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☆ Video targeting Muslims faces India police probe as critics accuse Modi’s party of divisive election campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Police in southern India are investigating a senior leader of the country’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a campaign video targeting Muslims, as critics accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of running an increasingly divisive election. The party has long denied being anti-Islam but opposition politicians and prominent Muslims have warned that its leaders have been deploying openly divisive rhetoric to turbo-charge their campaign. The video was removed Wednesday after a request to X from India’s Election Commission to take it down. Modi’s speech ignited widespread anger among Muslim leaders and opposition politicians and calls for election authorities to investigate. BJP party spokespeople subsequently said Modi was talking about undocumented migrants.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Vijayendra, “, Rahul Gandhi, Critics, Manickam Tagore, ”, Modi’s, Modi, –, spokespeople, Rana Ayyub Organizations: CNN — Police, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, CNN, India’s, Times Locations: India, Karnataka, Congress, Rajasthan, Islam

☆ Modi Calls Muslims ‘Infiltrators’ Who Would Take India’s Wealth
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Alex Travelli | Suhasini Raj | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called Muslims “infiltrators” who would take India’s wealth if his opponents gained power — unusually direct and divisive language from a leader who normally lets others do the dirtiest work of polarizing Hindus against Muslims. Mr. Modi, addressing voters in the state of Rajasthan, referred to a remark once made by Manmohan Singh, his predecessor from the opposition Indian National Congress Party. Mr. Singh, Mr. Modi claimed, had “said that Muslims have the first right to the wealth of the nation. This means they will distribute this wealth to those who have more children, to infiltrators.”Mr. Modi aimed his emotional appeal at women, addressing “my mothers and sisters” to say that his Congress opponents would take their gold and give it to Muslims. Implications like these — that Muslims have too many babies, that they are coming for Hindus’ wives and daughters, that their nationality as Indian is itself in doubt — are often made by representatives of Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P.

Persons: Narendra Modi, ”, Modi, Manmohan Singh, Singh, Mr, “, —, Modi’s Organizations: Sunday, Indian National Congress Party, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party Locations: Rajasthan

☆ In India’s 2024 election, BJP’s main opposition appears increasingly weak in face of Modi juggernaut
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Helen Regan | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

Supporters of India's opposition party, Indian National Congress, during an election rally in Puducherry on April 15, 2024 R. Satish Babu/AFP/Getty ImagesDemocracy under threat? Dipam Bhachech/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Modi worked his way through the ranks of the BJP, establishing himself as a respected politician. Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images Modi hugs French President Emmanuel Macron after a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, on June 3, 2017. Brent Lewin/Bloomberg/Getty Images India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023. Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images Modi offers a toast during a State Dinner with President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, on June 22, 2023.

Persons: ”, Narendra Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Indira Gandhi, Gandhi, ” Hazari Lal Rajput, Satish Babu, Modi, Modi’s, Matthew Abbott, Hiraben, Damodardas, Dipam Bhachech, Lal Krishna Advani, Subhas Chandra Bose, Kalpit Bhachech, Kalpit, Negi Yasbant, Amit Dave, Ajit Solanki, Kevin Frayer, Saurabh Das, AP Modi, Manish Swarup, Lucas Jackson, Barack Obama, Adrien Helou, Reuters Modi, Adnan Abidi, Stringer, Mark Zuckerberg, David Paul Morris, Marco Longari, Angela Merkel, Tobias Schwarz, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Platiau, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, India's, Jair Bolsonaro, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Amit Shah, Money Sharma, Boris Johnson, Phil Noble, Anthony Albanese, Brent Lewin, Pedro Ugarte, Joe Biden, Doug Mills, Paul Mashatile, Jacoline, Imtiyaz Khan, Amr Alfiky, Arati Jerath, “, it’s, Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira, India’s, Jawaharlal Nehru, gunning, ” Modi, shouldn’t, Mohammad Irfan, —, Arvind Kejriwal, Altaf Qadri, Kejriwal, Atishi, you’re, Jerath, Gandhi ‘, ’ Modi, Christophe Jaffrelot, CNN Modi, Rasheed Kidwai, Rahul, Diptendu Dutta, Mamata Banerjee, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, ” Kidwai, ” Jerath Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian National Congress, Getty, Democracy, Modi’s BJP, Pew, New York Times, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Modi, Hospital, Narendra, India Today, AP, India's, Madison, Garden, Reuters, Washington , D.C, French National Space Agency, of Yoga, Meta, Facebook, Bloomberg, European, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kyodo, British, Summit, Qudos Bank, White, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu, United, United Arab Emirates, Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Indian, Aadmi Party, Delhi, AAP, Aam Aadmi Party, All, Trinamool, West, All India, Congress, “, “ Democracy Locations: India, Uttar Pradesh, Ramlila, Puducherry, Modi’s, Sydney, Australia, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, Ahmadabad, Varanasi, New Delhi, United States, Washington, Washington ,, Toulouse, France, Xian, AFP, Menlo Park , California, U.S, Pretoria, South Africa, China, Berlin, Paris, Rashtrapati, Russian, Brasilia, Glasgow, Red, Ayodhya, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, INDIA, Delhi, India’s, Lok Sabha, Atishi, ”, Manipur, Siliguri, West Bengal, Tamil

☆ Time Is Running Out for Rahul Gandhi’s Vision for India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Samanth Subramanian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The crush of people at the rally was suffocating, although in India a crowd is no index of popularity. At 53, with a well-salted beard and serious eyes, he’s too old to be called Congress’s “scion,” but he still wears the sheen of dynasty. Then, on the heels of several corruption scandals, the mighty party — 140 years old next year — came unstuck. One of Modi’s successes has been not just to trounce the Congress Party but also to persuade people that the party has weakened India and emasculated its Hindus. (Amnesty itself halted its work in India in 2020, in the midst of what it later called an “incessant witch hunt” by the government.)

Persons: —, Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira, Rajiv, Sonia, Modi, ” Organizations: Congress, Party, Amnesty, World Press Locations: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Russia

☆ India general election 2024: Polls open in world’s biggest vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Polls will open Friday for the first phase of India’s marathon general election, kicking off a vote in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to win a rare third consecutive term. Challenging the BJP is India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, and its newly formed INDIA alliance of parties. India’s Election Commission has imposed restrictions on media, including CNN, that limits the publication of reporting and analysis in the run-up to and during polling days. Supporters of India's opposition party, Indian National Congress (INC) during the election campaign in Puducherry on April 15, 2024. Among the most politically important states is Uttar Pradesh, home to 240 million people who vote in all seven phases.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Biju Boro, Modi, ”, Satish Babu, Mamata Banerjee, Dravida, Stalin, Altaf Qadri Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian, Bharatiya Janata, United Nations Security Council, Indian National Congress, Getty, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, All, Trinamool, Tamil Locations: India, Guwahati, AFP, India’s, Puducherry, Lok Sabha, Uttar Pradesh, Lok, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Dravida, INDIA, . West Bengal, Trinamool Congress, Nicobar Islands, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Myanmar, Manipur

☆ Narendra Modi: India’s popular but controversial leader seeking a transformative third term
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +26 min

Varanasi and New Delhi CNN —Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once famously made a simple election promise: “good days are coming”. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar on April 6, 2024. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking during a rally in Sydney, Australia, on May 23, 2023. Kalpit Bhachech/Getty Images Narendra Modi, then BJP secretary is welcomed at Ahmedabad Railway Station by the party's followers on January 31, 1992. Brent Lewin/Bloomberg/Getty Images India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Himanshu Sharma, Getty Images Modi, –, ”, Saba Naqvi, “, Vajpayee, Naqvi, Dileep Patel, John Mees, Akash Jaiswal, “ We’ve, ” Jaiswal, isn’t, Matthew Abbott, Hiraben, Damodardas, Dipam Bhachech, Lal Krishna Advani, Subhas Chandra Bose, Kalpit Bhachech, Kalpit, Negi Yasbant, Amit Dave, Ajit Solanki, Kevin Frayer, Saurabh Das, AP Modi, Manish Swarup, Lucas Jackson, Barack Obama, Adrien Helou, Reuters Modi, Adnan Abidi, Stringer, Mark Zuckerberg, David Paul Morris, Marco Longari, Angela Merkel, Tobias Schwarz, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Platiau, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, India's, Jair Bolsonaro, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Amit Shah, Money Sharma, Boris Johnson, Phil Noble, Anthony Albanese, Brent Lewin, Pedro Ugarte, Joe Biden, Doug Mills, Paul Mashatile, Jacoline, Imtiyaz Khan, Amr Alfiky, Patel, India’s, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv, Rahul Gandhi, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, “ Narendra Modi, ” Mukhopadhyay, Mukhopadhyay, ” Modi, Keshav Baliram, “ Modi, BJP Modi, Lord Ram, ” Naqvi, Critics, Christophe Jaffrelot, Karan Thapar, ” Jaffrelot, Modi’s, it’s, —, Raj, India Narendra Modi, Kenny Hoston, Ram, ” Raniva, That’s Organizations: New Delhi CNN, Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, India's, Getty Images, Pew, CNN, World Health Organization, New York Times, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Getty, Modi, Hospital, Narendra, India Today, Indian National Congress, AP, Madison, Garden, Reuters, Washington , D.C, French National Space Agency, of Yoga, Meta, Facebook, Bloomberg, European, Saudi Arabia's Crown, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kyodo, British, Summit, Qudos Bank, White, Anadolu Agency, Anadolu, United, United Arab Emirates, Cambridge, today’s Congress Party, Harvard, The Times, Muslim, Australia Locations: Varanasi, New Delhi, Gujarat, Pushkar, India, “ India, United States, Brazil, “, Sydney, Australia, Ahmedabad, Ahmadabad, Washington, Washington ,, Toulouse, France, Xian, AFP, Menlo Park , California, U.S, Pretoria, South Africa, China, Berlin, Paris, Rashtrapati, Russian, Brasilia, Glasgow, Red, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, Oxford, Vadnagar, Babri, Kadi, Kashmir, United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Jama

☆ India general election 2024: What to know about the world’s biggest vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Helen Regan | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Under Modi, India has become the world’s fastest growing major economy, pushing the country of 1.4 billion people to near-superpower status. Here’s what you need to know about the largest election in human history:How does India vote? Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his supporters during an election campaign rally in Pushkar on April 6, 2024. Congress senior party leader Rahul Gandhi during the release of the party manifesto on April 5, 2024 in New Delhi. The ruling BJP’s symbol is a lotus, while the Congress party is a raised, open-palmed hand.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Noah Seelam, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Congress ’ Mamata Banerjee, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, Himanshu Sharma, Modi’s, Kejriwal, Sanjeev Verma, Nasir Kachroo, Biju Boro Organizations: CNN, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, European Union, Getty, Indian National Congress, Congress, Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi, West, All India, Modi, Hindustan Times, Minorities, Analysts, Bahujan Samaj Party, Farmers, for Media Studies Locations: India, United States, Russia, Lok, Hyderabad, AFP, INDIA, West Bengal, Tamil, Pushkar, Delhi, New Delhi, Ayodhya, Agriculture, Himachal Pradesh, China, Lohore Sapori, Assam

☆ International Elections 2024: What You Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

International Elections 2024: What You Need to KnowRussia U.K. United States E.U. Mexico India Indonesia 900M South Africa 90M Voting-age population Russia U.K. United States E.U. Mexico India Indonesia 900M 90M South Africa Voting-age population Russia U.K. United States E.U. Upcoming Elections India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a divisive figure who has aggravated the religious and ethnic fault lines in the hugely diverse country, is seeking a third term. United States A rematch between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump adds another layer of uncertainty to the global political landscape.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, Paul Kagame, Biden, Donald J, Trump Organizations: United, Africa, Russia U.K, India, National Congress, European, Party, Lithuanian Christian Democrats, Conservative Party, Labour Party Locations: Russia, United States, Mexico India Indonesia, Mexico, India, South Africa, Venezuela, Sudan, Panama, Chad, Europe, Rwanda, Austria, Lithuania, Sri Lanka

☆ India election: Date set for largest democratic vote in human history
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to secure another five years in power, ruling an India that has become increasingly polarized along religious lines. Under Modi’s leadership, India is poised to become a 21st-century powerhouse as its economy rapidly expands. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA, marked a significant step for an opposition struggling to regain national significance. In August, India made history by soft-landing a rover on the moon, becoming just the fourth nation to do so. The election commission said 968.8 million people have registered to vote in the 2024 polls – a 6% increase from 2019.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Indira Gandhi, Modi, Weeks Organizations: CNN, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian National Congress, Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Modi’s BJP, Organization for Economic Cooperation Locations: India, Lok, New Delhi, INDIA, Australia, United States, Ayodhya, China

☆ Data Dump Exposes the Fuzzy Lines Between Money and Politics in India
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Alex Travelli | Hari Kumar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Politics in India is an expensive business, and sometimes lucrative, too. In this year’s election, parties are expected to spend more than $14 billion — as much as in the United States. But there has been little in the way of transparency for the huge sums sloshing around. Reading between the lines of the spreadsheets full of names poses questions about the intersection of government and business in India. Construction companies, gambling impresarios, pharmaceutical bosses and many more corporate entities and individuals had forked over $1.7 billion in bonds since 2019.

Persons: Jairam Ramesh, Narendra Modi Organizations: State Bank of India, Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party of Locations: India, United States

☆ India’s main opposition party says tax authorities have frozen its funds, weeks before nationwide election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Rhea Mogul | Vedika Sud | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New Delhi CNN —India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, said Friday that its bank accounts had been frozen by federal tax authorities, just weeks before an expected nationwide election. He added that the Income Tax Department had issued a payment demand for 2.1 billion rupees ($25.3 million) in connection to the ongoing probe. Maken said the action taken against his party was equivalent to “freezing our democracy.”“The Congress party’s bank accounts haven’t been frozen. CNN has reached out to India’s Income Tax Department and Finance Ministry, and multiple leaders within the Congress Party for further comment. The Congress Party, a once formidable force in Indian politics, has been languishing in the polls since Modi rose to power a decade ago.

Persons: Ajay Maken, Maken, ”, “, Vivek Tankha, Tankha, Mallikarjun Kharge, Narendra Modi’s, Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Gandhi, Modi, Modi’s Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, India’s, Indian National Congress, Income, Department, Party, CNN, Finance Ministry, Congress Party, ” Allies, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Former, Indian, Modi’s BJP Locations: New Delhi, India

☆ Indian State's Polygamy Ban Divides Some Muslim Women
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

For others like Jafar, Muslim politicians and Islamic scholars, it is an unwelcome stunt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party. A 2013 survey found 91.7% of Muslim women nationwide saying a Muslim man should not be allowed to have another wife while married to the first. The Supreme Court in 2017 found the Islamic instant divorce unconstitutional, but the order did not ban polygamy or some other practices that critics say violate equal rights for women. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board called the code impractical and a direct threat to a multi-religious Indian society. "Banning polygamy makes little sense because data shows very few Muslim men have more than one wife in India," said board official S.Q.R.

Persons: Bano, Sadaf Jafar, Jafar, Narendra Modi's, Modi's, Ilyas, Rupam Jain, William Mallard Organizations: DELHI, Reuters, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, SOCIETY BJP, Islam Locations: Islam, Uttarakhand, India's, India, Uttar Pradesh

☆ Violent Protests in Indian City Kills Two, More Than 80 Injured
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two people were killed and more than 80 injured in violent protests in India's northern city of Haldwani following a government demolition drive against what it calls illegal encroachments, officials said on Friday. "I can confirm two have lost their lives and three people are serious (injured)," said senior police official Prahlad Narayan Meena. "Over 80 suffered injuries due to stone pelting, including some police and reporters." He said locals of the area, including Muslim clerics, should have been taken into confidence before starting the drive. "Every rioter who indulged in arson and stone pelting is being identified.

Persons: Prahlad Narayan Meena, Sumit, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Saurabh Sharma, Rupam Jain, Michael Perry Organizations: Police Locations: DELHI, India's, Haldwani, Uttarakhand, Nainital, New Delhi

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s finance minister unveiled on Thursday a short-term budget to meet government expenditures until national elections are held by May, saying it will boost spending on infrastructure projects, build homes for poor villagers and cut the fiscal deficit by reducing subsidies. The short-term budget is mostly free of big-spending new programs. The short-term budget must be approved by Parliament. The government allocated $145 billion for infrastructure projects in the short-term budget. The Modi government’s budget last year totaled $550 billion and focused on ramping up capital spending to spur economic growth.

Persons: Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Modi’s, giveaways, Modi, Sitharaman, Sibi Arasu Organizations: DELHI, —, Parliament, Monetary Fund Locations: India, United Kingdom, Bengaluru

The Ram Mandir's opening Monday would fulfill a decadeslong Hindu nationalist pledge that is expected to resonate with voters during the upcoming national election expected in April or May. The narrow roads have given way to four-lane pilgrim route, including the newly developed 13-kilometer (8-mile) Ram Path leading to the temple. At least two head priests from a Hindu sect have refused to go the opening ceremony, saying consecrating an unfinished temple goes against Hindu scriptures. And volunteers from Modi’s party and other Hindu nationalist groups are going door to door, distributing religious flags and pamphlets. Many others shared Bhatia's feelings about the temple's opening.

Persons: Lord Ram, Hinduism’s, Ram, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Ananya Sharma, ” Sharma, Om Prakash Bhatia, —, marigold, “ Lord Ram, ” Bhatia, “ Jai Sri Ram, ”, “, Gaurav Shourey, ” ___ Banerjee, Piyush Nagpal Organizations: DELHI, Bharatiya Janata Party, Associated Press Locations: India's, Ayodhya, homestays, India, Modi, Indian, New Delhi, vermillion, Lucknow

"After these results, it looks like there is no stopping Modi," said Yashwant Deshmukh, poll expert with C-Voter agency, adding that stopping Modi would be a "herculean task". The BJP won the regional votes in three of four major states, including central Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh which were ruled by Congress. One of the challenges facing the opposition are the factious ties within the INDIA alliance. Congress refused to share seats in state polls with key regional ally the Samajwadi Party. "The future of the alliance is good if the Congress party works on it with full commitment," he said.

Persons: India's, Narendra Modi, of Home Affairs Amit Shah, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Yashwant Deshmukh, Rahul Gandhi, Manish Tewari, Manoj Kaka, Gandhi, Baijayant Panda, Saurabh Sharma, Miral Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Indian, Union, of Home Affairs, Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, Voter, Congress, Reuters, Samajwadi Party, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, DELHI, Britain, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, INDIA, Lucknow

The ruling party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tightened its grip over India’s populous northern belt, results of state elections showed Sunday, expanding its dominance of a key region ahead of general elections in which Mr. Modi is seeking a third term. The party, which ruled for a majority of India’s history as a republic, has struggled to claw its way back after Mr. Modi rose to national power in 2014. The Congress party was hoping to use the state elections to build momentum for national elections next spring, but instead lost all three states in which it was pitted against Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P. The only victory for Congress came against a smaller regional party in Telangana, in India’s south, where Mr. Modi’s Hindu nationalist politics has faced resistance. The results of elections in a smaller fifth state, Mizoram, are expected on Monday, but the race there is between two smaller regional parties.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Modi’s Organizations: Indian National Congress, Mr, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress Locations: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana, India’s, Mizoram

"We always said we will win the heartland states," BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda told Reuters. However, a 28-party opposition alliance led by the Congress party has come together to jointly fight BJP, posing a new challenge. But the alliance did not feature in the state polls due to internal rivalries and it was a direct contest between BJP and Congress. Politicians and analysts say state elections do not always influence the outcome of the general elections or accurately indicate national voter mood. Results of the last round of state elections before national elections have been misleading in the past.

Persons: Stringer, Narendra Modi, Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Gandhi, Supriya Shrinate, Gurmeet Chadha, Ira Dugal, Lincoln, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Telangana, Reuters, Developmental, Congress, Thomson Locations: Madhya Pradesh, Indore, India, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Karnataka, Mizoram, Mumbai

☆ Nepal registers its first same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Local authorities in a village in Nepal registered the Himalayan nation’s first same-sex marriage on Wednesday, officials and activists said, five months after the Supreme Court issued an interim order clearing the way for such marriages in the largely conservative country. “We have issued the marriage registration certificate to the couple in consideration of the Supreme Court order and instructions from relevant government authorities,” said Hem Raj Kafle, chief administrative officer of the Dordi rural municipality. In June, the country’s Supreme Court issued an interim order allowing same-sex couples to register their marriages pending a final verdict. “It will open the door for them to jointly open bank accounts, own and transfer property like just any other couples.”Taiwan is the only other place to legalize same-sex marriage in Asia, where societies remain largely conservative. Hindu-majority Nepal has become increasingly progressive since a decade-long Maoist insurgency ended in 2006.

Persons: Ram Bahadur, Gurung, Surendra Pandey, ” Pandey, ”, Hem Raj Kafle, Sunil Babu Pant, Nepal’s, Pant Organizations: Reuters, Local, Blue Diamond Society, Maoists, Nepali Congress Locations: Nepal, Lumjung, Kathmandu, South Asia, Taiwan, Asia

☆ India's ruling BJP, opposition Congress in tight race to win state elections-exit polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Three of the five states in contention have witnessed a tough battle between Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party. BJP has been in power in one of the states, Congress in two, and regional parties in the remaining two. At least nine exit polls predicted Congress party's victory in mineral-rich Chattisgarh and Telangana state. A regional party was set to win again in the northeastern state of Mizoram, according to two exit polls. Politicians and analysts also note that state elections do not always influence the outcome of the general elections or indicate national voter mood.

Persons: Stringer, Narendra Modi's, Rupam, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, India Today, Thomson Locations: Rajasthan, Ajmer, India, DELHI, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram

☆ Nepal registers first same-sex marriage; 'historic', say activists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Participants take part in an annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade, in Kathmandu, Nepal June 10, 2023. "We have issued the marriage registration certificate to the couple in consideration of the Supreme Court order and instructions from relevant government authorities," said Hem Raj Kafle, chief administrative officer of the Dordi rural municipality. In June, the country's Supreme Court issued an interim order allowing same-sex couples to register their marriages pending a final verdict. "It is historic," said Pant, a former lawmaker, noting that it was the first such registration in South Asia. Taiwan is the only other country to legalise same-sex marriage in Asia, where societies remain largely conservative.

Persons: Navesh, Ram Bahadur, Gurung, Surendra Pandey, Pandey, Raj Kafle, Sunil Babu Pant, Nepal's, Pant, Gopal Sharma, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Blue Diamond Society, Maoists, Nepali Congress, Thomson Locations: Kathmandu, Nepal, Lumjung, South Asia, Taiwan, Asia

☆ Nepal riot police rout protesters seeking restoration of monarchy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The "Citizens' Campaign" protesters say governments in place since the monarchy was scrapped, as part of a deal ending a Maoist insurgency, have failed to live up to commitments to develop one of the world’s poorest countries. Protesters tried to dismantle a police barricade on the outskirts of Kathmandu and march into the centre of the capital, prompting riot police to intervene and repel the crowd, witnesses said. Some police officers were injured by stones thrown by protesters, said Basnet. Durga Prasai, coordinator of the Citizens’ Campaign, said about 10 protesters were injured in the melee, two of them critically. Gyanendra, the last king of the Himalayan mountain country wedged between India and China, lives as a commoner with his family in Kathmandu.

Persons: Jitendra Basnet, Durga Prasai, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Gopal Sharma, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Pro, Police, Protesters, Citizens ’, East, Nepali Congress, Thomson Locations: Kathmandu, Nepal, KATHMANDU, Malaysia, South Korea, India, China

☆ How Modi's BJP seeks Muslim vote in India's 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Specifics of the BJP's Muslim outreach strategy, such as the messaging it is using to target voters in these seats, have not been previously reported. The campaign is part of a larger push to woo India's 200 million Muslims, with whom the BJP and Modi have a long and fraught history. ECONOMY-FIRST AND MUSLIM VOTERSThe BJP's website states that secularism in India has become "minority appeasement ... at the cost of majority". They shared details of internal party strategy on condition of anonymity. BJP leaders such as Islam, a former India head of Deutsche bank, said the opposition has taken Muslim votes for granted and neglected their welfare.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, Nafis Ansari, Ansari, Jamal Siddiqui, Modi Mitrs, Syed Zafar Islam, Siddiqui, doesn't, Hilal Ahmed, Yasser Jilani, Ujir Hossain, Mohammed, Hossain, Hossain Dada, Qasim, Amana Begam Ansari, Critics, Ahmed, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Tiwari, Rupam Jain, Katerina Ang Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rivals, Analysts, Indian, Reuters, Centre, Congress, Deutsche, Samajwadi Party, Thomson Locations: Balasinore, Indian, Ahmedabad, Madhya Pradesh, India, Delhi, West Bengal, BJP

☆ How India’s Hindu nationalist BJP seeks Muslim vote in 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Yp Rajesh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

☆ Indian states vote in key test for Modi and rivals ahead of 2024 general election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends an Innovation conference with Israeli and Indian CEOs in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 6, 2017. Modi and leaders of the main opposition Congress party headed by Rahul Gandhi have criss-crossed the five states, addressing campaign rallies and promising cash doles, farm loan waivers, subsidies and insurance covers, among others, to woo voters. But surveys suggest Modi remains popular after a decade in power and will likely win a third term. Votes in all five states will be counted on Dec. 3 and results expected the same day. The elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram states are mainly a contest between BJP and Congress.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Oded, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Gandhi, Raman Singh, Singh, Sachin, YP Rajesh, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Indian, REUTERS, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, Developmental Inclusive, BJP, Congress, Reuters, YP, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, DELHI, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Mizoram

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