India Politics

Kolkata: West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday brought out a rally protesting against "vandalism" during Saturday's civic polls in three municipal bodies by...

By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net, Bhopal: The rightist Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), led National Democratic Front, (NDA), having a pro-Hindu, stance is exuding with confidence in the ongoing elections in India to Lok Sabha (lower House) to capture power dethroning Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, (UPA). Senior BJP leader Mrs. Sushma Swaraj on Monday expressed confidence that the NDA would definitely cross the magic figure of 272 in the Lok Sabha elections to form the next federal government in India.

Panaji : The Narendra Modi-led government has been in power for only six months and should be given "some more days" to usher in...

By IANS, Lucknow : The Bharatiya Janata Party Thursday demanded the framing of a national policy against illegal Bangladeshi migrants in the country. "The illegal Bangladeshi migrants who have settled in various states, including Uttar Pradesh, are a threat to the country's national security," state BJP president Ramapati Ram Tripathi told reporters here. Taking this into account, a national policy should be framed by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, he added.

By Devanik Saha “#India‘s #coal story: from scarcity to surplus in 2 years!” tweeted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shaina NC on July 30,...

By IANS, Bhubaneswar : At least a dozen political activists and media persons were injured when a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation was attacked by a mob in Orissa's Jajpur district Monday, the party's state unit chief said. The incident occurred when state BJP president Jual Oram, along with his party workers, was on his way to meet tribals displaced by a road project at Kalinga Nagar industrial complex, some 100 km from here. "The miscreants had come with sharp weapons, attacked our people and damaged our vehicles," Oram told IANS.

New Delhi : Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla and Minister of State for Heavy Industries G.M. Siddeshwara resigned from the Council of Ministers on...

New Delhi : BJP president Rajnath Singh Friday congratulated prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi over the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls and...

Thiruvananthapuram: A senior BJP leader on Wednesday denied media reports about union HRD Minister Smriti Irani allegedly behaving rudely with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy...

By IANS, Srinagar/Jammu : Voting ended peacefully in Jammu and Kashmir for the fourth round of the staggered assembly elections Sunday with tens of thousands taking part despite winter chill and a boycott call by Muslim separatists. Polling took place in 18 constituencies spread over the Muslim-dominated Kashmir Valley and pre-dominantely Hindu majority Jammu region.

By IANS, Srinagar/Jammu : Without an elected government for three months and in the global spotlight of trouble for two decades, Jammu and Kashmir Monday made another tryst with political power as the assembly polls got under way with voters braving the winter chill and a boycott call from separatists to exercise their franchise.

By Aadil Mir Srinagar : Violent protests broke out in Anantnag town on Monday night with an official building set on fire by protesters, while...

By IANS, New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi "that autonomy of the constitutional body would be protected".

By IANS, Ahmedabad : Gujarat's opposition Congress Wednesday charged that the Narendra Modi government was giving undue favour to Essar Oil, benefiting the private firm to the tune of Rs.100 billion at the cost of the state exchequer. Shaktisinh Gohil, leader of the opposition in the assembly, told reporters that the state government was enriching Essar Oil by applying a policy of incentives that was in force during 1995-2000.

By IANS, Hyderabad : The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh Thursday decided to move a no confidence motion against the state's Congress government.

By IANS, New Delhi : The Left parties Tuesday withdrew their support to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress-led government after failing to resolve their dragging differences over the India-US nuclear deal. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat made the announcement here as Manmohan Singh attended the G8 summit in Japan. Karat said the decision would be formally conveyed to President Pratibha Patil Wednesday afternoon, a day ahead of the prime minister's return from Japan.

By TCN Staff Reporter,

By IANS, Bangalore: Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Friday opposed the 'padayatra' (march) the Reddy brothers and their loyalist, Health Minister B. Sriramulu have started in their stronghold Bellary to counter the opposition's campaign against illegal mining. "Personally I am opposed to it," Yeddyurappa told reporters, referring to the padyatra the Reddy brothers and Sriramlu launched in Bellary, about 320 km from here, Thursday to whip up support for themselves in the district where the main opposition Congress plans a huge rally Aug 9.

By IANS, Patna: A Bihar Police team has been sent to Gujarat's Surat city to probe who sanctioned full page advertisements in vernacular dailies here bearing a photograph of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi, an official said Tuesday. The advertisements triggered a controversy between ruling allies, the Janata Dal-United and the Bharatiya Janata Party after Nitish Kumar objected to the use of his photo without his permission. Additional Director General of Police P.K Thakur said that a police team was sent to Surat to investigate.

By IANS, Kolkata : Pictures of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore can continue to adorn the walls of the state secretariat in West Bengal without violating the election code of conduct, following a clarification by the Election Commission Wednesday. A directive by the poll panel a day earlier had ruffled many feathers here, particularly that of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. But now the commission has clarified that its stricture disallowing the pictures of political functionaries relates only to present day politicians and not "past national heroes".

By IANS, Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has hit out at critics of film star Amitabh Bachchan for agreeing to be the brand ambassador of his state, calling them "Talibans of Untouchability". Lamenting that the star was being dragged into a controversy, Modi wrote on his official blog: "A great artist with legendary humility and even taller achievements like Amitabh Bachchan who has chosen to celebrate the glorious heritage of Gujarat and her 'asmita' (honour) even while facing a lot of criticisms from many quarters is an inspiring matter."

Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood, It's never too late to mend. Muslims take this with a pinch of salt in the context of the Congress' additional manifesto declared in respect of minorities welfare. Major recommendations of Sachar Committee and Mishra Commission whose implementation will have far reaching positive bearing on Muslim welfare have so far been swept beneath the carpet by the UPA II. But, now that the Congress has realized, though midway through the ongoing polling for Lok Sabha elections, that it is going to be pushed to the wall, it suddenly recalled what all Muslims have been reminding it all these years and months.

Thiruvananthapuram : A state-wide dawn-to-dusk shutdown in Kerala called by the BJP Tuesday demanding the resignation of the state finance minister left most of...

Chhapra (Bihar): The RJD and JD-U governments of the past 25 years have turned Bihar's youths into migrants, forcing them to seek jobs outside...

By IANS, New Delhi : Opposition leaders Monday dubbed the government's interim budget as a "farewell speech". "This is not a budget, it was the United...

By IANS, Mumbai : Hitendra Thakur-led Bahujan Vikas Agadhi Monday won the first ever election to the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation, on the outskirts of north Mumbai, capturing 55 of the 89 wards. "We had expected to win over 50 wards and we got it. I thank all those who had faith in the party and those who elected members of our party," Thakur said. Vivek Pandit-led Jan Andolan Samiti contested from 38 wards and won 19. Out of 48 wards the Congress contested, it won only two.

By IANS, New Delhi : The Congress Saturday demanded that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi apologise to the elderly and to all women for terming the party a 125-year-old "budhiya" (aged woman) and saying it was a burden on the country. "Modi should apologise to women, in fact men and women, and to the elderly for his remarks. If Modi or (his) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) do not apologise, the electorate will soon send them packing into obscurity," Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan told reporters here.

New Delhi (IANS) : The widespread emergence of regional political parties in India would lead to the country's overall economic growth, speakers said at the opening session of the India summit of the Davos-based World Economic Forum (WEF). Regional politics are a representation of the country's vast and diverse society and they together put forward the aspirations of millions of people, the speakers pointed out.

By IANS, Chennai : Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Friday accused the central government of taking a negative approach towards Tamil Nadu's demands.

By IANS,

By IANS,

By IANS, Bangalore : Nothing it seems can goad reluctant and apathetic Bangaloreans to come out from their houses to vote - as India's tech hub Thursday recorded a low of 47 percent turnout despite several campaigns to encourage people to use their democratic right. There are 5.9 million eligible voters in three parliamentary constituencies of Bangalore - South, Central and North. The overall overall vote percent in Karnataka was 51. The voting figures came as a shock to the people involved in awareness campaigns asking people to vote.

By IANS,

By IANS, Panaji: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not dislodge the Congress-led coalition government in Goa which has seen three coups against Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in the last two years, the BJP's new state unit chief said Sunday. "Instead of moving in for power, the BJP will consciously opt for the democratic option of elections. We are in no hurry to come to power," Laxmikant Parsenkar said, adding that the party would work towards coming to power only in the 2012, when the state assembly polls are likely to be held.

By IANS

Wayanad (Kerala) : Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Sunday threatened to protest in front of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence along with his cabinet and central ministers from Kerala if New Delhi did not help the state overcome economic losses caused by heavy rains.

By Soudhriti Bhabani, IANS, Darjeeling (West Bengal) : The West Bengal government was Friday monitoring the situation following the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's (GJM) decision to form its own voluntary force in the Darjeeling Hills. The GJM, fighting for a separate Gorkhaland state, Thursday announced it would initiate the enrolment process for recruiting members of the Gorkha Land Personnel (GLP) from June 22. It said it would monitor the overall law and order situation and help the police maintain peace, but the cadres would not be given arms training.

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday released the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) and said that it would be an important input...

By IANS Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan came under attack from the opposition Tuesday for the delay in helping farmers who had lost their crops in the unseasonal rains last month. According to government estimates, around 20,000 hectares of crops were destroyed in the rains that lashed Kuttanad area in Alappuzha district.

By IANS, Bangalore : Political parties in Karnataka Wednesday ended their campaign for the second phase of polling Friday for 66 assembly seats in 10 districts in central, coastal and northern parts of the state. Over 11 million people are eligible to vote and decide the fate of 589 candidates, an overwhelming majority of whom are independents. Polling will take place in over 12,000 booths in the districts of Raichur, Koppal, Uttara Kannada, Bellary, Chitradurga, Davangere, Shimoga, Udupi, Chikmagalur and Dakshina Kannada.

New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi has urged the government to relax norms concerning moisture content of wheat procured by the Food Corporation...

By IANS,

By IANS,

By IANS,

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the "industry of red tape" thrives on doubt, while the "road with red carpet"...

By IANS,

By IANS, New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday said the India-specific safeguards pact with the IAEA compromised the country's interests and accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of flouting assurances he gave to parliament on the India-US nuclear deal. BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie said in a joint statement that the betrayal of India's interests was reflected in the draft safeguards agreement reached with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Chandigarh: Former deputy prime minister Devi Lal's great-grandson, Dushyant Chautala, Tuesday entered full-time politics, filing his nomination as the INLD candidate for the Hisar...

Jammu: Due to the prevailing security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, as many as 4,059 polling booths in the state's total 9,633 polling stations...

Kolkata : A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her solidarity with Sonia Gandhi over her court appearance, the state Congress...

New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Tuesday posted for Feb 20 the final hearing of a plea filed by Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam...

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked if religious beliefs and customs were above constitutional norms as it questioned how a women...

By Sheikh Qayoom Srinagar: Political interference in the appointment, posting and transfer of teachers have virtually destroyed the educational system in Jammu and Kashmir, says...

Gurgaon : The Lok Sabha elections in Haryana will be held in a single phase April 10, an election commission official said Wednesday. Voting for...

By IANS, New Delhi : Addressing the last session of parliament before the general elections, President Pratibha Patil Thursday said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had acted on all commitments made though the national common minimum programme that had been translated into laws and policies. "A democracy is measured by a simple maxim - aam aadmi ko kiya mila? (what did the common man gain?)," she said.

By TCN News,

By IANS, Mumbai : The Shiv Sena, whose members were prevented from holding their planned black-flag protests against Rahul Gandhi, Friday hit back alleging that a "Mussolini" type of atmosphere prevailed during the Congress leader's four-hour trip to the city. Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray admitted that the tight security cordon in the city prevented his activists from "exercising their democratic right of protest" by waving black flags against Rahul.

Kolkata : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government will push for skill development training, so 10 lakh state youths get jobs...

By IANS,

By IANS,

By IANS, Srinagar : Peace, progress and employment would be the three top priorities of his government, chief minister designate of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah said here Saturday. The president of the National Conference said his party was joining the ruling coalition at the centre as well. Omar said he would be formally sending a communication to the Lok Sabha speaker, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha and to United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi Saturday of the decision of his party, the regional National Conference (NC), to be part of the UPA at the centre.

Patna : The fairer gender in Bihar are all for prohibition of liquor. While the men are divided over the Bihar Prohibition and Excise...

By IANS, New Delhi : Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde will be the new leader of the house in the Lok Sabha, replacing Pranab Mukherjee, who is now the country's president.

Darjeeling : A proxy war between a chief minister determined to assert her writ and a regional satrap fighting for survival, the presence of...

By IANS, Mumbai : Maharashtra chief minister-designate Ashok Chavan said that the security of his state, whose capital Mumbai saw a vicious terror attack last week, would be his "top priority". Chavan, the son of former union home minister S.B. Chavan,said "the aam aadmi (common man) is not concerned with who is chief minister or the deputy chief minister. They just want the administration to be strong."

By IANS, New Delhi : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar Monday said he was not meeting any Congress leader Monday and Tuesday to discuss seat-sharing for Maharashtra elections even as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi flew off to the state to start her campaigning. "I am not scheduled to meet anybody (Congress leader) today or tomorrow knowing fully well about my commitments," Pawar told reporters when asked about seat-sharing talks in Maharashtra.

By IANS, Ranchi : The Congress has called a meeting of its legislators in Jharkhand Thursday to discuss the political situation after the Shibu Soren-led government was reduced to a minority when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its support, a party leader said Tuesday. "Our Jharkhand in charge, K. Keshava Rao is arriving in Ranchi Thursday and he will hold meetings with party legislators to know their opinion about the political situation in Jharkhand," Congress' state unit general secretary Shailesh Sinha told IANS.

New Delhi: BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Monday said that local issues could not be discussed during campaigning for Lok Sabha polls. "Due to...

By Shyam Pandharipande, IANS, Nagpur : For the first time in 30 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing an uphill task in the Maharashtra legislative council election from the graduates' constituency here with state unit president Nitin Gadkari locked in a tough contest against Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-supported Baban Taywade, reckoned as a strong candidate.

By IANS, New Delhi : The following is the polling schedule for states announced by Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami Monday: Phase 1 April 16 - Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Lakshadweep. Phase 2 April 23 - Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. Phase 3

By IANS,

New Delhi: Former Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh Saturday joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, calling it the only...

New Delhi : The Congress Thursday moved a privilege motion in the Lok Sabha against Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu for "misleading" the...

By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,

By IANS, Thiruvananthapuram : The CPI-M Sunday pulled up a Kerala state leader for claiming that his party had physically annihilated foes.

By IANS, Kolkata: Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee says his decision to refuse Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's offer to be a nominated Rajya Sabha MP was not intended to be a message to his former party Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) which expelled him last year for refusing to quit the speaker's post. "It is not a message to anybody. I can't and don't want to give messages like this," Chatterjee told IANS over phone from Bolpur, 210 km from here.

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday ordered RJD strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin back to jail in the Rajiv Roshan murder case. The Bihar government...

New Delhi : Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Sunday urged Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to restore part of the budgetary allocations...

Bhubaneswar : The newly elected legislators of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Sunday unanimously elected Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as their leader. Patnaik, who...

Mumbai : Maximum city Mumbai disappointed candidates and political parties alike even though encouraging voting figures were recorded elsewhere as 19 Lok Sabha constituencies...

By IANS, Jammu : Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Saturday discussed the functioning of the National Conference-Congress coalition government in the state against the backdrop of reported fissures within the alliance. At a half-an-hour meeting after Gandhi inaugurated a tribal cultural centre in Jammu - the primary function that brought her here Saturday - Abdullah gave her an account of the functioning of the over 16-month old coalition government in the state.

By TCN Staff Reporter,

By Minu Jain, IANS,

By IANS, Chennai : Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa Wednesday called for the central government's intervention to decide on the future of Tamil Nadu's Hogenekkal drinking water supply project. He said he would agree to "a proper decision" arrived after a tripartite meeting between himself, his Tamil Nadu counterpart M. Karunanidhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the project, which has seen large-scale opposition from Karnataka.

By IANS,

By IANS, Raipur : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Wednesday accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of deliberately targeting Hindu leaders and framing them in the Sep 26 Malegaon blast case. "Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has no evidence against Hindu religious leaders but it is continuously targeting them as part of a conspiracy hatched by the Congress-led government at the centre," Rajnath Singh said at a press conference here.

By Vishal Gulati, IANS,

By IANS, Chennai : Tamil Nadu's Minister for Agriculture and senior DMK leader Veerapandi Arumugham lost to AIADMK candidate Vijayalakshmi Palanichamy in the Sankagiri constituency.

By Amulya Ganguli, IANS, The passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha is a momentous, heartwarming step not only for India, but is likely to be an inspirational trendsetter for women's empowerment in the entire region. Although it is only the first step, the ripples from the smashing of a glass barrier are bound to be felt in virtually all areas of traditional male dominance. Like its democracy, therefore, India will also be a beacon in the matter of women's emancipation.

By IANS, New Delhi : Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Wednesday accepted the resignation of Congress member L. Rajagopal who used pepper spray in the...

By IANS, Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday accused the Maharashtra government of "ignoring" Maoist threats in Gadchiroli district of the state.

By IANS,

By Sirshendu Panth, IANS,

Chennai : More than 40 passengers of the Bengaluru-bound Kanyakumari-Bangalore City Express were injured after its four coaches derailed in Vellore district, around 170...

By TCN Special Correspondent,

TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter लखनऊ : मुज़फ़्फ़रनगर साम्प्रदायिक हिंसा के बाद लगभग 15 लाशें गायब हैं, जो अब तक नहीं मिल सकी हैं. यह सब ग्राम...

By IANS,

By IANS,

By IANS, New Delhi : The Left parties Wednesday said the Manmohan Singh government should not go to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to finalise the India-specific safeguards agreement as there was no final opinion on the text of the pact. A meeting of the four Left parties, which extend a crucial legislative support to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government, decided to reject the government's fresh request for a green signal to seal the IAEA pact. The ageement with the IAEA is a necessary step to make the India-US nuclear deal operational.

Panaji: Goa's BJP legislators on Monday expressed hope that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar would become India's prime minister soon, while Opposition members accused him...

By IANS, New Delhi : Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Sunday said Hindu ethos was responsible for the success of democracy and secularism in India. "In human history, intolerance towards a different point of view has been reflected most in the field of religion," Advani said in the latest post 'Roots of Democracy and Secularism' on his blog. He said as opposed to the west, there has been an open-minded and liberal approach in India, even in religious matters.

New Delhi : Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda took advantage of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's leniency and should offer to resign following the...

By IANS, Bhubaneswar : The Orissa cabinet Thursday recommended dissolution of the 147-member state assembly, whose term expires Friday, official sources said. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, at the state secretariat and the recommendation sent to Governor M.C. Bhandare. The 13th state assembly was constituted on May 15, 2004. Elections for the 14th assembly were held in two phases - April 16 and April 23. Counting of the votes will take place Saturday.

By IANS, New Delhi : National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah left for South Africa to watch the IPL early Friday after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) failed to take a decision on a cabinet berth for him. "I always told you people (the media) earlier that it is the prerogative of the prime minister and the chairperson of the UPA to decide," Abdullah told NDTV news channel when asked if he was unhappy that he was not offered a cabinet seat.

New Delhi : The AAP Thursday released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha election, promising to bring back black money stashed abroad and clarifying...

By IANS, Shimla : At least 11 Congress activists were injured and 40 detained here Friday after police resorted to baton charge to disperse them while they were blockading the Shimla-Chandigarh highway to protest hike in bus fares and corruption, authorities said. Earlier, more than 5,000 Congress activists gathered near the state assembly to participate in a state-level protest rally against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Chennai : DMK president M. Karunanidhi Tuesday said his party will not be affected when it contests the general elections without aligning with any...

By IANS, New Delhi: The Congress Saturday said it would support the party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's stand on the anti-graft Lokpal bill.

By IANS, New Delhi : The monsoon session of Parliament session is likely to be extended by a few days due to pending government business, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said Thursday. "The sittings of the Rajya Sabha are likely to be extended by two days and of Lok Sabha by a day," Bansal told IANS. He said that Rajya Sabha is likely to have sittings Aug 30 and 31 and Lok Sabha on Aug 28. The minister said that need to extend the session had arisen as the parliament had lost eight days due to disruptions.

By IANS, Ellenabad (Haryana): The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) gained an early lead Saturday as the counting of votes in the crucial by-election for the Ellenabad assembly seat in Haryana began. INLD candidate Abhey Singh Chautala led his Congress rival Bharat Singh Beniwal by nearly 3,000 votes at the end of six of the 11 rounds of counting. Of the 15 candidates in the fray, 11 are independents. The main contest is between the state's ruling Congress and the opposition INLD.

Luxor (Egypt) : The acts of some misguided individuals is harming Islam's real message of mercy, unity and peace, Indian Minister of State for...

New Delhi : A retired professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has come down heavily on Vice Chancellor M. Jagdeesh Kumar for letting the...

By IANS, New Delhi : Winning accolades for his impassioned speech during the trust vote in the Indian parliament last week, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president Omar Abdullah now plans to pen down in a book the incidents that led up to his speech. "The dust has not yet settled around my speech and the comments continue. Some of them critical, some indifferent but most of them positive and appreciative of what I said," Abdullah wrote in his blog on his party's website .

New Delhi : The NDA government has sanctioned acquisition proposals worth over Rs.1,60,000 crore for modernisation of the armed forces since coming to power,...

By IANS,

By IANS,

Kolkata : Three-tier security arrangements, including personnel from both central and state forces, will be made at each of the 48 premises in West...

By IANS,

By IANS, New Delhi : The Mumbai terror attack weighed heavily on the minds of Delhi residents Saturday as they cast their ballot for a new assembly. Be it a 74-year-old woman or a teenager casting his vote for the first time, people voted as much for peace and security as they did for issues like development and price rise. "I have voted for change and want the government to look seriously at issues such as terrorism and price rise," college student Mayank Sharma, 19, who was excited about voting for the first time, told IANS.

By IANS Patna : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad has predicted that the Nitish Kumar government of Bihar would fall by Oct 28, the day his party holds a rally in the city. Lalu Prasad, a former state chief minister, said the bickering in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and restlessness among the legislators would lead to the collapse of the government.

By IANS,

By IANS, Davangere (Karnataka): Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa lost his cool on seeing a group of Dalit Sangarsh Samiti protesters at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally here Monday and lashed out at senior police officers in public for failing to prevent the protest. As the protesters tried to shout slogans when he was about to address the rally, an incensed Yeddyurappa summoned Superintendent of Police Sandeep Patil to the stage and shouted at him.

Interview by Kashif-ul-Huda, transcribed by Manzar Bilal, TwoCircles.net,