Even two days on from the defeat of HD Kumaraswamy’s government in a confidence vote in the Karnataka Assembly, the BJP had still not staked its claim to form a government, with the state unit waiting for clearance from the party’s central leadership. How the coalition fell The 14-month-old Congress-JD(S) government was defeated on Tuesday after a three-week power struggle full of twists and a legal battle that followed the resignations of 15 rebel MLAs. Kumaraswamy’s motion won 99 votes against 105 for the BJP, as a large group ofRead More

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday asked the Delhi government not to charge women in unauthorised colonies for registering property, and to give them ownership rights. He also said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was attempting to create the impression that the Centre was hostile to these colonies. Asked about the demand, Kejriwal said, “We will look into it.” Regularisation row Tiwari alleged that the Delhi government never sent the Centre a proposal to regularise 1,757 unauthorised colonies, and that Kejriwal did nothing to have their boundaries demarcated. Accusing theRead More

Ajay Kumar Bhalla, an IAS officer of the 1984 batch who belongs to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been chosen as the next Union Home Secretary. The appointment Bhalla, who is now Power Secretary at the Centre, has been made Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Ministry of Home Affairs with immediate effect. A new home secretary customarily serves as OSD alongside the incumbent for at least a month to allow a smooth handover. The present Home Secretary, Rajiv Gauba, is due to retire on August 31, and Bhalla’s fixedRead More

The Union government put the Triple Talaq Bill on the Lok Sabha’s agenda on Thursday for consideration and passage, and the ruling BJP issued a whip directing its MPs to be present in the House in New Delhi. What the bill does The bill makes instant divorce by Muslim men a criminal offence and provides for a prison term for those found guilty. It was the first draft law introduced by the Narendra Modi government in the opening session of its second term, after it was sworn in in May.Read More

Some 36 hours after the BJP brought down the HD Kumaraswamy-led JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka, the party’s camp in Bengaluru had fallen silent, with no word from the national leadership on when BS Yeddyurappa would move to form the next government. Waiting on Delhi Many party workers had expected Yeddyurappa to take over as chief minister straight away. Instead, he is waiting for party president Amit Shah’s signal before staking a claim, and he has postponed a trip to Delhi on the high command’s advice. State BJP leaders say theRead More