Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Weekly political wrap
BackBack

Weekly political wrap

Results to the Rajya Sabha elections for 57 seats across 15 states declared , Punjab govt not contemplating any ban on 'Udta Punjab', monsoon makes steady progress across southern India, BJP to start UP assembly election campaign from Allahabad

After setback in Haryana, Congress likely to seek re-poll for Rajya Sabha seats.Premium
After setback in Haryana, Congress likely to seek re-poll for Rajya Sabha seats.

New Delhi: The results to the Rajya Sabha elections for 57 seats across 15 states were declared on Saturday. In the 27 seats spread across seven states where polling happened on Saturday, 11 went to BJP, six to Congress, seven to Samajwadi Party, two to BSP and one independent. 30 of the 57 seats in the current round of biennial elections were decided without contest last week. However, there seems to be no end to the internal problems of the Congress party which faced a setback in Haryana where 14 of its MLAs, who owe allegiance to former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, rebelled against the party’s decision to back independent candidate R K Anand in the fray for Rajya Sabha election in the state. In a peculiar situation, the 14 MLAs apparently got their votes invalid by marking the ballot with a wrong pen.

With the Rajya Sabha elections over, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to launch BJP’s election campaign for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh election from Allahabad on Monday. This will be Modi’s 11th visit to the state in the last one year. BJP had chosen to celebrate the NDA government’s two-year anniversary celebrations also in Uttar Pradesh. The celebrations were held in Sharanpur where Modi addressed a public meeting on 26 May.

Meanwhile, India’s chances of entering the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) look bright as people familiar with the developments said that most countries in the grouping “appear positive" about India’s candidature. However, China opposed India’s membership during the plenary meeting of the NSG which took place in Vienna on Thursday.

While Saturday saw the Congress party face internal rebellion during the Rajya Sabha elections, Tuesday , last week had brought a similar jolt to the party. Six of its legislators in Tripura told speaker Ramendra Debnath that they are quitting to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC). This follows rebellions in other states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya.

After setback in Haryana, Congress likely to seek re-poll for Rajya Sabha seats

The Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana have seen not just a Congress defeat but a potential revolt by veteran leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda. After votes of 14 Congress legislators were disqualified, the candidate they were rooting for, lawyer RK Anand, lost the election and BJP-backed media baron Subhash Chandra won it. Union Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh took the other seat in the state. Officials have said the 14 votes were declared invalid because Congress legislators used wrong ink.

But sources tell NDTV that the Congress is likely to approach the Election Commission seeking a re- poll. Read more

Rajya Sabha polls: All SP candidates win in Uttar Pradesh, BJP takes all four seats in Rajasthan

The Samajwadi Party won all seven Rajya Sabha seats they were contesting from Uttar Pradesh, while Congress leader Kapil Sibal also won a seat from the state on Saturday. The Bharatiya Janata Party won all four seats from Rajasthan, where it is in power. This included Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu. Congress’ Pradeep Tamta won the lone seat from Uttarakhand, edging out Independent candidate Anil Goel. In Karnataka, Union Minister Nirmala Seetharaman and Congress’ Jairam Ramesh, Oscar Fernandes and KC Ramamurthy were elected, Read more

Punjab govt not contemplating any ban on ‘Udta Punjab’: Akali Dal

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday said the Punjab government was not contemplating any ban on Shahid Kapoor-starrer Udta Punjab, which is caught in a censorship row, and alleged Aam Aadmi Party’s “hand" in the making of the film to defame the state. Read more

Delhi’s AAP govt faces flak over Punjabi teacher promise

Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Friday put out full-page newspaper advertisements announcing its decision to ensure at least one Punjabi language teacher in every school and promising higher wages for them, attracting criticism that the party is wasting public money and attempting to influence voters in Punjab, where the party is preparing to compete in the assembly election expected early next year.Read more

Monsoon makes steady progress across southern India

After hitting the Kerala coast on 8 June, a week later than usual, the monsoon has advanced steadily into the rest of the southern states, raising the possibility that it may cover the entire country on time despite its delayed arrival.

India’s official weather forecaster said it expects the monsoon to advance rapidly and make up for much of the delay, as vast swathes of the country reel under a hotter-than-usual summer on the back of two years of drought that have seen reservoirs dry up and destroyed farm incomes. Read more

BJP to start UP assembly election campaign from Allahabad

Ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the election campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Allahabad on Monday during a two-day national executive meeting which will be followed by a massive public meeting that will be addressed by all senior leaders of the party including the Prime Minister.Read more

In Capitol Hill speech, Modi hails ‘extraordinary’ partnership with US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday signalled the start of a new phase in India-US relations, describing the partnership between the two countries as an “extraordinary relationship" and the US an indispensable partner. Modi’s visit, his fourth to the US in less than two years, has seen a deepening of ties in areas ranging from civil nuclear cooperation to defence. Read more

Six Congress MLAs join Trinamool Congress in Tripura

The Congress party’s troubles worsened on Tuesday with six of its legislators in Tripura telling speaker Ramendra Debnath that they are quitting to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

In a series of internal rebellions, the Congress party has recently seen trouble in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya. ‘Read more

Gurudas Kamat resigns from the Congress party

In a fresh setback for the Congress, veteran leader and general secretary Gurudas Kamat resigned from the party on Monday. A five-time member of Lok Sabha, former Union minister and a strong organizational man, Kamat’s resignation would be the first top-level exit since the party’s defeat in the 2014 general election.

The party is yet to accept his resignation

While Kamat’s resignation would come as a big blow to the Maharashtra’s party unit, he is also the general secretary in-charge for the crucial states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, as well as a member of the Congress Working Committee—the highest decision-making body of the party. Read more

Narayanasamy sworn in as Puducherry chief minister

Former Union minister of state and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary V. Narayanasamy took charge as the chief minister of Puducherry on Monday. Protests had broken out within the party in Puducherry after Narayanasamy’s name was announced for the chief minister’s post a week ago. Former chief minister V. Vaithilingam and Puducherry Congress chief Namassivayam were also in the race for the chief minister’s post. The 69-year-old did not contest the 16 May assembly polls and will have to seek election within six months to the legislature in a bypoll.Read more

BSP takes its campaign abroad for the first time to woo NRIs

In a first, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the predominantly Dalit party that is led by former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, is reaching out to non-resident Indians (NRIs) in Europe and North America to try and expand its reach, ahead of the Punjab assembly elections due next year. The influence of NRIs in the Punjab assembly elections can be gauged from the fact that parties like the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and SAD all have tried to woo this community in the past. Read more

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More Less
Published: 12 Jun 2016, 10:59 AM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App