India

New Delhi, Mar 13: The world's biggest democracy will soon hold what's likely to be one of the world's costliest elections. India's six-week-long vote will span the Himalayan range in the north, the Indian Ocean in the south, the Thar desert in the west and the mangroves of the Sundarbans in the east. This time the polling exercise, due to start on April 11 and be completed by May 19, will cost an

Srinagar, Mar 13: A man was arrested and arms and ammunition, including grenades, were seized by security forces from a militant hideout in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, police said Wednesday. "On credible input, a joint party of police and other security forces busted a hideout in a residential house at Kulgam district's Yaripora area, and recovered arms and ammunition, including grenades

New Delhi, Mar 13: India Tuesday grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in light of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, in which 157 people were killed. SpiceJet has around 12 '737 Max 8' planes in its fleet, while Jet Airways has five. "DGCA has taken the decision to ground the Boeing 737-MAX planes immediately. These planes will be grounded till appropriate modifications and safety measures are undertaken

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 12: The election commission on Monday warned political parties in Kerala not to use the Sabarimala temple matter as a campaign issue. Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena told the media here that "citing or invoking" religious propaganda on the "Sabarimala issue" would be a clear violation of the model code of conduct. "Inviting religious feelings, using any kind

Unnao, Mar 12: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Sakshi Maharaj has written a letter to Uttar Pradesh party chief Mahendra Nath Pandey claiming that consequences "may not be positive" if the party denies him a ticket to contest from Unnao constituency in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. In a letter dated March 7, Maharaj said, "If a party takes a different decision (related to my

Ahmedabad, Mar 12: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday urged people not to get swayed by electoral rhetoric and told them to raise the real issues facing them instead of getting drawn into trivialities. "Your greatest weapon is awareness about the realities facing the country, your vote is your weapon. Use it with after due consideration and due discretion. Ensure that it does

New Delhi, Mar 12: In a setback to the prospects of an opposition grand alliance to take on the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha election, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) made it clear on Tuesday that it would not have any electoral tie-up with the Congress in any state for the polls beginning April 11. In a statement, BSP supremo Mayawati said, "It is being made clear again that the Bahujan Samaj Party

Hyderabad, Mar 12: As a leader of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress voices concern about elections in the month of Ramadan and the impact on Muslim votes, Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi rubbished such talk. The national election will be held from April 11 to May 19 and the results will be declared on May 23, the Election Commission said yesterday. Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of the

New Delhi, Mar 12: The choice is between Mahatma Gandhi's India or Godse's India with love on one hand and hate on the other, Congress president Rahul Gandhi told his party's booth workers here on Monday, a day after the Lok Sabha elections were announced. In an all out attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi flayed him on a host of issues such as the Rafale deal, employment generation

New Delhi, Mar 12: 'Gomaata' became a hot political topic again after Narendra Modi assumed power in 2014 but it was the same 48 years ago too when 'Cow and Calf' symbol was allotted to Indira Gandhi-led Congress faction, just a couple of months before the 1971 General Elections. Cries of hurting religious sentiments were raised soon after the symbol was allotted and it had prompted then Chief