The recently held general election was different from any other held in India in the sense that for this election, the ruling party as well as the opposition were in serious election mode for almost four years before it was held. On the ruling party side,...

Shocked by its worst defeat in parliamentary elections, in which it managed to retain only a lone seat in Karnataka, the Congress has blamed the "polarisation" of votes and an unseen Modi wave for the spectacular performance of rival BJP, which won 25 of the...

Reeling under the impact of poll debacle, the Congress is in deep trouble, with party chief Rahul Gandhi insisting on quitting the post amid a series of resignations, setting the stage for a likely meeting of its highest decision-making body, the Congress Working...

In the wake of electoral debacle, the Congress appeared to be in a crisis on Monday with resignations of its leaders piling up and the leadership planning to crack the whip.Amid the shock in the party, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday met party...

With the Congress facing an electoral debacle in several states in the Lok Sabha election, three more state party chiefs have tendered their resignations, taking the total number to seven.Congress party chiefs of Jharkhand, Assam and Punjab have also resigned...

Punjab proved to be the only face-saver for the Congress in the parliamentary elections in north India, with two-time Chief Minister Amarinder Singh securing victory for his party in eight out of the state's 13 Lok Sabha seats.Defying the BJP's anti-dynasty...

Whether it is committing heinous crimes or winning crucial elections, the crime syndicate headed by underworld don Mukhtar Ansari still holds ground in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Most of the seats won by the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) alliance...

What went so horribly wrong for Congress President Rahul Gandhi that he lost from his familys pocket borough Amethi Lok Sabha constituency?Ask local leaders and people and they cite reasons like Congress turncoats benefitting BJP's Smriti Irani and apparent...

The Congress needs "meaningful and difficult decisions" to chart its future course in view of its second successive debacle in the Lok Sabha elections with questions now being raised about leadership of party chief Rahul Gandhi and the strategy to take on...

 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...

It is a high-stakes battle for the Hooda father-son duo and also for their Congress party in these parliamentary polls in Haryana where the legacy matters and where the party has been on a steady downhill journey since its humiliating rout in 2014.Former...

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...

With the stakes being high in the Haryana Lok Sabha elections, whose results will influence the state's Assembly elections to be held in October, the Congress is betting big on its old warhorses Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepinder Singh Hooda to stop...

In a fresh tug of war between two Congress arch rivals in Himachal Pradesh, six-time former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram, the former  slammed the latter at an election rally for ditching the party."I cannot forgive...

"To be or not to be". The opening phrase of Hamlets soliloquy in Shakespeares play is a prime example of literary dialectics, where the prince finds himself oscillating between  two choices, to exist or not. The situation for the Congress, and Priyanka...

Although the latest poll surveys suggest that the Bharatiya Janata Party may not be able to get a majority of its own in the ongoing polls, the leaders of the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), which has not been formed except in bits and pieces, are bound to...

The Congress decision to nominate star boxer Vijender Singh for the prestigious South Delhi constituency has come as a surprise to many but former chief national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu has not been taken aback at the development.The longest serving national...

The Congress on Monday fielded Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer Vijender Singh as its candidate for the South Delhi Lok Sabha seat.A high-profile boxer, Singh won the bronze medal in 2008 Olympics. He later turned professional. Congress President Rahul...

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...

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had a successful run with his 'Coffee with Captain' campaign to woo young voters in Punjab in the run up to the February 2017 Assembly elections in the state.Having been in power for over two years and the opposition gunning...

The Congress in Jharkhand, desperate to open its account in the Lok Sabha from the state, is keen that party President Rahul Gandhi and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi campaign for its candidates. There are no takers for Navjot Siddhu.The Congress has...

The two national parties -- the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- have fielded one woman candidate each in the Lok Sabha elections from Jharkhand after a long gap.The last BJP woman candidate was Rita Verma. She won the Dhanbad parliamentary...

By 0fielding former Union Minister Kumari Selja, state Congress President Ashok Tanwar and former cabinet Minister Ajay Singh Yadav for the May 12 Lok Sabha elections in Haryana, the opposition Congress has again taken a political gamble of fielding big...

It is true that there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends in politics. But this Machiavellian law is clearly not applicable when a coalition of parties is in the midst of an existential battle. No one can grudge the Congress partys desire to revive,...

The Congress on Friday released a list of seven candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielding party General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia from Guna in Madhya Pradesh and former Union Minister Manish Tewari from Anandpur Sahib in Punjab.The party has...

The Congress on Sunday unveiled its campaign slogan -- "Ab Hoga Nyay" (Now, there will be justice). It will feature in all its advertisements, posters, radio jingles, billboards and songs.'Nyay' is the acronym of its minimum income guarantee scheme -- Nyuntam...

After I finished reading the 55-page Congress manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, I suddenly remembered a scene in the famous political satire British sitcom, 'Yes Prime Minister'.It was set in the days before the budget and the Finance Secretary of...

With the Lok Sabha polls approaching, the politicians are busy attacking each other with sharp criticism. In a similar case, Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma on Saturday threw a glass of water on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson KK Sharma during...

Chandra Shekhar 'Azad' and Amit Jani are relatively unknown entities in Uttar Pradesh politics.They have hit headlines occasionally with their fledgling outfits but now they are ready to make news with their electoral debuts.Chandra Shekhar Azad who heads the...

Rahul Gandhi's choice of Wayanad as his constituency in south India has set tongues wagging. Is this an insurance just in case there is a shock reversal in Amethi? Since he is fighting the BJP in the company of regional parties, is the Amethi-Wayanad arc designed...

The picturesque district, sitting high on the Western Ghats, is popularly known for its tourism potential on account of it being located at altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 meters. On Sunday, Wayanad also became the battleground for political ascendancy,...

Whenever I think of Urmila Matondkar, I think of a lot of warm food and conversation. Urmila talks a lot. If you know her, you'd know what 'nineteen to the dozen' means. She is a one-woman entertainment industry in the living room if she warms up to you. Or else,...

Congress President Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that his party will scrap the Niti Aayog if voted to power in Lok Sabha elections as it has served no purpose other than marketing presentations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "fudging data".He said the party...

Bollywood actress-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar on Friday said that she does not have any specific agenda for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and that honesty is her only agenda.Urmila Matondkar was interacting with the media during her election campaign...

Actor and former Congress MP Govinda on Friday met Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath at the Secretariat here, triggering speculation in political circles.Govinda said he was in Bhopal on personal work and wanted to greet his former colleague. The Congress...

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday took a pot shot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he had gone to Pakistan in 2015 to eat biryani.Responding to a query over Modi's remarks that people in Pakistan will applaud if Congress wins...

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday took a pot shot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying when he does not know anything about villages in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency how will he develop them.Priyanka Gandhi said this as she huddled...

The Congress on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of quietly squeezing funds meant for the MGNREGA scheme, and said pro-rich and anti-poor policies of his government created "rampant and unimaginable rural distress" in the past five years.Congress...

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday promised incentives for entrepreneurs and start-ups to boost job creation in the country, saying there will be no permissions required for the first three years of any new business, no angel tax and sold incentives...

Soon after being named the Congress candidate for Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat was announced, Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar appeared to consciously shed her image as a glamour doll in shorts and slipped into comfortable but eye-catching saris and loose-sleeved...

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday blamed the Pulwama attack on the government's intelligence failure and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had no explanation for it and his party was instead busy fanning Hindu-Muslim tensions.Singh,...

Calling the Pulwama attack an intelligence failure, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh said, here on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had no explanation for it and his party was instead busy inciting Hindu-Muslim tensions.Singh, Congress...

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said here on Wednesday that she has asked the party workers to campaign hard as the coming Lok Sabha elections were of national importance to "save" the country.Speaking to the media after holding a marathon meeting...

Riding on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the "achievements" of the NDA government, the BJP is upbeat on winning more seats than the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) combine in Karnataka in the 2019 general elections.Polling for the...

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government slapped on people demonetisation and "Gabbar Singh Tax", while his party would give them the 'Nyay' income guarantee scheme and "real" GST if it comes to power."They did...

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of opposing and weakening all schemes that helped the poor, and said his party's newly launched Nyay income guarantee scheme is not a free gift but justice for them.Addressing the...

In a sensational claim, senior Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde on Tuesday said he recently got an offer to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).He said that first his daughter, sitting Maharashtra legislator Praniti Shinde, was approached and later...

Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi "anti-poor", the Congress party on Tuesday said it is "shameful" that the BJP and its leaders are opposing an anti-poverty scheme announced by Congress President Rahul Gandhi.On Monday, the Congress President announced the...

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday called demonetization the biggest scam in India's history since independence and said a thorough investigation will be done after the government changes.Sibal was speaking at a joint press conference called by opposition...

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting to create two Hindustans in India, one for the rich and the other for the poor.Gandhi also attacked Modi on diverse issues such as Goods and Services Tax (GST), demonetization...

Former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram and his grandson Ashray Sharma on Monday rejoined the Congress, after parting ways from the BJP.The latter may be the Congress candidate against the BJP's Ram Swaroop Sharma from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, the family turf.Sukh...

With no 'wave' to guide their destinies, anxious politicians from all parties are desperately jumping from one ship to another to navigate their uncertain political future in Maharashtra for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.In the run-up to the filing of nominations...

Alleging that 34 debt-stressed farmers and agricultural labourers have committed suicide in West Bengal in the recent past, state Congress president Somen Mitra on Sunday ridiculed the Trinamool Congress government's claims that peasants' income has tripled since...

They have different styles of campaigning and have adopted different strategies to woo voters in the Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi are the lead campaigners for their parties, but have followed a diverse...

Wayanad, which could soon become a VVIP constituency if Congress President Rahul Gandhi decides to contest the Lok Sabha election from there, has been a Congress safe seat.In the last two Lok Sabha elections, in 2014 and 2009, M.I. Shanavas of the Congress won...

As the clamour for Congress President Rahul Gandhi to fight from a seat in southern India grows, Amethi district Congress and its various units on Saturday passed resolutions that he should accept the offer like his mother Sonia Gandhi and grandmother Indira...

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "lying all day in his speeches", Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday termed the coming Lok Sabha elections a battle between the Congress' idea of unity and the BJP-RSS' ideology of "divisiveness and hatred"."We...

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of running the entire state according to her whims."Bengal is being run by just one person. She neither talks to anyone nor takes...