Latest news with #LegislativeAssembly
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
No confusion over CM's post in Cong.; Siddaramaiah will inaugurate Dasara, says Mahadevappa
Clarifying that there was no confusion over the Chief Minister post in Karnataka in the Congress, Minister for Social Welfare H.C. Mahadevappa on Sunday said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the Dasara festival this year. About the claim made by the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok that Mr. Siddaramaiah will not remain at the helm in the State by Dasara, Mr. Mahadevappa said Mr. Siddaramaiah will continue as the Chief Minister, and the Congress will complete its full five years in office. He hit out at Mr. Ashok saying that he was not the Congress High Command to predict a change of leadership in the Congress government in the State. He was only a leader of the Opposition in the BJP. About the reported statement by MLA for Ramanagara Iqbal Hussain that an agreement had been reached to make Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar as the Chief Minister in the coming months, Mr. Mahadevappa said he had no information about such an agreement and the report could be speculative. Regarding the BJP's statements on the change of Chief Minister, Mr. Mahadevappa said the condition of the BJP was like somebody waiting for a passing elephant to fall. 'The elephant will not fall, and the BJP will not stop waiting for the elephant to fall,' he said.
India.com
a day ago
- General
- India.com
10 Jaw-Dropping Facts That Prove Chandigarh Is India's Coolest Planned City
The capital city of Punjab and Haryana known as Chandigarh unites contemporary design structures with orderly urban development alongside picturesque surroundings. Chandigarh stands out as the 'City Beautiful' because of its neat structure and energetic local atmosphere. Chandigarh contains 10 significant facts which will astonish all visitors. 1. Chandigarh Was Designed by a French Architect Chandigarh stands out because of how it came into existence. When India gained its independence in 1947 the Punjab territory experienced partition creating a new border which separated India and Pakistan and placed Lahore as their capital in Pakistan. When the Indian government initiated the construction of a new national capital it took the decision. Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier became the designer of the city when the government contracted him for his expertise in 1950. Through his architectural and urban planning ideas Chandigarh became a modern symbol that defines both aesthetics and organization. The designs created by Le Corbusier focused on both functionality alongside spacious areas and greenery. The design of Chandigarh features a rectangular system with distinct sections to demonstrate his methods of creating an effective urban community. Major business services operate independently from one another in separate sections that retain educational centers, medical services and shopping opportunities. 2. It Is India's First Planned City India established Chandigarh as its very first organized urban development. From traditional Indian times until its foundation the majority of Indian cities developed spontaneously through centuries of spontaneous growth instead of planned development. Le Corbusier worked with architects Pierre Jeanneret and E. Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew during the complete design of Chandigarh from the beginning. The master plan of Chandigarh has distinct zones that separate residential from industrial from commercial from educational and recreational parts of the city. The considered design structure of the city makes Chandigarh rank as one of the cleanest and most habitable cities in India. 3. The Capitol Complex Is a UNESCO World Heritage Site Chandigarh features one of its most famous architectural achievements through its Capitol Complex situated in Sector 1. Le Corbusier designed the complex which includes three remarkable buildings: the Secretariat alongside the Legislative Assembly as well as the High Court. The structures at these buildings express Le Corbusier's particular design sense through their combination of large geometric structures and exposed concrete materials and creative lighting patterns. The Capitol Complex received UNESCO World Heritage Site status during 2016 because its modernist architecture qualifies it as an outstanding example for the site designation. The landmarks await visitors who want to view their historical significance together with their cultural value. 4. Rock Garden: A Unique Artistic Creation The Rock Garden of Chandigarh exists as a masterpiece that showcases how people can creatively combine creativity with environmental awareness. Artist Nek Chand constructed this magical 40-acre territory by transforming discarded broken tiles and bangles along with crockery and industrial waste into sculptures for his masterpiece. A clandestine secret development initiated during 1957 transitioned into one of India's most popular travel destinations. Thousands of tourists see the Rock Garden each year because they come to view its interconnected stone pathways and whimsical art statues and waterfalls. The concept demonstrates that art and sustainable practices can exist together peaceably. 5. Chandigarh Has a High Quality of Life Chandigarh stands as one of India's leading cities in terms of safety and cleanliness resulting in a superior life quality. Public spaces together with extensive roads and abundant green areas make Chandigarh recognized as a prime exemplary city. The Swachh Survekshan rankings frequently show Chandigarh taking positions at the top for maintaining cleanliness throughout the city. High-quality healthcare facilities together with educational institutions and recreational opportunities make up the advantages of the city. Residents and tourists can enjoy the peaceful landscapes of Sukhna Lake Rose Garden as well as Zakir Hussain Rose Garden for recreation. 6. The City Is Divided Into Sectors The city of Chandigarh follows a grid pattern distribution system that divides its territory into sectors which range from sector 1 to sector 56 while skipping specific numbers. Each 800 by 1,200 meter sector section includes all necessary amenities that residents can access through walking distance. The zoning arrangement works to reduce traffic problems while keeping movement routes simple. Each sector contains its market located at the central point which provides easy accessibility for all people. Both main roads named Madhya Marg and Dakshin Marg have been designed to enable comfortable movement of traffic throughout the city. 7. Chandigarh Hosts One of Asia's Largest Rose Gardens The Zakir Hussain Rose Garden occupies 30 acres space where visitors can find more than 50,000 rose bushes which belong to 1,600 distinct types. The aristocratic establishment dates back to 1967 to become one of Asia's largest rose gardens attracting numerous nature enthusiasts. The month of February transforms the garden through the Rose Festival that brings together colorful flowers and performances along with cultural activities. The celebration of spring through this event welcomes people from different regions across the entire nation. 8. Chandigarh Is Known for Its Green Cover The city receives its name from its 'Garden City' designation because of its extensive green nature. The total land mass of the city comprises about 47% forest area and green zone. Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary serves as a protected reserve which shelters diverse flora and fauna together with migratory birds while positioned near Sukhna Lake. Natural resource preservation stands as a priority focus area for the municipal leadership in the city. Through its park maintenance and eco-friendly practice promotion along with tree planting initiatives Chandigarh has received recognition as a leading green city in India. 9. Chandigarh Is a Hub for Education and Research Several prestigious educational and research institutions establish their presence in the municipality of Chandigarh. The year 1882 marked the establishment of Panjab University as one of India's oldest educational institutions that continues to secure prestigious positions among national higher education institutions. The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) stands out due to its recognized medical facilities whereas the Chandigarh College of Architecture is a prominent educational institution. The educational institutions in this city draw academic bodies from Indian students as well as international students who help maintain intellectual richness. 10. Chandigarh Reflects Cultural Diversity Chandigarh functions as a modern city that accepts multiple cultural elements and various traditional patterns together with multiple culinary styles. The position of Chandigarh as the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana enables it to showcase cultural elements from both states and it welcomes additional cultural influences from the rest of India. The city celebrates its local festivals of Lohri , Baisakhi along with Holi in an energetic and joyous manner. Throughout the year Chandigarh presents multiple cultural events combined with fairs and exhibitions that display its artistic diversity together with its culinary traditions. Final Thoughts A strong example of effective planning coupled with leadership inspiration can be found through the city of Chandigarh. The city began as a well-thought-out urban project and today constitutes a diverse cultural and educational and sustainable center which generates continuous admiration. Chandigarh offers attractions that appeal to those who love architecture as well as nature fans alongside people in search of peaceful living. The harmonious fusion between contemporary elements and cultural heritage has made this city genuinely exclusive. Tourists and residents should willingly protect and explore it.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Puducherry: Resignation of three nominated BJP MLAs accepted by Speaker
The Puducherry Assembly Secretariat has issued a notification accepting the resignation of K. Venkatesan, V.P. Ramalingam, and R.B. Ashok Babu from the Legislative Assembly as nominated legislators. The three members belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were appointed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs immediately after the All India N.R. Congress-BJP alliance won the 2021 Assembly polls in the Union Territory. The legislators had submitted their resignation letters to Speaker R. Selvam on the 'instructions' of the BJP high command on Friday (June 27, 2025) evening, sources in the party said. The MHA would soon issue an order appointing three new members as nominated legislators. The party is likely to give representation to a Dalit member as well as a member from the Karaikal region, the sources said. 'Now that the Speaker has accepted the resignation of the three members, the process to appoint new members has also started. The order is expected to come anytime, and the members will be sworn in early next week,' said a BJP leader. Meanwhile, the party leadership has been in huddle since Friday evening to elect a new president and also find a replacement for A.K. Sai J. Saravanan Kumar, who had also submitted his resignation from the Chief Minister N. Rangasamy-led Cabinet on Friday. Mr. Rangasamy, the founder-leader of the AINRC, had told the media on Friday evening, after consulting Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan, that the resignation of Mr. Kumar was accepted by the government. Mr. Kumar is among the leaders considered for the post of president of the BJP in the UT, a party source said, adding that the nomination process for electing the party's Puducherry unit chief will be carried out on Sunday (June 29, 2025). Protest held The supporters of Mr. Kumar, meanwhile, staged a demonstration on Friday night in the town, protesting the decision of BJP to replace him. Mr. Kumar was the only leader belonging to the Dalit community in the first National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Puducherry. The supporters raised slogans demanding that Mr. Kumar be made the president of the BJP's Puducherry unit. The protesters later dispersed after the intervention of close associates of the former Minister.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
From rap career to politics, Zohran Mamdani is shaking up New York city politics
Zohran Mamdani is 33. He met his wife Rama Duwaji, a Syrian-born illustrator, on Hinge, a dating app. While grocery shopping, he listens to an hour-long auto-tuned version 'One Pound Fish' by a Bangladeshi man trying to sell fish in London's Queen's Market. His parents are filmmakers Mira Nair and Columbia professor Mahmood Mamdani. He went by 'Mr. Cardamom' when he had a rap career. Mamdani's campaign promises include freezing rent, making public transport free, and subdising grocery stores. He also has a chantable, two-syllable name. 'Zoh-ran' 'Zoh-ran' seems to have a nice ring to it. Facts. So many facts off the top of my head. On June 24, when he won the democratic primary against his opponent Andrew Cuomo Rohan Joshi, an Indian stand-up comic and content creator, suggested in an Instagram reel that we go out to hug our South Bombay friends who were enthusiastically celebrating his victory in the democratic primary — a portion of the New York Mayoral elections. The chronically-online Indian millennial and Gen Z audience suddenly seemed to know far more about Mamdani and voting in New York than facts about their own Members of Parliament. All this, and the guy isn't even mayor yet. What about him has captured the fancy of a young Indian voter base that rarely gets out to vote and cannot name the Member of Legislative Assembly representing their constituency? Is it his A) humble and relatable off-the-rack suit, tie and Casio demeanour B) several hundred Hindi references, appealing to the Indian diaspora C) work with communities including the Blacks, gays and the immigrant population? D) simple good looks and youth or E) ability to use public transport and walk long distances. (You are allowed to choose over one option). Politico says, 'Critics scoffed at the 33-year-old democratic socialist's pie-in-the-sky agenda. And then he trounced everyone.' I'd like to think that Mamdani has struck a chord with young voters globally because he knows how to work social media. His Instagram reels speak to a generation that seeks what he promises: affordable housing, free transport and decent use of taxpayer money. They also want to see their pestilent youth represented in the office. It's why Mamdani's campaign deliberately uses clear fonts and easy chants in colours the Gen Z loves. I now know how much food at a halal cart costs even though I have never set foot in America, let alone eaten at one. While he is now being hailed as Lenin's second coming in liberal circles that are finally coming into their polity, skeptics wonder if his policies will even work in today's age. It's the optimism that works in his favour though. Despite these several opinions, I wonder what I will do with as much information about Mamdani and his campaign. Considering I will never vote there, will I shut this information in the brainrot corner of my head, or will it inform how I envision politics transforming in my own country? Elections in India are not won because of social media but dramatically influenced by it. Only last year, during the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be seen rubbing shoulders with influencers. With only one year to go for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, one can see the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Bharatiya Janata Party's IT wings buzzing. Going by evidence from previous elections, it seems like politicians will only use social media to promote supercuts of their fan edits. It is unlikely that they will harness the tool to not just speak, but also connect and elicit a response from the audience. But 10 months is too soon to tell. For now, I have little choice. I will go to bed thinking of what it must be to eat Mamdani's promised eight dollar chicken on rice at the several halal carts outside Central Park, drinking iced coffee in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of, with a byline that someday ends at New York, New York. Level up Zaddy: You might think this is some interesting portmanteau that Gen Z came up with but it really is just what it sounds like, a sexy, charismatic daddy who is usually older. Now you know why Zohran is called Mamzaddy. Are you wondering about the what's happening on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit and Discord? Pop it like it's hot, a fortnightly column from The Hindu, catches you up on everything pop culture. All you need to do, is tune in.
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
'Rurban' ridings on the minds of Albertans as electoral boundary meetings conclude
During a Thursday afternoon meeting earlier this month in Brooks, Alta., Justice Dallas Miller, chair of Alberta's new electoral boundaries commission, outlined the central challenge facing the panel. As Alberta's population now nears five million, most of it concentrated in its urban centres, the commission must decide how to redraw the electoral map ahead of the next provincial election. "The population growth, as you know, has not been spread evenly across the province," Miller told attendees, according to transcripts released from the hearing. "We have some challenges, and are hearing from municipalities and areas where there has been huge growth, on how we deal with that growth." The question of where new lines should be drawn has long been a point of debate in Alberta politics, with disagreement around what's fair for both growing urban centres and vast rural areas. The commission held public hearings in late May and throughout June in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Red Deer and other communities. They wrapped up earlier this week. Where lines get drawn Like Canada's other Prairie provinces, there has been a notably stark urban-rural divide in Alberta in recent provincial elections. The United Conservative Party has dominated in the rural parts of the province, but performed less impressively in the province's two major cities. Electoral boundaries are significant, of course, as they determine which grouping of voters elects each member of the Legislative Assembly to the Alberta Legislature. Every eight to 10 years, a five-member commission is appointed to decide where these lines go. This time around, the province is adding two new ridings, increasing the total number of seats in the legislature from 87 to 89. But one other change may have a longer-term impact, in that the commission is no longer required to align ridings with municipal boundaries. That could open the door to more mixed rural-urban ridings. Distinct perspectives and the rural-urban split Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, said electoral boundaries are intended to try to keep "communities of interest" together — that is, people who might share the same concerns or perspectives because of where they live. "One of the most significant cleavages in contemporary politics is between rural and urban dwellers. Their concerns tend to be different and they often have different perspectives on politics," Young wrote in an email. "It's difficult to make an argument that an electoral district that combines urban and rural really captures communities of interest because of these differences." Under mixed rural-urban ridings, Young said rural dwellers would worry that their votes and their distinct perspectives on political issues would be drowned out by urban dwellers. By the same token, urban dwellers might have the same concerns if they were the smaller group in a mixed district, she said. Keith Archer, who served on a previous Alberta commission and was chief electoral officer in B.C., previously told CBC News that the move was one of the more interesting things to watch in this review. Up until now, it has been clear that electoral districts in the city of Calgary, for instance, should be 100 per cent aligned with the boundaries of the city, he said. "You can imagine, that you could try to have fewer urban electoral districts by having an electoral district that is partly made up of, let's say … the central-eastern part of the city, and extend out into the Chestermere area," Archer said. "You'd have kind of a rural part of the constituency, coupled with an urban part of the constituency … as a way of trying to adjust whether a constituency is principally an urban or a rural district. It'll be interesting whether the commission takes up that opportunity." Participants weigh in Whether Alberta should create more electoral boundaries which mix urban and rural caught the attention of many attendees at this past month's hearings. Craig Burrows-Johnson, who spoke at the Pincher Creek hearing, has lived in both rural Alberta and Calgary. At his hearing, he argued against "so-called 'rurban' ridings." He said he thought rural MLAs should be working on rural issues, including agriculture, small-town revival, surface rights, orphan wells, among others. On the other hand, he thought urban MLAs should focus on problems and opportunities in urban centres. "The MLAs that represent those voters need to concentrate on their issues," he said. "If you spread their zone of responsibility… they're simply not as effective." Dan Hein, who lives in Medicine Hat, Alta., said he decided to attend a meeting in Brooks after reading in meeting transcripts that most of the hearing participants were against "rurban" ridings. He argued that establishing such ridings could lead to fewer representatives being stuck in an "echo chamber" around various matters. "If a representative has to hear from a whole bunch of different viewpoints, he will probably be more rational and reasonable," Hein said. "And I think that'll improve their ability to represent people on a provincial level." Challenging work ahead Alberta's Electoral Boundaries Commission Act states that most ridings must have populations no more than 25 per cent above or below the average size. However, should they meet certain conditions, there is an exception that allows up to four electoral districts to have populations up to 50 per cent below the provincial average. Nine constituencies in Alberta are currently more than 25 per cent above the average size: Calgary-Buffalo, Calgary-Foothills, Calgary-North East, Calgary-Shaw, Calgary-South East, Edmonton-Ellerslie, Edmonton-South, Edmonton-South West, and Airdrie-Cochrane. "There's a possibility of really significant adjustments to electoral boundaries and a shift from the current balance between urban and rural municipalities in favour of urban municipalities," Archer, the former commission member, previously said. "But that runs counter to the support base of the current government. So I expect that the electoral boundaries commission will certainly get an earful in their public hearings, both before the interim report is issued, and before the final report is." The commission, chaired by Justice Miller and made up of members appointed by both government and opposition parties, is expected to release an interim report in October. A final report is expected by March 2026.
