A united opposition stalled the pre-noon proceedings in the Rajya Sabha protesting against the government’s decision to hike the prices of domestic cooking gas (LPG) by Rs4 per cylinder every month to eliminate all subsidies by next March. Congress, SP, TMC, BSP and Left MPs stormed into the Well of the House shouting slogans seeking withdrawal of the decision, forcing deputy chairman P. J. Kurien to first adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes and then till noon. The issue was raised by Derek O’Brien (TMC) who gave a notice under rule 267 that seeks to set aside business of the day to discuss an important issue. He said the government was not fulfilling its social commitment to provide cooking gas at subsidised rates. Oil prices have come down from $111 per barrel to $48 but the government is raising rates of cooking fuel, he said. Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan had yesterday told Lok Sabha that the government has doubled the monthly increase in LPG price to Rs4 per cylinder from 1 July with a view to eliminate all subsidies by March 2018. “Whey they make promises, why not implement it,” O’Brien asked.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati resigned from the Rajya Sabha on 18 July, after threatening to quit the Upper House earlier in the day. Mayawati said she had decided to quit from the Rajya Sabha after she was asked to wrap up her impromptu speech on Saharanpur anti-Dalit violence.
The congress along with the 17 opposition parties have picked Meira Kumar as a candidate for the coming presidential elections. The candidate was selected in a meeting headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the presence of party leader from 17 opposition parties.
Meira Kumar is pitted against NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.
Riding on brand Modi, BJP has come back to power in Uttar Pradesh after an exile of 15 years. ‘UP ke ladke’ were swept away by Modi wave as BJP on its own bagged 311 seats. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance was reduced to 54 seats and Mayawati’s BSP had to remain content with 19 seats. Individually, SP managed only 47 seats while Congress were reduced to a single digit for the first time in history of state and managed only 7 seats. Music: Big Bang Fuzz For more videos, subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/2aIcith Check out The Quint for more news: https://www.thequint.com
BJP to form government in Uttarakhand with 57 seats out of 70 seats. Congress VP Rahul Gandhi congratulates PM Modi and BJP for their victory and Modi replies to this with a "long live democracy" tweet. Harish Rawat tendered his resignation from the post of Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and said, "Congress has lost under my leadership in Uttarakhand and I take full responsibility for the mandate."
After his party suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of the BJP, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav met Governor Ram Naik on Saturday and submitted his resignation. Akhilesh Yadav met the Governor at the Raj Bhawan, and was asked to continue as caretaker Chief Minister till the next government is sworn in, officials said.
Expressing shock over the fact that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got votes from areas she called ‘Muslim mohallas’, Bhaujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati alleged that the electronic voting machines were rigged. Video: ANI Music: Big Bang Fuzz For more videos, subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/2aIcith Check out The Quint for more news: https://www.thequint.com
Congress Dismisses Exit Poll Projections A day after exit polls painted a favourable picture for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi declared that his party’s alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh would emerge as a clear winner. Gandhi also seemed to question the authenticity of exit polls, adding that he “had seen how exit polls were presented” before Bihar in 2016.
While most polls predict a fractured mandate with BJP leading, Axis My India and Today's Chanakya have predicted landslide win for BJP. For more videos, subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/2aIcith Check out The Quint for more news: https://www.thequint.com The average exit poll results – which in the past have proven to be unreliable – gave 180 seats to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, way short of the 202-mark needed to form a government. Music: Big Bang Fuzz To Stay Updated, Download The Quint App: Google Play Store: http://bit.ly/2doDlOo Apple App Store: http://apple.co/2d6qYnT
In the final phase of elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, over 1.41 crores voters spread across 40 constituencies will decide the fate of 535 candidates.
One day before prime minister Modi as well as Akhilesh-Rahul sought to enchant Varanasi with their respective roadshows, Mayawati was addressing a rally of her own on the other side of the Ganga, in Mirzapur. Thousands of women supporters from the Bahujan Samaj Party thronged the event, chanting “Behenji, tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain (as you continue to struggle, we are with you)” Mayawati’s female supporters, most of whom belong to the Jatav community, regard her as a goddess, but the question is if the heavens above will show mercy on this ‘Dalit ki beti’? Video: The Quint Music: Big Bang Fuzz For more videos, subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/2aIcith Check out The Quint for more news: https://www.thequint.com
The clash of the titans has got star billing in Varanasi on 4 March, as prime minister Narendra Modi and his chief opponents, Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi, promise to bring this ancient city to a halt with their respective roadshows. But 24-hours is a long time in this holy city. Nothing like a walk along the ghats in the early morning or when the sun sets to allow you to enter the illusion that the city is teetering on the edge of the river. The call of the boatman dispels the moment. “Boat ride, madam?”
In the final phase of Uttar Pradesh elections on 8 March, Mirzapur will be one of the seven districts to vote. Who matters to the locals there this election season? Will the Modi factor exceed the Akhilesh factor in UP? Is Mayawati being underestimated? In Mirzapur district’s Marihan village, locals join Barkha Dutt for a chaupal – and tell her who they think is leading in this politically heated race.
