New Delhi: Amid speculation that the Congress is exploring government formation in Jharkhand -- which is under President's rule -- party vice president Rahul Gandhi reviewed the political situation with state leaders on Friday. A section of the Congress has been in favour of exploring ways to form a government in the state with the support of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), said party sources in Delhi.
However, the opinion was divided on the formation of a government in Jharkhand and polls to the state assembly could well be announcedm, the sources said. Some state leaders are opposed to the alliance with the JMM, while others think it could be of help now and later in the 2014 general elections too, said the sources.
Jharkhand Congress legislators recently met party leaders in Delhi on the issue. Gandhi was instrumental in the recent appointment of Sukhdeo Bhagat as head of the party unit in the predominantly tribal state. Jharkhand was placed under President's rule in January 2013, which ends in July.
The central rule was imposed after BJP's Chief Minister Arjun Munda resigned and his government was reduced to a minority after JMM withdrew its support. Gandhi instructed state leaders to strengthen the party and gave them targets for political activity over the next three months....
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05:22 AM, May 25, 2013
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02:30 AM, May 25, 2013
Bhadohi: In a bid to plug possible note of dissent within the party over choice of candidates for the next General Elections, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Asrey Kushwaha on Friday said "unhappy" workers can approach party supremo to put forward their views. "If workers are unhappy they can put their views through the party forum, after which SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav will take a decision," the party national general...
01:01 AM, May 25, 2013
Ranchi: A political alliance is on the cards again between the Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) headed by Shibu Soren in Jharkhand. On July 18 the central rule in the state ends and the Congress will decide on Friday whether to tie up with JMM or not. CNN-IBN has learnt that the Congress is divided over the question. Sources said one section in the party feels they should call...
03:11 PM, May 24, 2013
Thiruvananthapuram: As the Congress led-UDF government completes three years in Kerala, there are more reasons to worry than cheer. The simmering rivalry between Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and state Congress President Ramesh Chennithala has now become an open conflict. An interview given to the New Indian Express has now openly pitted Chennithala against Chandy. A key bone of contention has been Chandy's failure to induct Chennithala into the Cabinet. After...
10:10 AM, May 24, 2013
Opinion polls conducted across the country have shown that the UPA is losing ground but is the BJP gaining? CNN-IBN's deputy bureau chief Sumit Pande joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue. Q. Going by the recent assembly elections, it seems that people are preferring voting to elect a majority government. Do you think if this phenomena can also be replicated at the national level and if so...
05:43 PM, May 23, 2013
The UPA-II government has just completed four years in power. So, what have been its achievements and failures? CNN-IBN's national affairs editor Bhupendra Chaubey joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue. Q. In urban areas, it seems like UPA-2 will definitely suffer in the forthcoming elections, whats the scene in the rural India... how is the performance seen there. Different or same like how urban India sees it...
06:37 PM, May 22, 2013
What are the key points on which the UPA-II dispensation failed to deliver? BJP's spokesperson Sidharth Nath Singh joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue. Q. Hi Sidharth, Do you think that the BJP has oversold the corruption issue and leadership issue of the UPA..At one time it probably had a impact on people but now all your leaders and spokespersons sound very repetitive, at times arrogant and...
05:56 PM, May 22, 2013
New Delhi: Distancing himself from the UPA's falling fortunes, Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav may skip the dinner which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will host on Wednesday for its allies and supporting parties, according to sources. An invite has also gone to the BSP's Maywawati. However, sources say she may skip the dinner too, but the key aide Satish Mishra will be attending. Both SP and BSP support the...
10:08 AM, May 22, 2013
New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is being projected by a section within the BJP as the party's prime ministerial candidate for the next Lok Sabha polls, on Tuesday met a host of top leaders including Atal Behari Vajpayee and LK Advani. In Delhi to attend the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting, Modi utilised the opportunity to spend the entire day with the top leaders whose support he would...
02:25 AM, May 22, 2013
New Delhi: The BJP launched a blistering attack on the Congress after its Parliamentary Board meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday and said that the party was ready for the next Lok Sabha elections. BJP General Secretary Ananth Kumar accused the UPA government of failing on every front during the last nine years of its rule and claimed that his party would highlight the government's shortcoming and expose it during...
04:27 PM, May 21, 2013
New Delhi: With Jaganmohan Reddy completing a year in jail after his arrest in a disproportionate assets case, his wife Bharathi on Monday attacked CBI, alleging it was controlled by partisan interests and had delayed probe to keep him in prison. Bharathi shot off a letter to CBI chief Ranjit Sinha alleging the investigation is being conducted in a "possibly politically motivated" manner and said that she had reasons to...
01:30 PM, May 20, 2013
New Delhi: In a move that is being seen as Narendra Modi's clout growing within the BJP, the party president Rajnath Singh appointed the Gujarat Chief Minister's aide Amit Shah as general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh for 2014 elections. The indications are loud and clear as Uttar Pradesh with 80 Lok Sabha seats will be critical to the BJP's preparations for 2014 elections. The BJP in its prime has...
09:12 AM, May 20, 2013
Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Sukhvinder Singh on Sunday asked party workers to start preparations for 2014 Lok Sabha elections, saying they should reach out to people and help solve their grievances. The Congress state chief told party members to work as a unified unit to help achieve desired results in the next Lok Sabha polls. Singh presided over the first meeting of Kangra District Congress Committe in Dharamsala to...
03:41 AM, May 20, 2013
Chennai: Pained by continuing internal bickering in his party, DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Sunday made a fervent appeal for unity, saying he was grieved over the fact that there was enough squabbling in the ranks that would harm the party more than any external factor. With less than a year left for the next Lok Sabha polls, considered crucial for the DMK after being drubbed by arch-rival AIADMK in...
02:15 AM, May 20, 2013
Pudukottai: With the break-up of UPA in Tamil Nadu, Congress leader and former Union minister EVKS Elangovan on Sunday said there was a possibility of his party heading a new alliance sans the two major Dravidian parties - DMK and AIADMK - for the next Lok Sabha elections. Rejecting the charges against Congress over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, he said people were not aware of the party's good work...
01:27 AM, May 20, 2013
New Delhi: In a run up to the Lok Sabha elections, BJP President Rajnath Singh on Sunday reorganised the party's poll machinery. Rajnath made Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's close aide Amit Shah in charge of the party's affairs in key state Uttar Pradesh. Shah will be assisted by party members Trivendra Singh Rawat, Rameshwer Chaurasiya and Satyendra Kushwaha. The BJP President also made Varun Gandhi in charge of the...
07:41 PM, May 19, 2013
New Delhi: With the image of his government in tatters, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will present the last Report Card of UPA-II on May 22 in which he is expected to list the positives such as Direct Benefit Transfer and FDI in retail in a bid to boost the sagging morale of Congressmen with elections less than a year away. Battered by series of scams and the recent sacking of...
12:58 PM, May 19, 2013
Mumbai: The Congress party is debating holding a General Election in November, six months ahead of schedule, senior party leaders said, reflecting an internal discussion over whether to pull the plug on the shaky ruling coalition or have it serve a full term. Officially, the Congress party says the government - which has been battered by a series of corruption scandals and now governs as a minority after two allies...
11:45 AM, May 19, 2013
New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday ruled out change of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the run up to next Lok Sabha elections but steered clear of questions whether he would again be at the helm if the UPA-III comes to power. In reply to questions about change of the Prime Minister soon and holding of early Lok Sabha elections, Congress spokesman PC Chacko said "please do not think of...
07:50 PM, May 18, 2013
