In a huge blow to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, two Trinamool Congress MLAs and more than 60 councillors joined the BJP here on Tuesday along with a CPI-M MLA, with BJP veteran Kailash Vijayvargiya predicting many more defections.The dramatic...

Of the BJP's 303 Lok Sabha members who got elected in the just-concluded elections, 131 are first timers and include party President Amit Shah.The list also includes former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and celebrities from sports to film fraternity...

In 10 states and Union Territories (UTs), voters gave the BJP a clean sweep in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, with the saffron party, riding on Modi wave, repeating its 2014 performance in five states and two UTs.The party with its constituents...

Even as the discontent against Trinamool Congress, erosion of left votes and consolidation of Hindu voters are being seen by many as major reasons behind BJP's unprecedented rise in Bengal, political analysts say it was the benefits of various central schemes...

There is an ungrudging admiration and near-total unanimity among political circles that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is the chief architect of the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena victory in Maharashtra.Considered the blue-eyed boy of Prime Minister Narendra...

After bagging all the 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, the BJP has set its eyes on the Assembly elections slated early next year, with the party on Saturday exuding confidence of repeating the similar performance then.Delhi BJP chief and winner from North East...

After the BJP won 282 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 - the first time in three decades that a single party was able to gain an absolute majority - it was popularly believed that the unexpectedly strong performance was a one-off affair.The outgoing government had...

Riding on the popularity wave of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spread its saffron colour across Karnataka, winning a record 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections, held in two phases on April 18 and April...

Clashes between activists of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party and other incidents of violence were reported from Bankura, Cooch Behar and other districts in West Bengal, police said on Friday."On Friday, some BJP workers attacked...

Prominent political figures including a state minister, a former union minister, sitting MPs, as also stars from other fields across various parties fell by the wayside in the Lok Sabha polls, that produced a number of upsets in West Bengal.Leading the list of...

The Lok Sabha election results saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) return to power at the Centre with a brutal majority, erasing the Opposition parties from many parts of the country.However, amid the 'Modi tsunami', there were still some constituencies...

As the BJP crossed the 300 seat mark in the Lok Sabha elections, it was the ninth time that any single party has achieved such a feat.The BJP has already won 302 seats and was ahead in one seat in the 543-member Lower House of Parliament.In 1952, when the...

After Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar sent in his resignation to the party high command owning moral responsibility for the party's poor performance in the state, Twitter users mounted pressure on Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to quite politics."Uttar...

 In the Andhra Pradesh elections, which were all about YSRCP versus TDP, both the BJP and the Congress were decimated.For the Congress, this is the second successive election when it drew a blank in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the new state...

As the BJP made stunning inroads in the Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal, winning an unprecedented 18 out of 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, IANS takes a look at the top five generals of the saffron outfit in Bengal who helped the party cut deep into Mamata...

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) vote share in Odisha in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections increased by almost 73 per cent with the party set to increase its tally to eight seats from the two it won in 2014.On Friday, the party confirmed its victory in five...

Mamata Banerjee-ruled West Bengal could not remain immune to the saffron surge that swept the country on Thursday, as the BJP demonstrated a spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha elections in the state where it hardly counted so far.In the state where 42...

The BJP made major gains in rural constituencies of east India and lost the most in rural north.A deep dive into the Lok Sabha election results brings out a clear picture of how the nation voted in a historic verdict in favour of Prime Minister Narendra...

After smashing through all bastions in north and middle India -- from Haryana, Himachal, Uttarakhand and Delhi in the north to Bengal in the east, all the way up to Assam in the northeast, Hindutva has a new sheen, hue and connotation. It is a relentless drum...

The Bharatiya Janata Party has effected a redrawing of its support base that now spreads beyond the Hindi heartland to include at least 10 states that form its core.The results of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections show that Middle India is now firmly in the BJP's...

Amid celebrations in the BJP camp for the stupendous victory in the Lok Sabha elections, two of its high-profile leaders lost in Odisha.Former MP Baijayant Panda, who was contesting from the Kendrapara Parliament constituency, lost to actor-turned Rajya Sabha...

In what could be described as a mixed bag of results, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa won one Lok Sabha seat, but lost the other amid a saffron tsunami in the country on Thursday.However, the BJP won three Assembly by-elections in the state, while...

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday retained all the four Lok Sabha seats in the state as its candidates won by a record huge margins, election officials said.Hamirpur sitting MP Anurag Thakur, Kangra candidate Kishan...

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) approaches towards a clean sweep in Rajasthan, the increasing vote margins on many crucial seats prove the slogan "Modi tujhse bair nahin", which once echoed in 2018 in Jhunjhunu.A huge gathering in the town during a...

The caste arithmetic in Uttar Pradesh has fallen flat on its face and the SP-BSP-RLD alliance has nothing left to cheer about.The alliance that was forged in January this year had claimed to trounce the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and, thereby, halt its return...

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday retained all the four Lok Sabha seats in the state as its candidates won by a record huge margins, election officials said.Hamirpur sitting MP Anurag Thakur, Kangra candidate Kishan...

A general consensus appears to have emerged among political parties that the Bharatiya Janata Party will emerge as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha. However, the exit  polls raise the question whether the party will have clear numbers, as...

Union Minister and BJP candidate from Amritsar, Hardeep Singh Puri, on Tuesday took a jibe at the ongoing war of words between Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, saying, "...the cat is out of the bag"."All along...

Satisfaction level with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership remained high on May 19, the last day of polling, just as it was on April 11, the first day of the general election, according to IANS-CVOTER poll tracker.Throughout...

If exit polls are to be believed, the Narendra Modi government is coming back to power with full majority, but the predictions by poll survey agencies in the past have found not to be close to the actual results.Riding on 'Modi wave', National Democratic...

There is hope for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh and it is the Modi factor that is working in the rural areas once again.Though the Modi wave is not as strong as it was in 2014, it is still palpable and more than Hindu pride it is national...

Caste politics may take centre stage in most north Indian states, but in agrarian Punjab where Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes make up 55 per cent of state's population, it doesn't play any decisive role, say political experts.The reason: neither section,...

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to hold a rally at Deoghar in the Santhal Pargana division of Jharkhand on Wednesday, the question being asked is whether the  Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) efforts pay in making a dent in the Jharkhand Mukti...

Career diplomat-turned-Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri is roughing it out in Amritsar in his maiden electoral foray battling out the "outsider" tag, voter's apathy and internal strife in local party unit.In stark contrast to the high-profile contest in 2014...

BJP-ruled Haryana will go to the polls on all its 10 seats on May 12, the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election, in a do-or-die battle for Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his  predecessor and 'marginalised' Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda.The...

They are top Bhojpuri stars who have a huge fan following in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. As they step into the hotbed of caste politics in eastern Uttar Pradesh, they are drawing huge crowds - crowds that dance to their songs, ask them to repeat one-liners...

It is a battle of prestige for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) star campaigner and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to retain the Mandi parliamentary seat in Himachal Pradesh.Thakur's prestige is at stake to retain the seat as incumbent MP Ram Swaroop Sharma,...

If Indira Gandhi had won the 1977 general elections, it would have been a popular endorsement of her Emergency regime.Why would Narendra Modi's return after the elections be seen differently from Indira Gandhi's after the Emergency? There is a list of failures...

The fight in Madhya Pradesh's Khajuraho parliamentary constituency is between the "son-in-law" and "daughter-in-law" as the rival parties, rather than focusing on critical issues  for the area, are wooing voters through emotional appeal.The Congress...

After witnessing an embarrassing defeat of its high-profile candidate Arun Jaitley in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP this time fielded Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri  from Punjab's Amritsar.Pitted against Congress sitting MP Gurjit Aujla, diplomat-turned-politician...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his first visit to Ayodhya after becoming Prime Minister, addressed an election rally on Wednesday but avoided talking about the Ram temple issue.Though the Prime Minister ended his speech with "Jai Shri Ram", he did not make...

Bookies in Jodhpur district have predicted a near sweep by the BJP in Rajasthan, saying it could get 20-22 Lok Sabha seats in the state while the Congress would get the remaining 3-5 seats.The BJP has a strong presence in the most crucial seat of Rajasthan....

It's an ex-serviceman versus an ex-serviceman from Himachal Pradesh's Shimla (reserved) seat. Both are aiming guns loaded with political salvoes and firing at each other.One is a retired Colonel of the Indian Army, while another is former Senior Non-Commissioned...

With less than 15 days to go to for the May 12 Lok Sabha elections in the national capital, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday intensified their poll campaign here.Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, who is pitted against Congress' J.P. Agarwal and the...

Saturday turned into 'star war day' in Rajasthan with many Bollywood stars campaigning for candidates of different parties. Saturday was the last day of campaigning in the state.The campaigning stopped here from 6 p.m. on Saturday as the voting for 13 seats will...

Having saved goals aplenty during a sparkling soccer career, former India custodian Kalyan Chaubey has adopted the "offence is the best defence" approach in his maiden electoral contest, but says the new turf is "more competitive and cruel" with opponents always...

WWE wrestler Dalip Singh Rana, popularly known by his ring name 'The Great Khali', on Friday joined the campaign of BJP's Jadavpur constituency candidate Anupam azra.Khali sought votes for his friend, Anupam Hazra who was expelled by Trinamool Congress for...

Kavita Khanna, wife of late actor Vinod Khanna who was an an MP, indicated on Friday that she could enter the poll fray from her husbands former Lok Sabha seat Gurdaspur as an Independent, saying there is "a lot of pressure" on her from the people of the constituency...

The Begusarai parliamentary constituency, which represents Begusarai district in northern Bihar has a distinct and prominent presence on the political map of Bihar. Unlike other parts of the state and the country, Begusarai district has by and large witnessed...

Former Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar, who groomed top state BJP leaders for decades including late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, on Friday announced his candidature for the Panaji Assembly by-election.Addressing a press conference here, Velingkar, who...

After completion of polling in 303 Lok Sabha constituencies, 71 seats spread across nine states, mostly in the Hindi heartland, will be up for grabs in the fourth phase on April 29, of which the ruling BJP will have to defend 45.Of the seats going to polls...

The ambitious PM-KISAN scheme that aims to provide Rs 6,000 annually to small and marginal farmers will reach only 38 per cent of the intended beneficiaries by the end of ongoing Lok sabha polls, thanks to tardy furnishing of information by the states, lack...

Having failed to find a suitable candidate from its existing leadership and cadres in Punjab, the BJP on Tuesday announced the name of Bollywood actor Sunny Deol, son of veteran actor Dharmendra, as the party candidate for the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat.Deol,...

Denied a ticket, BJPs sitting Lok Sabha member Udit Raj on Tuesday attacked the party, saying candidates are being chosen on the basis of "some inscrutable internal standards" while ignoring the hard work of aspirants.The dalit leader, who had merged his Indian...

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam's appeal for quashing a defamation case filed against him by Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani in 2013.The court issued a notice to Irani in this regard. Nirupam has sought...

The Great Indian Election circus has just begun.So far, we have seen two phases of the elections in different states. The Big Bang of the election is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For the opposition, he is the main agenda, how does one oust him in order...

The third phase of Lok Sabha elections scheduled for Tuesday will see the maximum number of seats going to the polls in a single phase -- 117 across 15 states and Union Territories.It will also be a test for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which...

The electoral battle in the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat of Jammu and Kashmir has become interesting for poll watchers, but tough for contestants.The constituency, spread over Leh and Kargil districts, is geographically one of the largest and population-wise one...

Bharatiya Janata Party national General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who was considered a strong contender from the Indore parliamentary constituency in Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday said he will not contest the Lok Sabha elections."People of Indore, activists...

Has the BJP got its social engineering right in by forming alliance with the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party in Rajasthan and roping in Gujjar community leader Kirori Singh Bainsla into the party?This will be known when the state goes to polls on April 29 and...