BJP legislator suspended after ruckus in Bengal Assembly

New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was elected as the new Mayor of Delhi as the party managed to win 133 votes in the municipal contest, which had 262 eligible voters.

Along with 238 councillors, a total of 10 MPs and 14 legislators were also eligible to vote in Friday’s election, taking the number of eligible voters to 262.

The BJP managed to reclaim the post of the city’s First Citizen after two years of dominance by the Aam Aadmi Party, ushering in what Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva described as a “Triple Engine” government in the national capital.

Now, the BJP is in a position to call the shots in the Centre, the Delhi government and the MCD.

In the Mayoral election, Singh’s rival from the Congress, Mandeep Singh, got just eight votes. The AAP boycotted the election. A total of 10 MPs and 14 legislators were also eligible to vote in Friday’s election.

The current strength of the MCD stands at 238, with 12 seats vacant due to some councillors being elected to the Delhi Assembly and one to the Lok Sabha.

After the civic polls in 2022, the BJP held 104 wards, but now its strength has increased to 117. The AAP’s strength has fallen to 113 from 134. Congress holds only eight seats.

On the eve of the Mayoral elections in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor expressed confidence in the party nominee winning the top civic post.

For the Deputy Mayor’s post, BJP’s Jaibhagwan Yadav was elected unchallenged as Congress’ Ariba Khan withdrew her name.

The AAP, which decided to abstain from the election by not fielding a nominee, has backed out of the contest as it has realised that the BJP has a numerical superiority in the civic House, said Kapoor.

He said that the AAP is disintegrating, and after two-and-a-half years of stagnant development work, their councillors want to break away from the party line.

The voting on Friday reflected the realignment of forces in the Civic House, in which the AAP had won a majority in the last civic polls.

–IANS

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Itanagar, March 6 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt. Gen. K.T. Parnaik (retd) on Thursday underscored that effective implementation of government schemes and projects depends significantly on the efforts of the MLAs and he urged the lawmakers to focus on the state’s growth and inclusive development.

Addressing his customary speech on the opening day of the five-day budget session of the state assembly, the Governor said that the government’s vision can turn into reality at the grassroots level by the effective role of the MLAs.

“By prioritising the education, health, tourism, infrastructure and youth empowerment sectors, the government is ensuring sustainable development, helping all citizens, and to make Arunachal as a model of progress and innovation,” Parnaik told the House, announcing that the upcoming state’s annual budget would outline policies and schemes to build a ‘Viksit Arunachal by 2047’.

“Budget is a blueprint for progress, focusing on infrastructure, education, healthcare and economic opportunities.”

He said: “Strategic allocations will address diverse developmental needs, ensuring that growth reaches all corners of society. This budget reaffirms our commitment to a prosperous and progressive Arunachal, where every citizen can thrive.

“As Arunachal overcomes historical connectivity and development challenges, this session is an opportunity to allocate resources effectively, promote sustainable growth, and implement policies that improve citizens’ quality of life,” Parnaik said.

The Governor stated that Arunachal Pradesh’s economy is expanding at 11.01 per cent, considerably higher than the national average of 6.5 per cent.

Noting that over 2.30 lakh households getting benefit under the Jal Jeevan Mission, he said that Arunachal has become the first northeastern state to achieve cent per cent functional household tap connections under the Mission.

The state has also completed over 35,000 houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Grameen), achieving full saturation in providing housing for the rural homeless people, he pointed out.

The annual budget for the 2025-26 financial year would be tabled in the house by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who also holds the Finance portfolio, on March 10 and the budget discussion would take place on March 12. The budget for the 2025-26 fiscal is the second budget of the Pema Khandu-led BJP government in its third term.

Four bills were introduced in the state Assembly on Thursday.

These bills include the Arunachal Pradesh Goods & Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Arunachal Pradesh Arun Parivar Authority Bill, 2025, The Arunachal Pradesh Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and The Arunachal Pradesh Flood Plain Zoning Bill, 2025.

The Deputy Chief Minister, who also holds the planning and investment portfolio, introduced the Arunachal Pradesh Arun Parivar Authority Bill, 2025, which seeks to establish a legal framework for good governance and ensure efficient, transparent and targeted delivery of public welfare benefits and services to residents.

–IANS

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New Delhi, April 30 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to chair two top-level cabinet meetings on Wednesday, one with the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and another with the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA).

The Union Cabinet meeting will be held for the first time since the barbaric terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, most of them tourists.

The Union Cabinet meeting will likely take place after the second meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), as per the reports.

These meetings are then likely to be followed by a Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting, said sources.

There was no meeting of the Union Cabinet last week, and only the CCS had met on April 23, condemning the terror attack.

In the first CCS meet chaired by PM Modi, India took a slew of measures against Pakistan.

The country announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, the shutdown of the Attari border, the cancellation of visas of Pakistani nationals, the blockade of many of its YouTube channels and X handles, and downgrading the diplomatic ties with Pakistan by downsizing the already truncated staff in embassies, thereby forcing them back to their country of origin.

The Prime Minister will chair the CCS meeting, the second within a week of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, to concretise India’s next move against Pakistan.

The CCS is also likely to consider the military options available to New Delhi to avenge the terror strike.

The April 23 CCS had reviewed the security situation and directed all Indian forces to maintain the highest level of vigilance.

India has resolved to ensure that the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack are brought to justice and that their sponsors are held accountable.

The other cabinet meeting, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), is also crucial. It was last convened following the 2019 terror attack in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, to assess the security environment and devise appropriate countermeasures. During that meeting, a decision was made to revoke Pakistan’s Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status. Following this, the Indian Air Force conducted airstrikes targeting terrorist camps in Balakot on February 26, 2019.

The CCPA reviews and decides on important political and economic matters of the country and meets on crucial occasions.

On Tuesday, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan convened a high-level meeting to review the internal security situation and assess the evolving threat perception. Heads of key paramilitary forces were present at the meeting, which focused on tightening border security, enhancing counter-terror capabilities, and coordinating intelligence sharing across forces, given heightened tensions following the April 22 attack.

The Pahalgam attack has triggered a series of swift and significant policy decisions from the Central government.

On April 22, a group of terrorists attacked unsuspecting tourists in the green meadows of Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley in Kashmir, killing 26 civilians. Among the tourists was a Nepali national. One local resident was also killed in the firing. Hindu men were selectively targeted and shot dead.

–IANS

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