The CM vs ex-CM clash between N Rangasamy (left) and V Vaithilingam makes Thattanchavady the most high-profile seat The Union territory of Puducherry, a former French colony, heads to the polls on Thursday, with the ruling All India NR Congress (AINRC)–BJP combine seeking a second straight term in power.The Congress–DMK alliance has emerged as the … Read more
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged voters in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry to turn out in large numbers as polling got underway in the three states.In a post on X, PM Modi emphasised the importance of strong participation in Kerala, calling on voters—especially youth and women—to take part actively in the democratic … Read more
NEW DELH: Voting for the 2026 assembly elections in Puducherry began at 7 am on Wednesday, with an unusual attraction at a polling booth in the VOC Government School where a robot named “Nila” welcomed voters arriving to cast their ballots.The robot is seen all decked up and holding a flower tray to welcome the … Read more
NEW DELHI: The informal group of ministers (iGoM) headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday directed all departments to continue focusing on preparedness, coordination and resilience building to stay ready to deal with any eventuality due to conflict in West Asia.In a post on X, Rajnath said the govt is ensuring continued availability of … Read more
MUMBAI: The overnight temporary truce in the war in West Asia prompted investors globally to press the buy button on Wednesday which led to sharp rallies in markets around the globe including in India. Starting with Japan, across Hong Kong, China, Pakistan, the UK, Germany, and in the evening the US, all the markets were … Read more
Representative image (PTI) HYDERABAD: Several residents of Hyderabad’s old city Tuesday contacted a booth-level officer (BLO) of the Election Commission to help them identify their names on the 2002 electoral rolls as part of the pre-SIR mapping exercise. To their shock, instead of someone who knew the rulebook, they were approached by a sanitation worker … Read more
CHENNAI: Ahead of the April 23 election for the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly, the Election Commission of India on Wednesday replaced the state’s chief secretary, N Muruganandam, with senior bureaucrat M Sai Kumar and DGP (armed police, vigilance and anti-corruption) S Davidson Devasirvatham with Sandeep Mittal, a 1995-batch IPS officer, a decision that drew an … Read more
NEW DELHI: Acknowledging rampant misuse of public interest litigation for ulterior motives or for pursuing pet agendas, SC on Wednesday said it would have dismissed a PIL petition if it had been filed by a lawyers’ body presently challenging the Sabarimala custom of barring entry of women of menstruating age.This remark came from a bench … Read more
The Pakistan-brokered temporary ceasefire – after 6 weeks of a brutal war in the West Asia region – was welcomed by India in an official statement in which the government also expressed hope that the truce will lead to a lasting peace in the region. Stressing that the conflict had already caused immense suffering to … Read more
NEW DELHI: A day before polling in Assam, Congress candidate for the Udalguri seat, Suren Daimari, on Wednesday announced he has quit the party and “surrendered” his candidature. The Congress, however, said that he was yet to submit his resignation letter to the party.A senior election commission official, when contacted, said Daimari’s name will remain … Read more