongs to 140 crore people. Our freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for the sake of this country, he said. Campaigning for AAP candidate in Harya

NEW DELHI: East Delhi is among the countrys larger and more populated Lok Sabha constituencies, comprising parts of the national capital on either side of the Yamuna. The constituency is home to people from different walks of life, students, aspirants, employed, displaced, migrated, slum dwellers and those in unauthorised settlements. There is a large concentrations of residents in areas like Seelampur, Shahdara, Gandhi Nagar, Preet Vihar, among others. Okhla, with pockets of residential complex

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday claimed the entire country is seething in anger against the BJP and will end its dictatorial rule on June 4, the counting day of the Lok Sabha polls. Addressing a street meeting in West Delhis Najafgarh area, he claimed the BJP would soon arrest AAP leaders such as Raghav Chaddha, Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to crush the opposition. The AAP national convener made the comments on the day his aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested in connection

NEW DELHI: The latest exercise of home voting by the Delhi poll body for the Lok Sabha elections has generated an interest, with many political stalwarts opting to cast their votes from the comfort of home. Former Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Union Ministers Murli Manohar Joshi and Lal Krishna Advani have availed this facility and casted their votes from their residences in the New Delhi constituency. The exercise, which started from Thursday, has

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit the campaign trail in the national capital, saying he would press the button for the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal would vote for the Congress in the forthcoming elections. All seven seats of Delhi will go to polls on May 25. In a show of solidarity within the INDIA bloc, Rahul, in his maiden poll rally in Chandni Chowk, sought to remind voters that the AAP is contesting four seats and Congress three as part of the seat-sharing deal. As Kanhaiya

Around the same time last year, after a hard-fought election, Congress won a clear majority in the Karnataka assembly. After hectic parleys in the national capital, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar took oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively, on May 20. Now, as the government completes its first year in office, peoples verdict on its performance will be out on June 4, when the results to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be announced. It was indeed a politically charged year fo

PATNA: For Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, merely winning the Hajipur (SC) Lok Sabha seat his legendary father Ram Vilas Paswan held for decades, would be a disgrace. He wants to register victory with an eye-popping margin so as to establish himself as the political heir of the Ram Vilas legacy. Chirags party is an ally of BJP-led NDA. He is locked in a straight fight with former state minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasads trusted lieutenant Shiv Chandra Ram. Unlike in 2019 wh

There are two simultaneous election campaigns underway: Modi Mystique and Whisper Wave. Number One is happening everywhere with pomp and promises. Number Two is a stealthy tinnitus spread by a vast web of organisations, individuals, political parties, social media activists and alternate media. The Whisper Wave, or WV, is an insidious net of labrish which cannot be attributed to a person, party or movement. Hence it could make any conspicuous figure of authority a sitting duck. In 2014, Modis fo

The emergence of Bihars new political leadership signifies the swan song of stalwarts from the Jayaprakash Narayan movement. No corner of the states polity seems untouched by such a change of guard. Lets see how this handover might affect the states political calculus. Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal launched himself when his father Lalu Prasad was imprisoned on corruption charges. Lalu Prasad has mass appeal among the Yadavs and Muslims, who constitute 14.7 percent and 17.7 percent o

MUMBAI: A confident Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge declared on Saturday that the INDIA alliance is poised to secure 46 out of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Thirteen seats in the state, including six in Mumbai, are scheduled for polling In the upcoming fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. Kharge was addressing a press conference alongside his Maha Vikas Aghadi partners, former Union Minister and NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar and former Chief Minister and Shiv Sen

KOLKATA: Asserting that electors of the country will teach a lesson to the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday claimed that the term of the saffron party-led NDA government at the Centre will expire soon. Addressing a rally in Kultali in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district in support of Trinamool Congress candidate from Jaynagar Pratima Mandal, Banerjee blamed the BJP for making the lives of poor people miserable. A right lesson ha

NEW DELHI: Former vice president Mohammad Hamid Ansari, former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, former deputy prime minister LK Advani and former Union minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi have cast their votes using the home voting facility, the Delhi poll body said. The office of the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Delhi on Thursday kicked off the home voting facility for elderly voters and persons with disabilities (PwDs) and it will go on till May 24. According to the data shared by the office,

AMBALA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharpened his attack on the Congress on Saturday and said it was his dhakad (strong) government that brought down the wall of Article 370 and as a result, Kashmir is now moving ahead on the path of development. Modi said the history of the Congress has been of betraying India's forces and soldiers as he referred to the Jeep scandal, the first scam during the grand old party's rule. Could a weak government have changed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir? Modi

SRINAGAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Kashmir to issue directions to the administration, the BJP and its proxies on defeating the National Conference, party leader Omar Abdullah alleged on Saturday. Shah on Friday wrapped up his brief visit to the Kashmir Valley during which he interacted with several delegations, including local Sikhs, Paharis, and those from the BJP, officials said. Though his visit in the midst of Lok Sabha elections led to speculation of his meetings with some Kash

MUMBAI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of inciting people and dividing society through his election speeches. Kharge was addressing a press conference of the INDIA bloc, where NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and other leaders were present. The opposition alliance held an election rally in the city on Friday. No prime minister before Modi has ever indulged in inciting people like he has been doing. He

BHUBANESWAR/CUTTACK: A double-engine government by BJP is crucial for acceleration of development in Odisha, said Bollywood's dream girl and BJP leader Hema Malini on Friday. The star campaigner of BJP in her first election campaign in the state targeted the BJD government accusing it of failing to secure Odisha's progress on many fronts. Hema, who attended BJP's Ashirvad Samabesh at Salia Sahi, the state capital's biggest slum, to canvass for party's Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha candidate Aparajita Sa

CUTTACK: The Railway Board has sanctioned a final location survey for a new line between Angul and Nayagarh Town via Narasinghpur, Kantilo and Khandapada and a chord line between Khurda Town and Kaipadar Road. Addressing a Vijay Sankalp Samabesh at Sri Ram Bazaar in Narasinghpur, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw showed the sanction order and said the new line is poised to bring significant economic and infrastructural benefits to the region, enhancing connectivity and fostering growth. The Rail

CHENNAI: DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of picking up a cheap strategy of stoking confrontation between states as his propaganda of communal hatred did not help. Stalin slammed what he called Modi's imaginary tales and bags of lies by alleging that leaders of southern states including Tamil Nadu (INDIA bloc constituents) were speaking in a derogatory manner, against the people of Uttar Pradesh. Days ago, PM Modi had alleged in a poll

BHUBANESWAR: As campaign has reached a peak ahead of the second phase elections in Odisha on May 20, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday came down heavily on the Union ministers, CMs from other states and others leaders for resorting to what he termed derogatory and abusive language in their campaign meetings and rallies. With the Opposition, particularly the BJP pressing all its might in the state to win the polls by bringing in top ministers, its CMs and top leaders, the chief minister sai

SAMBALPUR/ANGUL: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday visited Sambalpur, Angul and Dhenkanal districts urging people to exercise their franchise in favour of BJD candidates from the areas during the polls. In Sambalpur, the chief minister, bolstering his support for BJD organisational secretary and MP candidate from Sambalpur seat Pranab Prakash Das along with MLA candidates from Sambalpur and Rengali, Rohit Pujari and Sudarshan Haripal, appealed to the people to vote for Jodi Sankha. Address

NEW DELHI: Congress leader and partys candidate for the Lok Sabha elections from the Northeast Delhi constituency, Kanhaiya Kumar, was slapped by some unidentified people while he was campaigning in his constituency on Friday. According to the police, apart from Kanhaiya, an AAP councillor named Chhaya Sharma was also assaulted in the incident. Sharing details, Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said information regarding the incident was received at 6.53 pm, the caller stating

BHUBANESWAR: A day after ordering deployment of 20 companies of CAPF in Ganjam in view of pre-poll violence in Khallikote, chief electoral officer (CEO) Nikunja Bihari Dhal on Friday held talks with political parties seeking their cooperation in ensuring peaceful voting in the next three phases of elections. During the meeting, attended by leaders of major political parties, the CEO reiterated there is no place for violence in democracy and no law and order situation will be tolerated during the

ROURKELA: Union Home Minister Amit Shah once again launched a scathing attack on the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government, dubbing it the Jhola Sarkar over issues related to the Public Distribution System (PDS) rice scheme. Addressing a massive election rally in Rourkela, Shah sought votes for BJPs Sundargarh Lok Sabha candidate Jual Oram and the partys Assembly candidates for Rourkela, RN Pali, and Birmitrapur. Shah questioned the competence of the BJD government, raising concerns about the admini

HYDERABAD: Though there is still over a fortnight left for the votes cast for the Lok Sabha elections to be counted, supporters of some candidates in Telangana are expressing confidence that their leaders would not only win, but also bag a berth in the Union Cabinet. With votes in four of the seven phases of elections now cast, both the NDA and INDIA blocs are claiming that they are ahead and would form the government at the Centre. In the state, candidates fielded by the Congress and BJP are co

A distance of 335 km between two places can change many things. Two different geographies could mean different lives, livelihood, dialects, climate, cultural practices, food and a lot more. But, between Hinjili and Kantabanji, there are dissimilarities and equally, a common ground. Hinjili, for all the attention it garnered over the last two decades and a half, is like a reluctant celebrity. A quaint little semi-urban place, it has grown over the years into a municipal area with modern amenities

HYDERABAD: With the Telangana phase of the Lok Sabha elections ending, a swarm of Congress leaders from the state have landed in Uttar Pradeshs Rae Bareli to campaign for former AICC president Rahul Gandhi. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is also planning to campaign for Rahul in Rae Bareli. Minister for Panchayat Raj, Women and Child Welfare Danasari Anasuya, alias Seethakka, confirmed that she was in Rae Bareli campaigning. She said that the Congress leaders are campaigning with the slogan Ab K

RANCHI: For the first time in Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat, two candidates of backward caste (OBC) have locked horns against each other making the contest interesting besides making it unpredictable also. Hazaribagh LS seat, a BJP stronghold with former Union Ministers Yashwant Sinha and his son Jayant Sinha winning the seat on BJP ticket for the last three terms, has become difficult for the party this time as the contest is primarily between the two backward (OBC) candidates Hazaribagh (Sadar) M

PATNA: The five Bihar seats going to polls in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls on May 20 will witness new candidates on four seats, and a turncoat trying his luck from the remaining one. In Hajipur (SC) and Saran, RJD chief Lalu Prasads daughter Rohini Acharya and Ram Vilas Paswans son Chirag Paswan face the challenges of protecting their fathers pocket boroughs, respectively. Altogether 80 candidates, including 35 Independents, are in the fray, with three contestants being doctors. In high-pr

SRINAGAR: After Srinagar recorded highest voter turnout of 37.99% in three decades, all eyes are now on the poll percentage on two other Valley seats and it remains to be seen whether the voter turnout crosses the 50% mark in any of the two or both parliamentary seats. The poll enthusiasm has returned to the Valley after over three decades of militancy. The political parties and candidates are holding poll rallies, roadshows and corner meetings in Baramulla parliamentary seat in north Kashmir, w