All posts tagged: political pulse

‘Operation Lotus with key JD(U) man as Vibhishan’: Why Nitish supporters are up in arms against Sanjay Jha, Lalan Singh | Political Pulse News

‘Operation Lotus with key JD(U) man as Vibhishan’: Why Nitish supporters are up in arms against Sanjay Jha, Lalan Singh | Political Pulse News

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2 min readPatnaMar 5, 2026 01:29 PM IST First published on: Mar 5, 2026 at 01:29 PM IST As Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar officially announced that he was seeking nomination to the Rajya Sabha, dozens of JD(U) workers and supporters protested against the party’s national working president, Sanjay Kumar Jha, and Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh, better known as Lalan Singh, for “betraying” Nitish and “forcibly” convincing him to relinquish power. In a social media post on Monday morning, Nitish said it had long been his wish to serve in all four legislative bodies in the country. This clears the decks for a new Chief Minister, likely from the BJP, to take charge. Irate JD(U) workers tried to stop Bihar minister Surendra Mehta and JD(U) leader Sanjay Gandhi from entering the CM’s House. The protesters included leaders from the Muslim and OBC communities, considered Nitish’s key supporter base. JD(U) leader and head of the Bhoomi Sangharsh Sena, Rupesh Patel, said, “What is happening is the handiwork of Sanjay Jha, who, alongside Lalan Singh, has …

Andhra mulls Australia-like social media ban on under-16 users, sets up ministerial panel | Political Pulse News

Andhra mulls Australia-like social media ban on under-16 users, sets up ministerial panel | Political Pulse News

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A day after Andhra Pradesh’s IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government was mulling over bringing an Australia-like law on banning social media for children under the age of 16, a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by him has been set up study the proposal, The Indian Express has learnt. Andhra Pradesh is the first state where such a proposal has been mooted. “The GoM will have Home Minister Anita Vangalapudi, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, and I&PR Minister Kolusu Parthasarathi,” a government source said on Thursday, adding that the government was studying and collating data from cases across the state where children under 16 are either the victims of social media abuse or the accused. On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, Lokesh told Bloomberg, “The government is studying Australia’s decision to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media. Youngsters below a certain age should not be on such platforms, as they do not fully understand the content they …

As Modi govt announces caste census, how a UPA bid collapsed, amid claims of ‘inaccuracies’  | Political Pulse News

As Modi govt announces caste census, how a UPA bid collapsed, amid claims of ‘inaccuracies’  | Political Pulse News

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2010 About a year into its second term, the UPA government was taken by surprise when its ally RJD and Samajwadi Party along with the JD(U) raised the demand for a caste headcount along with the 2011 decadal Census. Story continues below this ad The Congress and BJP, then the main Opposition party, did not have a clear-cut position on caste census although a section of the OBC leaders within the parties were in favour. The Home Ministry under P Chidambaram argued that including caste in the list of questions during the Census exercise would yield inaccurate results owing to logistical problems. “Population Census is not the ideal instrument for collection of details on caste. The operational difficulties are so many that there is a grave danger that the basic integrity of the Census data may be compromised and the fundamental population count itself could get distorted,” the Home Ministry told the Cabinet. But the socialist parties in the Hindi heartland — with OBCs as their main voter base — persisted with their demand. They also vociferously opposed the women’s …

Today in Politics: Rahul to visit Pahalgam attack survivors, Congress to hold candlelight marches | Political Pulse News

Today in Politics: Rahul to visit Pahalgam attack survivors, Congress to hold candlelight marches | Political Pulse News

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Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will travel to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday and meet those injured in the Pahalgam terror attack, Congress sources said on Thursday. They said Gandhi will visit the Government Medical College (GMC) in Anantnag to enquire about the health of the injured. At least 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed and several injured when terrorists opened fire at a meadow near Pahalgam town in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Tuesday afternoon. Story continues below this ad Gandhi cut short his visit to the United States to attend the crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee held earlier on Thursday. He also attended an all-party meeting called by the government to brief parties on the horrific terror attack. Meanwhile, Congress workers across all states and districts will take out candlelight marches on Friday in solidarity with the victims of the attack and to reaffirm unity against terrorism, the party said. The Congress has also decided to postpone its “Samvidhan Bachao” rallies that were scheduled for April …

In Murshidabad, ‘absent’ Yusuf Pathan draws fire from Oppn, locals as TMC faces join in | Political Pulse News

In Murshidabad, ‘absent’ Yusuf Pathan draws fire from Oppn, locals as TMC faces join in | Political Pulse News

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Days after Murshidabad in West Bengal was rocked by communal violence, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan has landed in a spot as the Opposition, several local people, and even a TMC section have increasingly targeted him over his absence from the district amid the current turmoil. Baharampur is one of the three Lok Sabha constituencies in Murshidabad district, with the other two seats, Jangipur and Murshidabad, also held by the TMC. On April 12, a day after protests against the Waqf Amendment Act turned violent in various areas in Murshidabad including Samserganj, Dhulian and Suti – which fall under the Jangipur parliamentary constituency – Pathan posted pictures of him sipping tea on Instagram with the caption: “Easy afternoons, good chai and calm surroundings. Just soaking in the moment”. Story continues below this ad This sparked an uproar, with the 42-year-old cricketer-turned-politician coming under attack from the principal Opposition BJP and other quarters, who questioned his post when the district was convulsed by violence which claimed three lives. The police have arrested …

After Vasundhara Raje slams water crisis, Rajasthan official now awaits posting | Jaipur News

After Vasundhara Raje slams water crisis, Rajasthan official now awaits posting | Jaipur News

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Following criticism by former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over issues with drinking water supply in Jhalawar, the Rajasthan government has put the concerned official on Awaiting Posting Order (APO). As per the order accessed by The Indian Express, Deepak Kumar Jha, the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) superintending engineer in Jhalawar, has been put on APO “in view of the complaints regarding unsatisfactory progress of Jal Jeevan Mission works in Jhalawar district; water not reaching the last mile due to lack of proper zoning system in the implemented works of JJM; not monitoring the works of JJM properly; and not inviting tenders on time for implementation of drinking water schemes.” Taking to X late Tuesday, Raje had said, “Don’t the people feel thirsty? Only you officers feel thirsty?” Story continues below this ad A two-term CM, Raje had visited Jhalawar’s Raipur town Tuesday, where local officials apparently could not give a satisfactory reply to her queries regarding the drinking water issues. A day later on Thursday, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma had held a meeting …

Abhishek Banerjee’s ‘Diamond Harbour Model’: How it pays to be a jewel in the party’s crown | Political Pulse News

Abhishek Banerjee’s ‘Diamond Harbour Model’: How it pays to be a jewel in the party’s crown | Political Pulse News

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Driving down the longest flyover in West Bengal, a 7.5-km stretch in South 24 Parganas district, it is hard to miss Abhishek Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress MP towers in billboards on either side, welcoming people to ‘Sebaashray Health Camps’ in his constituency Diamond Harbour. The TMC national general secretary claims that between January 2 and March 20, the first phase of the initiative, more than 12 lakh people availed of free services at the Sebaashray camps, with expenses of those referred to private hospitals also taken care of. The health camps were just the latest, and most visible, aspect of Abhishek’s much-touted ‘Diamond Harbour Model’ – the others being pension camps, fast-tracking of government services and mega projects, and outreach measures like ‘Ek Daak E Abhishek (Abhishek a call away)’ – ensuring that the constituency stands apart from the other 41 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Story continues below this ad For the Opposition, this flows from the privilege of being the No. 2 in the ruling party, and the nephew of Chief Minister …

Opposition states pass resolution at delimitation meet: Freeze Lok Sabha seats for another 25 years | Chennai News

Opposition states pass resolution at delimitation meet: Freeze Lok Sabha seats for another 25 years | Chennai News

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DESCRIBING as “unclear and confusing” the promise of Union Home Minister Amit Shah that southern states will not lose a single seat in the Lok Sabha on a pro rata basis after delimitation, a Joint Action Committee for Fair Delimitation (JAC) led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin passed a resolution demanding that the “freeze on Parliamentary constituencies based on 1971 Census Population should be extended by another 25 years”. The gathering of at least four CMs (Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Punjab), Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, and senior political leaders from multiple states including Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, raised a unified voice against the proposed delimitation process, arguing it would disproportionately benefit the northern, Hindi-speaking states at the expense of the south and some other regions. “This is not just about numbers; this is about our power, our rights, and our future,” Stalin said as he opened the meeting, setting the tone for the day’s deliberations. He warned that the proposed population-based delimitation would punish states that have implemented successful welfare and population …

Once in limelight for meeting PM Modi over Muslim issues, Hamid Engineer now held for Nagpur violence | Political Pulse News

Once in limelight for meeting PM Modi over Muslim issues, Hamid Engineer now held for Nagpur violence | Political Pulse News

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Mohammad Hamid Engineer, founder of the Minorities Democratic Party (MDP), has had a career marked by dramatic twists and turns. Starting his journey as a government employee, Hamid Engineer later rose to prominence by leading an agitation over the control of a mosque in Nagpur, clashing with rival Islamic sects in 2002. His influence has expanded further since. However, his career has recently taken a sharp and controversial turn, culminating in his arrest on Friday by the Nagpur Police, which has accused him of inciting the violence that recently erupted in the city following a protest by right-wing outfits demanding the razing of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb. Story continues below this ad In his mid-60s, Hamid Engineer, a resident of Nagpur, started his career as an engineer in the Maharashtra government’s Public Works Department (PWD), earning him the nickname “Engineer”. A follower of the mainstream Ahle Sunnat Jamaat, which advocates for the preservation of traditional Sunni and Sufi practices, Engineer got into community activism in 2002. His influence grew when he led an agitation to …

Today in Politics: PM Modi to attend ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan’; Delhi govt to launch scheme for monthly aid to women | Political Pulse News

Today in Politics: PM Modi to attend ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan’; Delhi govt to launch scheme for monthly aid to women | Political Pulse News

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On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to mark International Women’s Day with the ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan’ besides inaugurating several developmental projects during his two day visit to Gujarat and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. In Gujarat’s Navsari district, the PM will attend a ‘Lakhpati Didi’ event and disburse Rs 450 crore in financial assistance to more than 2.5 lakh women from over 25,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The Lakhpati Didi scheme was launched by the Union government in 2023 and recognises women members of SHGs, who have an annual income of at least Rs 1 lakh from agriculture, animal husbandry, and small industries, as ‘Lakhpati Didis’. For his events in Navsari, a security cover comprising only women police personnel will be deployed to mark International Women’s Day. Story continues below this ad Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu is set to attend the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s ‘Viksit Bharat with Nari Shakti’ event in New Delhi on Saturday. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is also …