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Category: India

  • Modi Cabinet 3.0: Shivraj Bags Agriculture, Khattar Gets Power; Meet 33 First-Timers |

    First-Timers In Modi Cabinet 3.0: A total of 33 fresh faces made their debut in Modi’s third cabinet. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a four-time Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, entered the cabinet as Union agriculture and rural development minister. Among other newcomers are Manohar Lal Khattar, appointed Minister of housing and urban affairs and Minister of power; HD Kumaraswamy, taking charge as Minister of heavy industries and steel.

    The kingmaker JDU’s Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh leads as Minister of panchayati raj, fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairying, marking his first foray into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s team. Adding to Bihar’s representation is LJP leader Chirag Paswan, holding a Cabinet berth for the first time as Minister of food processing industries, his party securing all five Lok Sabha seats it contested under the NDA coalition.

    The BJP leaders who are holding their maiden cabinet berths include Kamlesh Paswan (Uttar Pradesh), Sukanta Majumder (West Bengal), Durga Das Uikey (Madhya Pradesh), Raj Bhushan Chaudhary (Bihar), Satish Dubey (Bihar), Sanjay Seth (Jharkhand), CR Paatil (Gujarat), Bhagirath Chaudhary (Rajasthan), Harsh Malhotra (Delhi), V Somanna (Karnataka), and Savitri Thakur (UP).

    Kamaljeet Sehrawat (Delhi), Prataprao Jadhav (Maharashtra), George Kurian (Kerala), Kirti Vardhan Singh (UP), Tokhan Sahu (Chhattisgarh), Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma (Andhra Pradesh), Nimuben Bambhniya (Gujarat), Murlidhar Mohol (Maharashtra), Pabitra Margherita (Assam), and Bandi Sanjay Kumar (Telangana) are also among the fresh faces of the BJP.

    New Lok Sabha MPs’ Portfolio in Modi’s Third Cabinet?

    Shivraj Singh Chouhan – Union agriculture and rural development ministry

    Manohar Lal Khattar – Minister of housing and urban affairs; and minister of power.

    HD Kumaraswamy – Minister of heavy industries; and minister of steel.

    Piyush Goyal – Minister of commerce and industry.

    Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh – Minister of Panchayati Raj; and minister of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying.

    Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu-Minister of civil aviation.

    Chirag Paswan – Minister of food processing industries.

    Ministers Of State (Independent Charge)

    Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao – Minister of state (independent charge) of ministry of Ayush; and minister of state in the ministry of health and family welfare.

    Jayant Chaudhary – Minister of state (independent charge) of the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship; and minister of state in the ministry of education.

    Ministers Of State

    Shri Jitin Prasada – Minister of state in the ministry of commerce and industry; and minister of state in the ministry of electronics and information technology.

    Ram Nath Thakur – Minister of state in the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare.

    Ravneet Singh Bittu – Minister of state in the ministry of food processing industries; and minister of State in the ministry of railways.

    Raksha Nikhil Khadse – Minister of state in the ministry of youth affairs and sports.

    Suresh Gopi – Minister of state in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas; and minister of state in the ministry of tourism.

    Kamlesh Paswan – Minister of state in the ministry of rural development.

    Sukanta Majumdar – Minister of state in the ministry of education; and minister of state in the ministry of development of north eastern region.

    Durgadas Uikey – Minister of state in the ministry of tribal affairs.

    Raj Bhushan Choudhary – Minister of state in the ministry of Jal Shakti.

    Satish Chandra Dubey – Minister of state in the ministry of coal; and minister of state in the ministry of mines.

    Sanjay Seth – Minister of state in the ministry of defence.

    Bhagirath Choudhary – Minister of state in the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare.

    V Somanna – Minister of state in the ministry of jal shakti; and minister of state in the ministry of railways.

    Harsh Malhotra – Minister of state in the ministry of corporate affairs; and minister of state in the ministry of road transport and highways.

    Savitri Thakur – Minister of state in the ministry of women and child development.

  • From BJP Chief to Cabinet: JP Nadda returns to Modi’s inner circle |

    New Delhi: After leading the BJP as its national president for more than four years, JP Nadda returned to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s council of ministers on Sunday.

    The 63-year old took oath as a Cabinet minister, becoming the sole representative from Himachal Pradesh in the BJP-led government. It is not yet known which ministry will be assigned to him.

    He served as Union health minister in Modi’s first term from November 9, 2014, to May 30, 2019.

    “Grateful to PM Narendra Modi ji for reposing faith in me. Under Modi ji’s visionary leadership, India has achieved remarkable milestones, fostering growth, innovation, and prosperity,” Nadda said in post on X.

    “I pledge to work tirelessly with utmost dedication and sincerity to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to me. Together, we will embark on a journey toward a brighter, more inclusive future for every citizen, ensuring that no one is left behind on our journey of progress and development,” he added.

    Nadda, who holds a degree in law, started his political journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He became president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP’s youth wing, in 1991.

    He held various key positions in the BJP, headed its election campaign in a host of states — from Bihar to Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Punjab. He also served as a minister in BJP’s governments in his home state of Himachal Pradesh.

    He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2012 and made a member of the BJP’s parliamentary board in 2014 when Amit Shah took over as party president.

    After the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Nadda was made the BJP’s working president. He was later elevated to the position of BJP president in January 2020 after Shah, the then BJP chief, was appointed as Union home minister.

    Nadda took over as BJP chief at a time when the party was witnessing vigorous challenges from a united opposition in assembly elections in several states amid signs that it needed to rework its electoral strategy.

    Despite its overwhelming win in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP suffered several defeats in assembly polls since 2018, except in Haryana where it formed a government in an alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party.

    The BJP won new allies and strung up a series of impressive assembly wins on Nadda’s watch. During his term as BJP chief, the party consolidated its strongholds and expanded its footprints despite some occasional setbacks.

    With his term coming to an end in June, the low-key leader from Himachal Pradesh would have liked to demit office on the high of having achieved yet another impressive Lok Sabha poll win but the BJP’s victory in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls came with reduced numbers. The party fell short of a majority on its own as it won just 240 seats in the parliamentary polls.

    The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 293 seats, setting the course for a third consecutive term as prime minister for Modi despite the opposition’s resurgence.

    Nadda is considered within the party an epitome of political correctness, with his manners unfailingly polite in public and his attacks on rivals never triggering any unseemly controversy.

    He enjoys warm relations with Modi, who was for a long time in charge of the party’s affairs in Himachal Pradesh.

  • DNA Exclusive: NTA Forms Panel To Probe NEET UG Grace Marks Following Zee News Campaign |

    The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced on Saturday that the education ministry has formed a four-member panel to examine the grace marks given to more than 1,500 candidates, following claims of mark inflation in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam. The NTA refuted any irregularities and stated that some of the factors contributing to the students’ higher scores were the changes made to the NCERT textbooks and the grace marks granted for loosing time at the exam centres.

    In today’s DNA, Zee News’ analysed the impact of our campaign against the irregularities in NEET UG 2024 results and how we compelled the system to respond to the public complaints.

    DNA: Zee News’ campaign proved successful. NTA admits…NEET results are not clean

    NEET scam…NTA’s explanation fails. Wrong NEET results…it’s a game of grace marks.#DNA #ZeeWithNEETStudents #NEETResults #ZeeNews #NEETExamResults #NEETExamResults2024 @pratyushkkhare… pic.twitter.com/3u5Phwyn8n — Zee News (@ZeeNews) June 8, 2024

    On DNA, we first disclosed the leak of NEET examination papers. It was also on DNA where we demonstrated the manipulation of NEET results. We questioned on DNA how it was possible for 67 students to achieve perfect scores of 720 out of 720 in the NEET exam.

    We also scrutinized on DNA the plausibility of scores such as 718 and 719, which seemed improbable. Zee News led the charge in questioning the National Testing Agency (NTA), the body responsible for conducting the NEET exam.

    Subsequently, students and parents nationwide have voiced their concerns over the alleged manipulation of NEET results, calling for a reassessment. The BJP has called for a CBI investigation into the matter. The students’ frustration is not without cause. Some students were allegedly made toppers through the allocation of grace marks, a process not officially sanctioned. Zee News was the pioneer in uncovering this alleged scam.

    We posed the initial inquiry to the NTA regarding how 67 students managed to score 720 out of 720. The previous year, only two students achieved 100 percent, and in 2022, none reached this mark. DNA was the first to report that six students from the same center in Haryana all achieved the top score of 720. This raised questions about potential discrepancies in the results.

    Furthermore, DNA was the first to question the legitimacy of scores like 718 and 719, especially in an exam with negative marking, where such scores should not be possible following a perfect score of 720.

  • DNA Exclusive: Analysis of how will Narendra Modi lead NDA cabinet look like? ,

    Narendra Modi on Saturday was elected as the party’s leader in parliament. He will serve as Prime Minister for the third time. But everyone is curious about the Modi government’s 3.0 cabinet. Because things are different this time. The BJP does not have a clear majority. The number of NDA ministers will undoubtedly rise. Because the government cannot operate without their support. According to reports, the NDA’s allies have also considered a formula for distributing the ministry within the government. Each party will receive one ministerial post for every four MPs.

    In today’s DNA, Zee News’ analysed how the Modi-led NDA cabinet will look like and the issues that the BJP will have to put in the cold storage.

    DNA: Issues that can create a rift in the NDA government. Modi Government 3.0.. how strong is it?

    ‘Modi formula’ ready to run a coalition government#DNA #BJP #NDA #NarendraModi #JDU #TDP @pratyushkkhare pic.twitter.com/suXarhU6I8 — Zee News (@ZeeNews) June 7, 2024

    As per this formula, TDP will get four ministerial positions, the JD (U) three, and Shiv Sena Shinde and Chirag Paswan two each. The JD (U) is negotiating a special package for Bihar with the railway and agriculture ministries. The TDP wants five ministries and the position of Lok Sabha Speaker.

    What issues will be put in cold storage?

    Based on our discussions with political experts and BJP sources, we have compiled a list of issues in the BJP’s 100-day action plan that will be opposed by both the JD(U) and the TDP.

    Here is a list of issues:

    The first issue is One Nation, One Election. The second issue is the Uniform Civil Code. The third issue is the Agniveer scheme. The fourth issue is the abolishment of Muslim reservations. Changes to the Places of Worship Act. Full implementation of the CAA.

    These are the issues that the BJP cares deeply about. Many of these issues have been addressed in the BJP manifesto. However, these are the issues that have plagued the JDU and TDP, which are members of the NDA. However, both parties have stated that all of these issues will be discussed. The JD (U) has previously questioned Agniveer and the Uniform Civil Code. And now the TDP has also said that Muslim reservation will not end in Andhra Pradesh.

    Watch tonight’s DNA show for a complete analysis:

    Modi showed the ‘trailer’ of Government 3.0 Modi’s ‘roadmap’ for running the NDA government Will Rahul Gandhi ‘betray’ Wayanad?

    Watch #DNA LIVE with Pratyush Khare#ZeeLive #ZeeNews #DNA #NarendraModi #BJP #NDA @pratyushkkhare https://t.co/MaRf6M5acT — Zee News (@ZeeNews) June 7, 2024

  • DNA Exclusive: Decoding BJP’s challenges in ensuring government sustainability |

    New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to take charge as PM for the third time after NDA alliance partners chose him as a leader. All parties of the NDA are going to meet the president on Friday to give an official letter. This time BJP may face challenges because the party need to form a government with the help of alliance partners because the saffron party won 240 seats on its own which is less than a majority. Modi is not BJP’s first Prime Minister who is going to become PM for the third time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee has also taken an oath as BJP’s PM three times.

    In today’s DNA, Sourabh Raaj Jain analysed the challenges going to be faced by the BJP due to the alliance government. The Zee News anchor called it Modi’s ‘Atal Test.’

    Watch Today’s Episode Here

    Watch #DNA LIVE with Sourabh Raaj Jain#ZeeLive #ZeeNews #DNAWithSourabh #NDA #ElectionResults #NEET @saurabhraajjain https://t.co/YTc0irxAdg — Zee News (@ZeeNews) June 6, 2024

    Atal Bihari Vajpayee did not complete his tenure in the first and second terms, but he got this good fortune in the third term. While Modi has completed the first and second terms, the third good fortune is in question. In 1999, the BJP had 182 seats, less than the majority, yet Vajpayee had completed 5 years by taking 19 parties together. Today BJP has 240 seats, but Modi does not have the experience to pull the coalition government. He has run governments with the majority of the BJP for the last two terms.

  • 2 Jailed MPs in New Lok Sabha: Know What the Rule Book Says |

    New Delhi: Two candidates currently lodged in prison on terror charges emerged winners in the just-concluded parliamentary election, giving rise to an unusual situation for the 18th Lok Sabha to be formed in the coming days.

    While the law will keep them from attending the proceedings of the new House, they do have the constitutional right to take oath as Members of Parliament.

    The Election Commission declared the results of the Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday. While radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh won Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib seat, terror financing accused Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, emerged victorious on Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla seat.

    Engineer Rashid has been lodged in Tihar jail since August 9, 2019, on charges of terror financing. Singh was arrested in April 2023 under the National Security Act and sent to the Dibrugarh prison in Assam.

    The question now arises if these jailed newly elected MPs will be allowed to take the oath, and if yes, how.

    Explaining the legalities involved, Constitution expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general PDT Achari emphasised the importance of following the constitutional provisions in such cases.

    Being sworn in as a Member of Parliament is a constitutional right, he said.

    But because they are currently in prison, Engineer Rashid and Singh must seek permission from authorities to be escorted to Parliament for the oath-taking ceremony.

    Once they have taken the oath, they will have to return to prison.

    To further explain the legalities, Achari cited Article 101(4) of the Constitution which deals with the absence of members from both Houses of Parliament without prior sanction of the Chair.

    He said that after they have taken oath, they will write to the Speaker, informing him or her about their inability to attend the House. The Speaker will then refer their requests to the House Committee on Absence of Members.

    The committee will recommend whether the member should be allowed to remain absent from House proceedings or not. The recommendation is then to put vote in the House by the Speaker.

    If Engineer Rashid or Singh are to be convicted and jailed for a minimum of two years, they would lose their seats in the Lok Sabha immediately as per the Supreme Court judgment of 2013, which holds that MPs and MLAs would be disqualified in such cases.

    This decision struck down section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act, which earlier allowed convicted MPs and MLAs three months to appeal against their convictions.

  • Suresh Gopi Makes Political History: BJP’s Victory in Thrissur Marks Kerala Debut |

    Suresh Gopi, renowned actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, has secured a significant victory on Kerala’s Thrissur Lok Sabha seat, marking a historic milestone for the BJP in the state. This win marks the party’s debut in Kerala’s electoral landscape. Gopi emerged victorious in a closely contested battle, defeating his closest rival, VS Sunil Kumar of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), by a margin of 75,079 votes. According to the Election Commission of India’s website, Gopi garnered 409,239 votes, while Sunil Kumar received 331,538 votes. Meanwhile, Muraleedharan of the Congress secured the third position with 322,995 votes.

    The triumph of Suresh Gopi on the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat holds immense significance for the BJP, as Thrissur was one of the key battlegrounds where the party had focused its campaign efforts. Prior to this victory, Suresh Gopi had faced defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 state assembly elections from the same constituency.

    Who is Suresh Gopi?

    Suresh Gopi, aged 65, hails from Alappuzha and is the BJP’s candidate for the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 elections. He has three younger brothers – Subhash Gopi, Sunil Gopi, and Sanil Gopi. After completing his primary education in Kollam, Suresh Gopi pursued a B.Sc in Zoology and an MA in English Literature.

    Embarking on his acting journey in 1965, Suresh Gopi has etched his name in the annals of Malayalam cinema with acclaimed performances in movies such as Manichitrathazhu, The Story of Vellara, and Oru CBI Diary Kurippu. His election affidavit categorizes him as a cinema artist by profession. As per his declaration, his total assets amount to ₹18.6 crores, comprising ₹8.9 crores in movable assets and ₹9.7 crores in immovable assets. His total declared income stands at ₹4.6 crores, of which ₹4.4 crores is self-earned. Suresh Gopi has a total debt of ₹1.3 crores.

  • LIVE Updates | Lucknow Lok Sabha Election Result 2024 |

    Lucknow Lok Sabha Election Result 2024: Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh played a pivotal role in BJP’s electoral success in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Among its 80 Lok Sabha seats, Lucknow has stood out as a BJP stronghold since 1991. The candidate lineup for this year showcases a diverse range of political affiliations and backgrounds. Mohammad Sarwar Malik stands as a candidate representing the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Opposing him is Rajnath Singh, a stalwart of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Ravidas Mehrotra, a candidate from the INDIA bloc, who also serves as an MLA from the Lucknow Central Assembly seat representing the Samajwadi Party (SP).

    2019 Lok Sabha Polls:

    According to the Election Commission of India, the total number of electors in this constituency in 2019 was 2,040,367. In the 2019 elections, BJP candidate Rajnath Singh secured victory in the Lucknow constituency with a substantial margin of 347,302 votes.

  • Reduction in heat wave intensity in next three days: Weather Office |

    New Delhi, Jun 2 (PTI) A reduction in the intensity of heatwave conditions is likely in the country over the next three days, the weather office said on Sunday.

    Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh was the hottest in the country with a maximum temperature of 46.2 degrees Celsius.

    Sirsa in Haryana and Ganganagar in Rajasthan sizzled at 45.4 degrees Celsius followed by Jhansi and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh which recorded 45.2 degrees Celsius each, and Prithvipur in Madhya Pradesh and Bhiwani in Haryana at 45.1 degrees.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heat wave conditions over northwest, central and east India were likely to continue with reduced intensity during the next three days.

    The maximum temperature in the national capital settled at 42.8 degrees Celsius, two notches above the normal for the season.

    Aya Nagar in south Delhi recorded 43.4 degrees Celsius, Ridge 43.7 degrees Celsius, and Palam 43.5 degrees Celsius.

    Light rain with thundershowers were experienced in parts of Rajasthan.

    The weather department has predicted more light to moderate rain in parts of Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer and Jodhpur divisions.

    Jaipur MeT department Director Radheshyam Sharma said the maximum temperature will settle below 45 degrees Celsius in the coming days and relief from the heat wave is expected.

    “Today, maximum temperatures have fallen by 3-4 degrees Celsius over some parts of East Madhya Pradesh; by 2-3 degrees Celsius in some parts of interior Odisha, Vidarbha, Punjab and by 1-2 degrees Celsius over some parts of Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh & adjoining East Rajasthan,” it said.

    It said maximum temperatures are in the range 43-45 degrees Celsius over some parts of north Rajasthan, south Haryana, Delhi, north Madhya Pradesh and southeast Madhya Pradesh; in the range of 41-43 degrees Celsius over many parts of Punjab, remaining parts of Haryana, Delhi, south Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh; over some parts of west Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Telangana and south Interior Odisha.

    The weather office said hot and humid weather is very likely to prevail over isolated pockets of Bihar during June 2-4, Konkan & Goa on June 2-3; Odisha on June 5-6.

    Among other places in Haryana, Bhiwani recorded a high of 45.1 degrees Celsius while Rohtak recorded a high of 44.2 degrees.

    Ambala recorded a maximum of 42.3 degrees Celsius, Hisar registered a high of 42.7 degrees Celsius while Gurugram and Faridabad registered 42.5 degrees Celsius and 43.9 degrees Celsius, respectively.

    Chandigarh recorded a high of 42.4 degrees Celsius.

    In Punjab, Bathinda reeled at a maximum of 45.1 degrees Celsius.

    Amritsar recorded a high of 43.5 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana 42.2 degrees Celsius while Patiala’s maximum settled at 42.6 degrees Celsius.

    Gurdaspur recorded a high of 43.4 degrees Celsius while Faridkot’s maximum settled at 42.5 degrees Celsius.

    The heat wave conditions persisted in Jammu which recorded the maximum temperature at 41.6 degrees Celsius, 2.2 notches above the season’s average, the meteorological department said.

    However, the day temperature in Jammu was 1.3 degrees Celsius less than that of the previous day, a spokesperson of the Met department said, adding that the city may witness relief from the prevailing conditions after June 4.

    He said hot and dry weather over the plains of Jammu division is likely to continue till June 4. After that during the next three days, Jammu may see light to moderate rain or thunder in many places with gusty winds in a few places.

    The weather is likely to remain partly cloudy on June 8 and 9, the spokesperson said.

    He said Katra, the base camp for pilgrims visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district, recorded a high of 38.8 degrees Celsius and a low of 24.8 degrees Celsius.

    Srinagar, on the other hand, recorded a maximum of 30.3 degrees Celsius against 27.5 degrees Celsius the previous day, the spokesperson said, adding the day temperature in the city was four degrees above normal.

  • Telangana Exit Polls: BJP projected to make big gains; Congress Holds Fort |

    New Delhi: The Exit polls predicted on Saturday that Bharat Rashtra Samithi is suffering huge losses while there is tough competition between Congress and the BJP in Telangana Lok Sabha Polls.

    Exit polls results came after the completion of polling for the Lok Sabha election which was held in seven phases.

    As per the telecast by TV 9 Bharatvarash exit poll results, the BJP-led NDA may win seven of the 17 seats, while the INDIA alliance may win eight seats and two seats

    While, India TV poll predicted that the BJP-led NDA secured a victory on 8-10 seats and the INDIA bloc may win 6-8 seats.

    News18 India exit poll said that the BJP is predicted to win 7-10 seats in Telangana and INDIA alliance expected a victory on 5-8 seats, BRS 2-5 seats.

    The Congress is the main component of the INDIA bloc in the state. The exit poll results suggested that both BJP and Congress gaining in the state as compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha election results.

    The Congress is the primary component of the INDIA bloc in Telangana. The exit poll results indicate gains for both the BJP and Congress in the state compared to the 2019 results. However, the BJP’s gain is notably more significant, particularly since the Congress currently governs the southern state.

    Telangana sent 17 MPs to Lok Sabha while voting for all the 17 candidates was concluded in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 13. The state witnessed a 65.67 per cent voter turnout in the 2024 general election.

    In the 2019 election, the BRS (then TRS) won nine of 17 seats, while the BJP secured a victory on 4 seats and Congress managed victory on three seats.