Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's prominent Muslim face Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi resigned as India's Minority Affairs Minister on Wednesday. The 64-year-old's sudden resignation comes a day before his term as a member of Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) ends, triggering speculation that he may run for the Vice-President of India. Read: India’s Nupur Sharma battle reaches the judiciary Earlier in the day, Naqvi met with Prime Minister Modi and BJP president JP Nadda."He has handed over his resignation to Modi after the meeting," sources told UNB. Naqvi began his political career as a student leader and was jailed during the Emergency. He served as junior Information and Broadcasting Minister in former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government in the late 1990s. Read: In Kashmir, ‘conscious music’ tests India’s limits on speech Incumbent Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu's five-year term ends on August 10. The elections are slated for August 6.

India's highest judiciary on Friday asked former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma to "apologise to the whole country" for her remarks on the Prophet Muhammad. "It is shameful. She (Sharma) should apologise to the whole country," Justice Surya Kant of a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court said, while hearing her plea seeking a transfer of all FIRs filed against her across the country to Delhi. Read:India’s ‘prophetic' trouble getting bigger "This lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country," Justice Kant said. "She thinks she has back up of power and can make any statement without respect to the law of the land." Soon after the Supreme Court's remarks on Sharma, India's main opposition Congress party's leader Rahul Gandhi blamed the BJP-led federal government for fanning anti-Muslim sentiments across the country.  In fact, Sharma's remarks sparked massive protests by Muslims across the country last month and also triggered a diplomatic row between India and many Muslim-majority countries -- the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Indonesia, Kuwait and Qatar to name a few. Read: India's BJP sacks two spokespersons over comments on Prophet Last month only, the BJP sacked Sharma and another spokesperson -- Delhi media cell head, Naveen Kumar Jindal -- from their respective posts, saying the ruling party “respects all religions”. “The BJP does not promote such persons or philosophy… it (the BJP) strongly denounces the insult of any religious personalities of any religion,” the party had said in a statement.

A tribal politician in India is all set to script history next month, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) naming her as its candidate for the country's presidential polls slated for July. The 64-year-old former teacher-turned-tribal politician, Droupadi Murmu, hailing from the eastern state of Odisha, is projected to win as President, with the BJP and its coalition partners commanding 48% of the electoral vote. In India, the President is elected by the members of both the Houses of Parliament -- the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and the Lok Sabha (Lower House) -- and of the state assemblies and federal government-ruled Union Territories. Like in Bangladesh, the Indian President is the ceremonial head of state who does not exercise executive powers. On Thursday, Murmu sought the cooperation of all lawmakers in India before taking a flight to Delhi this morning. "I thank all and seek cooperation from everyone for the presidential election. I'll meet all voters and seek their support before July 18." "Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, downtrodden as well as the marginalised," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Wednesday. "She has rich administrative experience and had an outstanding gubernatorial tenure. I am confident she will be a great President of our nation," Modi wrote. Read: Yashwant Sinha is Indian opposition's presidential pick But who's this humble politician? Born on June 20 in 1958, Murmu completed her graduation in 1979 and began her career as a government employee before becoming a school teacher.  She subsequently made a foray into Odisha politics, first as a local civic body councillor and then as a state legislator. The two-term BJP legislator went on to become a minister in the state government in 2000. And some 15 years later, Murmu was sworn in as the first woman Governor of the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. In her personal life, Murmu lost her husband and their two sons. While her husband died of a cardiac arrest, one of her two sons was found dead under mysterious circumstances in 2009. She has a daughter. If elected, Murmu would replace incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind whose five-year term ends on July 24.

The row over controversial comments made by two former spokespersons of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about the Prophet Muhammad is escalating with each passing day. After the Friday prayers, Muslims in Delhi and the neighbouring northern state of Uttar Pradesh took to the streets demanding the immediate arrest of erstwhile BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and former Delhi media cell head Naveen Kumar Jindal. Also read: Muslim nations slam India over insulting remarks about Islam The protests broke out simultaneously in Delhi outside the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India, and in several cities of western Uttar Pradesh. "The law and order situation is more or less under control in Delhi, as the protests have been largely peaceful," a police officer said. Local TV channels, however, aired footage of violent clashes between the protesters and police in the city of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. The protests erupted in the wake of the controversial remarks against the Prophet Muhammad, which triggered a major diplomatic row between India and many Muslim-majority countries -- the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Qatar to name a few. On Sunday, the BJP sacked the two spokespersons from their respective posts, saying the party “respects all religions”. “The BJP does not promote such persons or philosophy… it (the BJP) strongly denounces the insult of any religious personalities of any religion,” the party had said in a statement. Also read:India's BJP sacks two spokespersons over comments on Prophet In fact, the BJP swung into firefighting mode hours after Qatar and Kuwait -- with which India shares close ties -- had summoned the Indian envoys in their respective countries to lodge their "strong protest" over their controversial remarks. Later, Iran, Indonesia, the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Libya and Bahrain also issued condemnations. India's main opposition Congress party had also lashed out at the BJP over the fiasco and questioned if the ruling outfit was on a course correction mode. "Is the BJP sincere in course correcting?" the Congress had said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to retain India's largest state of Uttar Pradesh, seen as the gateway to power in the 2024 general elections. This inference can be drawn from early trends showing the saffron outfit, led by monk-turned-politician Yogi Adityanath, is way ahead of the state's main opposition Samajwadi Party led by its young leader and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Read: Modi welcomes Russia’s talks with Ukraine on ceasefire: MEA In fact, the trends indicate that the BJP has comfortably taken a lead in over 220 seats in the 403-member assembly. On the other hand, the Samajwadi Party is trailing in double digits. The final results will be out later in the day. Uttar Pradesh voted in seven phases --February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, March 3 and 7 -- adhering to all Covid-safety protocols. While the opposition parties harped on issues like rising joblessness, high inflation and the BJP's Hindu majority politics, the BJP highlighted law-and-order problems during the Samajwadi Party rule. Uttar Pradesh is crucial for the BJP as it's said that the road to Delhi passes through Lucknow, its capital, and the party that wins the state stands a fair chance of forming the next federal government. Read: Mamata, Modi on the same page on Ukraine crisis Moreover, a win in Uttar Pradesh will be a major boost for the Prime Minister halfway through his second term in power. The general elections are due in India in 2024.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has congratulated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party Trinamool Congress for her resounding victory in the by-polls.  In a message to Mamata Banerjee, the Foreign Minister hoped that Bangladesh's relations with West Bengal would be closer and complementary in the days to come in the interest of mutual welfare and development. Read: Mamata wins crucial Bengal bypoll Dr Momen said the landslide victory in the Bhabanipur constituency for the third consecutive term is a reflection of the people of West Bengal's continued confidence and deep faith in Mamata Banerjee's leadership.  He wished the people of West Bengal all the betterment and prosperity under the able leadership of Mamata Banerjee. The Foreign Minister wished the Chief Minister of West Bengal good health and continued success and greeted her ahead of Durga Puja. Read: Crucial bypoll begins in Bengal to decide Mamata's fate Mamata Banerjee won Bhabanipur Assembly by-polls on Sunday by a record margin of 58,832 votes against Priyanka Tibrewal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).  This victory makes Banerjee a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and will allow her to continue as Chief Minister of West Bengal.  She was unanimously elected Chief Minister by the Trinamool Congress legislature party in May 2021.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday scripted an astounding victory in the crucial bypoll in the eastern state to cement her position as the biggest opposition leader in India. The 66-year-old won the by-election for the assembly constituency of Bhawanipur in state capital Kolkata by a whopping margin of 59,000 votes over her main rival, a little-known lawyer from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Read: Mamata all set to win crucial Bengal bypoll "I have won the Bhawanipur assembly bypoll with a margin of 58,832 votes and have registered the victory in every ward of the constituency," Mamata said, addressing the media in Kolkata. The firebrand politician had to contest in the bypoll as she was defeated in Nandigram by her protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari in April-May's assembly elections though her ruling Trinamool Congress party swept back to power in Bengal. India's main opposition Congress, on the other hand, did not fielded any candidate against Mamata. The party's decision was announced by West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury earlier last month. On May 2, Mamata single-handedly pulled off a landslide victory in the assembly election for the third time in a row, bucking anti-incumbency and staving off a massive challenge from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP. Read: Crucial bypoll begins in Bengal to decide Mamata's fate In June this year, Mamata moved the high court to declare Suvendu's election win "null and void' on the grounds that he had indulged in corrupt practices and sought votes on the basis of religion.  Bengal had witnessed the most high-profile contest in India's recently held state polls. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and development" after 50 years of Communist and Trinamool rule.

The most high-profile bypoll in India is currently underway in the eastern state of West Bengal's capital Kolkata amid tight security and Covid-safety protocols. Voting began at 7 am on Thursday for the by-election to the Bhawanipur seat in south Kolkata, where Bengal's firebrand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting to retain her constitutional position. Read: Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo joins Mamata's party The by-elections to two more seats in Bengal -- Jangipur and Samserganj in Murshidabad district -- are also underway. Nearly seven lakh people are eligible to cast their ballots in the three constituencies. The results will be out on October 3. In Bhawanipur, 66-year-old Mamata has to pull off a win to continue as Bengal CM.  India's ruling and Bengal's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pitted a little-known woman lawyer against Mamata. Though her Trinamool Congress party swept back to power in Bengal in May's assembly polls, Mamata lost her own seat in Nandigram to her protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari by around 2,000 votes.  Mamata has, however, challenged Suvendu's election in the Kolkata high court. Read: Mamata to kickstart campaign for Bengal bypoll today India's main opposition Congress, on the other hand, has not fielded any candidate against Mamata. The party's decision was announced by West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury earlier this month. On May 2, Mamata single-handedly pulled off a landslide victory in the assembly election for the third time in a row, bucking anti-incumbency and staving off a massive challenge from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In June, Mamata moved the high court to declare Suvendu's election win "null and void' on the grounds that he had indulged in corrupt practices and sought votes on the basis of religion.  "Suvendu Adhikari has indulged in several corrupt practices that have enhanced his winning chances and materially altered Mamata Banerjee's chances of success in the election," her petition read. Read: Mamata slams Modi govt as nephew summoned over coal scam In her petition, Mamata also alleged discrepancies in the counting of votes, Mamata's lawyer had said. West Bengal had witnessed the most high-profile contest in India's recently held state elections. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and development" after 50 years of Communist and Trinamool rule.

A higher court in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata on Wednesday imposed a fine of 5 lakh rupees (7,000 USD) on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her "preplanned move to malign a judge". Justice Kaushik Chanda of Kolkata High Court asked Mamata to deposit the fine before recusing himself from hearing a case filed by the firebrand woman politician challenging the election of her former protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram in May's assembly polls. Read:Sheikh Hasina gifts 2,600kg mangoes to PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee The Bengal Chief Minister had asked Justice Chanda to quit the case over "conflict of interest" in the wake of his alleged links with India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Interestingly, Suvendu is BJP's leader of opposition in Bengal. However, before exiting the case, an enraged Chanda came down heavily on Mamata. "Such calculative, psychological and offensive attempt to seek recusal need to be firmly repulsed and a cost of 5 lakh rupees is imposed upon the petitioner." On May 2, Mamata single-handedly pulled off a landslide victory in the assembly election for the third time in a row, bucking anti-incumbency and staving off a massive challenge from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP. Though her Trinamool Congress party swept back to power with a resounding majority, Mamata lost her own seat in Nandigram to BJP's star campaigner Suvendu by a thin margin of 2,000 votes. Read: Mamata Banerjee challenges her rival's election win Last month, Mamata moved the high court to declare Suvendu's election win null and void on the grounds that he indulged in corrupt practices and sought votes on the basis of religion.  "Suvendu Adhikari has indulged in several corrupt practices that have enhanced his winning chances and materially altered Mamata Banerjee's chances of success in the election," her petition read. In her petition, Mamata also alleged discrepancies in the counting of votes, Mamata's lawyer Sanjay Bose had said. Read:Mamata Banerjee sworn in as Bengal CM Though Mamata had conceded defeat to Suvendu in Nandigram -- the potboiler of the assembly election in Bengal -- the Trinamool supremo said on the counting day only that she would challenge the result in a court of law. "I will move the court against Suvendu's win," she had said. West Bengal had witnessed the most high-profile contest in India's recently held state elections. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and socio-economic development" after nearly 50 years of Communist and Trinamool Congress rule.

A mega Cabinet expansion is on the cards of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government ahead of next year's crucial assembly polls in five Indian states and the 2024 general election. Though there has been no official word on the possible Cabinet rejig, UNB has learnt that as many as 28 new faces, including a few from West Bengal, could be inducted into the Council of Ministers this month. Read: Twin blasts rock Indian Air Force base in first-ever drone attack Modi's Cabinet currently has 53 Ministers. This would be the first Cabinet expansion since his nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept back to power in 2019 general election, decimating the opposition Congress. In fact, the names of at least three BJP leaders from the eastern state of Bengal -- Jagannath Sarkar, Shantanu Thakur and N Pramanik -- are doing the rounds. Bengal shares its border with Bangladesh. Modi's nationalist party lost badly to firebrand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in April-May's polls in Bengal. Mamata bucked anti-incumbency to pull off a landslide victory in the polls. Bengal had witnessed the most high-profile contest in India's recently held state polls. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and socio-economic development". Read:Two back-to-back blasts rock Indian Air Force station UNB has also learnt that former Congress lawmaker Jyotiraditya Scindia and former Chief Minister of northeastern state of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, are likely to be part of the Cabinet expansion. Scindia, who served as a minister in the previous Congress-led federal government,defected to the BJP last year and helped the saffron outfit reclaim its bastion in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.  Sonowal, on the other hand, made way for his deputy Himanta Biswa Sarma as Assam Chief Minister after the BJP swept to power for the second time in a row in the recently concluded assembly polls in the state. Others who could be part of the Cabinet rejig are former deputy chief minister of the eastern Indian state of Bihar, Sushil Modi, and former chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra, Narayan Rane. Read: India cuts Middle East oil imports as it seeks to diversify energy sources Nine serving Ministers in the Modi Cabinet, including Piyush Goyal and Smriti Irani, who currently hold additional portfolios, may have to relinquish the extra ministries to make way for the new faces, sources said. "Five Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh in the north, are to go to polls next year. It's said that the party which wins Uttar Pradesh gets India. This is because the state has 80 parliamentary seats," said Rama Sharma, a Delhi-based political analyst.