Kolkata, April 30 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday dismissed exit poll predictions indicating an edge for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the West Bengal Assembly elections, citing past instances where such projections failed to reflect actual results.Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien questioned the credibility of exit polls, referring to similar projections made during the 2021 Assembly elections that did not match the final outcome.In a post on X, O’Brien pointe…
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New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) The Congress on Thursday wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) raising objections to the issuance of show-cause notices to party president Mallikarjun Kharge, alleging “inconsistencies in the notices and insufficient time to respond”.In a “summary response” sent by AICC General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh, the party said it had received two notices bearing the same reference number dated April 22, signed by different officials, without any clarif…
New Delhi, April 13 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha will elect its new Deputy Chairman on Friday, April 17, where the ruling National Democratic Alliance is expected to renominate Harivansh for another term. The Opposition is likely to field a consensus candidate, setting the stage for a contest that reflects the current political climate and Parliament’s alignments.The post was vacant after Harivansh’s tenure ended on April 9. President Droupadi Murmu nominated him as a member of the Upper Hous…
Kolkata, April 8 (IANS) A political slugfest erupted in West Bengal on Wednesday following a statement released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) that seemingly confronts the Trinamool Congress regarding their responsibility to ensure that the upcoming two-phase Assembly elections in the state will occur without fear, violence, intimidation, and inducement.On Wednesday, a delegation of the Trinamool Congress went to the ECI’s headquarters in New Delhi and interacted with the Chief Elec…
Kolkata, April 7 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) about the unnecessary police harassment faced by its local party leaders and workers at one of the crucial Assembly constituencies in West Bengal. Trinamool Congress’ National Working Committee member and Rajya Sabha member, Derek O’Brien, had written a letter to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal, seeking protection of party leaders and workers against unnec…
New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday began discussion on the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026, which seeks to ensure a dominant role for Indian Police Service officers in the top leadership of the country’s paramilitary forces.The move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and retired CAPF officers. They argue that the Bill undermines a Supreme Court judgment delivered on May 23, 2025. In that verdict, the apex court granted Organised…
New Delhi, March 10 (IANS) Minutes after the House convened for the second day, the Rajya Sabha witnessed noisy and uproarious scenes over the SIR exercise, currently underway in poll-bound states and also saw the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and House Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan engaging in a brief verbal exchange.Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the SIR drive, being conducted in name of voter verification is fraught with multiple irregularities and malpractices, prompting a quick int…
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said the Parliamentary Friendship Groups constituted with more than 60 countries will deepen ties with key nations and strengthen parliamentary diplomacy as a central pillar of India’s foreign policy.Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has set up Parliamentary Friendship Groups with 64 countries in a significant step aimed at expanding India’s inter-parliamentary engagement and supplementing conventional diplomacy through sus…
New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS) Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien has proposed a bold policy measure to address India’s persistent low wages and widespread working poverty. He has called for the introduction of a Universal Minimum Annual National Guarantee, or UMANG, for workers across all sectors. Speaking during zero hour, O’Brien highlighted alarming statistics on youth unemployment and stagnant incomes.He noted that one in three youth in India is not in employment, educatio…
New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday the plea filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state scheduled to be held this year.As per the cause list published on the website of the apex court, a Bench led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N.V. Anjaria will take up Banerjee’s petition along with similar p…