As polls draw nearer, competitive religiosity is the name of the game in Madhya Pradesh
With Hindutva fetching rich rewards for BJP in successive elections, the MP Congress under Kamal Nath is leaning further to the right this time in its “soft Hindutva” strategy, wooing a fringe Hindutva outfit to its fold and even reaching out to religious preachers aligned with the BJP
Karnataka: Free bus rides for around 42 lakh women from June 11
The free bus ride will also apply to destinations within 20 km of Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in Nanjangud, near Mysuru, on Saturday.
To be or not to be? – Sachin Pilot’s Hamletian dilemma in Rajasthan
Four options lie before Sachin Pilot: float a regional party and be his own boss, remain in Congress and wait for Ashok Gehlot to fade away in Rajasthan or focus on national politics, join Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party or cross over to the BJP. None of the options are particularly attractive
Chhattisgarh: BJP must decide whether Raman Singh or a new face should lead party to polls
The BJP has to put its house in order before the polls. Three-time former chief minister Raman Singh is the most recognisable face of the party but he faces a tough task reconnecting with party cadres and the public. Or will the BJP take a gamble and project a relatively new entrant like the popular ex-IAS officer OP Choudhary?
Will the upcoming Telangana elections catalyse a BJP-TDP alliance?
N Chandrababu Naidu needs BJP’s support to oust Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh. But Jagan has steadfastly supported the Modi government in Delhi. However, the BJP in Telangana needs allies to oust KCR and withstand a Congress revival and this is where TDP’s presence in southern Telangana and Hyderabad matters
'Will he or will he not?' All eyes on Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's second Cabinet meeting on rollout of five poll guarantees
The Congress had said that it will implement these schemes if it formed a government in Karnataka. The party stormed into the Vidhana Soudha by winning 135 out of 224 seats winning an absolute majority.
Telangana: Karnataka upturns BJP-Congress contest for opposition space. But can either party beat KCR?
Congress, battling fierce factionalism, is hoping to cover up its weaknesses by fronting Priyanka Gandhi. But the Karnataka victory may just have put it ahead of BJP, which was painting a narrative of replacing Congress in Telangana as the main opposition. KCR, meanwhile, won’t mind the split in anti-incumbency votes
PM Modi to address rally in Rajasthan's Ajmer
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also offer prayers at the famous Brahma temple in the holy town of Pushkar, nearly 15 km from Ajmer city, before addressing the public rally.
Confidence in Narendra Modi runs high despite state poll challenges, says Jefferies
Chris Wood, in his GREED & fear newsletter, praises Prime Minister Modi's emphasis on physical infrastructure development.
Madhya Pradesh: BJP high command mulls big changes and a dilemma over Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the poll-bound state
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is well entrenched but he faces distinct disadvantages heading into the elections. There is growing fatigue over his continuance, rampant factionalism in the party, and the Congress is trying to use allegations of corruption like in Karnataka to turn public mood against the BJP
Modi govt increased railways budget for Northeast, helped expedite projects: Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
Talking to reporters at the Guwahati railway station ahead of the launch of the semi-high speed Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express, he also said by June, all states where electrification of routes has been done, will have Vande Bharat trains.
Karnataka cabinet: Siddaramaiah keeps finance, IT-BT; Bengaluru development & irrigation for DKS
MB Patil to handle large & medium industries portfolio.
Veteran legislator H K Patil among 24 inducted today into Siddaramaiah's Cabinet of 33 men and a lone woman
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 24 ministers.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah meets Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi
Siddaramaiah is in the national capital to discuss matters related to the expansion of his Cabinet and this is his first meeting with Sonia Gandhi after the Congress formed government in the southern state.
Manipur violence is a blow to BJP’s hopes in poll-bound Mizoram
The Kukis of violence-hit Manipur share an ethnic bond with the Mizos and this has put the BJP Mizoram unit on a weak wicket. BJP’s plans of wooing ethnic minorities isn’t making headway. But if the elections throw up a hung assembly, and BJP has a respectable seat count, it could still play kingmaker
Karnataka: An open letter to Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar
Why was there no place for a youngster or a woman in the cabinet sworn in on May 20? Having received overwhelming support from young people, and reached out massively to women voters, why didn’t these two constituencies not find a pride of place in the starting Congress line-up?
Siddaramaiah says Ministers will be allocated portfolios soon; Basavaraj Bommai questions delay
The CM gave the assurance in the House, in response to a question raised by former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of BJP, over the delay in allocation of portfolios to the Ministers.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM Shivakumar to visit Delhi on May 24, likely to discuss cabinet expansion with Congress leadership
As per the Chief Minister's official schedule, Siddaramaiah will be leaving for Delhi by a special flight at 6:30 pm, and will halt in the national capital tonight.
Karnataka Effect: Is BJP mulling a change of electoral strategy in neighbouring Telangana?
Until the Karnataka elections, BJP was pushing ahead full steam with a Hindutva agenda spearheaded by its aggressive state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar. But his detractors, mostly ex-TRS and ex-Congress recruits, weren’t convinced this strategy would work. Now the moderates seem to be catching the BJP high command’s attention
Independent Politicians: Heroes in local body elections but zeroes in general elections
The share of elected Independents in total seats falls progressively as we move upwards from the lowest tier of local body polls to mayoral posts to even higher tier general elections (assembly and Lok Sabha polls). In the recent UP municipal polls, smaller the constituency size more Independents could win, including as heads of smaller local bodies
Basavaraj Bommai demands Congress govt in Karnataka to prove with evidence 40% commission allegations during BJP rule
The saffron party leader also urged the government to investigate alleged scams or irregularities that took place during the previous BJP and Congress governments, and let the truth come out.
Opposition Unity: Far from a regrouping, Siddaramaiah’s swearing-in saw battle lines within non-BJP spectrum harden
Congress feels ambitious again about tackling BJP head-on and ignored opposition parties crucial for the unity effort. Those wary of a Congress resurgence on their turf stayed away despite being invited. Chasing unity before 2024 polls may be futile and could help BJP polarise the polity even more sharply
Congress won Karnataka polls taking cue from AAP manifesto: Arvind Kejriwal
"The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has tried to change the narrative of the country's politics. If you look at Karnataka polls, the Congress party has won on our manifesto," Kejriwal said.
In Pics | Opposition unity on display as Siddaramaiah swears in as Karnataka CM, DK Shivakumar his deputy
JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, RJD's de-facto chief Tejashwi Yadav, former J&K CMs Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, NCP president Sharad Pawar, CPI(M) chief Sitaram Yechury and actor-politician Kamal Haasan were among the Opposition leaders who attended the grand oath-taking event in Bengaluru on May 20.
