Advani elected leader of opposition

Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani was Sunday formally elected as leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha.

A meeting of the BJP MPs here also discussed probable names for the deputy leader's post, besides the party's strategy for the first session of the house beginning Monday though details were not disclosed.

Party stalwarts Jaswant Singh (Lok Sabha) and M Venkaiah Naidu (Rajya Sabha) proposed Advani's name and he was unanimously elected.

Elected from the Gandhinagar constituency in Gujarat for the fourth time in a row, Advani, 81, was leader of opposition in the previous Lok Sabha too. He has been an MP six times.

The first session of the 15th Lok Sabha begins Monday with the swearing in of new members. The speaker will be elected June 3, and President Pratibha Patil will address a joint session of both houses June 4.

Meira Kumar resigns as Union minister

Meira Kumar tonight resigned as Union Water Resources Minister just two days after taking charge after she was chosen by the Congress as the party candidate for the post of Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Meira's resignation was immediately forwarded by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to President Pratibha Patil for acceptance.

President Pratibha Patil accepted the resignation of the first woman to hold the post of the Lok Sabha Speaker, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson tonight. The prime minister will be holding the Water Resources portfolio till alternative arrangements are made.

15th Lok Sabha - First session on June 1st

The first session of the 15th Lok Sabha begins tomorrow. The session will begin with the formal swearing-in of the 543 newly elected MPs. Two days have been earmarked for the procedure that will be followed by the election of the Lok Sabha speaker on Wednesday and President Pratibha Patil's address to a joint session of Parliament on Thursday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's full cabinet met on Saturday and finalised the President's address to the Parliament. It is expected to focus on his government's moves to strengthen welfare schemes and boost the economy.

The President's address, extensively worked on by Manmohan Singh himself, will unveil the government's agenda for the year in tune with the policies and programmes of the Congress party and its allies.

Indian Council of Ministers - 2009

Indian Council of Ministers - As of 30th May 2009 (With Party and State information)

 

Name	Ministry	Party	State
Dr Manmohan Singh	Prime Minister	INC	Assam
Pranab Mukherjee	Union Finance Minister	INC	West Bengal
P Chidambaram	Union Home Minister	INC	Tamil Nadu
A K Antony	Union Defence Minister	INC	Kerala
S M Krishna	Union External Affairs Minister	INC	Karnataka
Mamata Banerjee	Union Railways Minister	AITC	West Bengal
Anand Sharma	Union Commerce Minister	INC	Himachal Pradesh
M Veerappa Moily	Union Law and Justice Minister	INC	Karnataka
Kapil Sibal	Union HRD Minister	INC	NC Territory of Delhi
Ambika Soni	Union Information and Broadcasting Minister	INC	Punjab
M K Azhagiri	Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister	DMK	Tamil Nadu
Dayanidhi Maran	Union Textiles Minister	DMK	Tamil Nadu
Jaipal Reddy Sudini	Union Urban Development Minister	INC	Andhra Pradesh
Sushil Kumar Shinde	Union Power Minister	INC	Maharashtra
Pawan Kumar Bansal	Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister	INC	Chandigarh
G K Vasan	Union Shipping Minister	INC	Tamil Nadu
Murli Deora	Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister	INC	Maharashtra
A Raja	Union IT and Communications Minister	DMK	Tamil Nadu
Kamal Nath	Union Road Transport and Highways Minister	INC	Madhya Pradesh
Sharad Pawar	Union Agriculture, Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution Minister	NCP	Maharashtra
Mukul Wasnik	Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister	INC	Maharashtra
Mallikarjun Kharge	Union Labour and Employment Minister	INC	Karnataka
Kantilal Bhuria	Union Tribal Affairs Minister	INC	Madhya Pradesh
Ghulam Nabi Azad	Union Health and Family Welfare Minister	INC	Jammu and Kashmir
Vayalar Ravi	Union Overseas Indian Affairs Minister	INC	Kerala
Meira Kumar	Union Water Resources Minister	INC	Bihar
B K Handique	Union Minister for Mines and Development of North East Region	INC	Assam
C P Joshi	Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj	INC	Rajasthan
Dr Farooq Abdullah	Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy	NC	Jammu and Kashmir
Vilasrao Deshmukh	Union Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises	INC	Maharashtra
Virbhadra Singh	Union Steel Minister	INC	Himachal Pradesh
M S Gill	Union Minsiter for Youth Affairs & Sports	INC	Punjab
Subodh Kant Sahay	Union Minsiter for Food Processing Industries	INC	Jharkhand
Kumari Selja	Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation; Tourism	INC	Haryana
Praful Patel	MoS Independent Charge, Civil Aviation	NCP	Maharashtra
Prithviraj Chavan	MoS Independent Charge, Science, Technology, Earth Sciences & MoS in PMO; Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions and Parliamentary Affairs	INC	Maharashtra
Salman Khurshid	MoS Independent Charge, Minority and Corporate Affairs	INC	Uttar Pradesh
Sriprakash Jaiswal	MoS Independent Charge, Coal, Statistics and Programme Implementation	INC	Uttar Pradesh
Jairam Ramesh	MoS Independent Charge, Environment and Forest	INC	Andhra Pradesh
Krishna Tirath	MoS Independent Charge, Women and Child Development	INC	NC Territory of Delhi
Dinsha Patel	MoS Independent Charge, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)	INC	Gujarat
Sachin Pilot	MoS, Communications and IT	INC	Rajasthan
Shashi Tharoor	MoS, External Affairs	INC	Kerala
Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia	MoS, Commerce and Industry	INC	Madhya Pradesh
Ajay Maken	MoS, Home Affairs	INC	NC Territory of Delhi
Harish Rawat	MoS, Labour and Employment	INC	Uttarakhand
K H Muniyappa	MoS, Railways	INC	Karnataka
Daggubati Purandeswari	MoS, Human Resource Development	INC	Andhra Pradesh
M M Pallam Raju	MoS, Defence	INC	Andhra Pradesh
Panabaka Lakshmi	MoS, Textiles	INC	Andhra Pradesh
Dinesh Trivedi	MoS, Health and Family Welfare	AITC	West Bengal
Preneet Kaur	MoS, External Affairs	INC	Punjab
Namo Narain Meena	MoS, Finance	INC	Rajasthan
M Ramchandran	MoS, Home Affairs	INC	Kerala
E Ahammed	MoS, Railways	MUL	Kerala
V Narayanasamy	MoS, Planning and Parliamentary Affairs	INC	Puducherry
Srikant Jena	MoS, Chemicals and Fertilisers	INC	Orissa
Jitin Prasad	MoS, Petroleum and Natural Gas	INC	Uttar Pradesh
A Sai Prathap	MoS, Steel	INC	Andhra Pradesh
Gurudas Kamat	MoS, Communications and IT	INC	Maharashtra
Mahadev Khandela	MoS, Road Transport and Highways	INC	Rajasthan
Prof K V Thomas	MoS, Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution	INC	Kerala
Saugata Ray	MoS, Urban Development	AITC	West Bengal
Sisir Adhikari	MoS, Rural Development	AITC	West Bengal
Sultan Ahmed	MoS, Tourism	AITC	West Bengal
Mukul Roy	MoS, Shipping	AITC	West Bengal
Mohan Jatua	MoS, Information and Broadcasting	AITC	West Bengal
S S Palanimanickam	MoS, Finance	DMK	Tamil Nadu
D Napoleon	MoS, Social Justice and Empowerment	DMK	Tamil Nadu
Dr S Jagathrakshakan	MoS, Information and Broadcasting	DMK	Tamil Nadu
S Gandhiselvan	MoS, Health and Family Welfare	DMK	Tamil Nadu
Bharatsinh Solanki	MoS, Power	INC	Gujarat
Tusharbhai Chaudhary	MoS, Tribal Affairs	INC	Gujarat
Prateek Prakashbapu Patil	MoS, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises	INC	Maharashtra
Pradeep Jain	Mos, Rural Development	INC	Uttar Pradesh
Arun Yadav	MoS, Youth Affairs and Sports	INC	Madhya Pradesh
R P N Singh	MoS, Road Transport and Highways	INC	Uttar Pradesh
Vincent Pala	MoS, Water Resources	INC	Meghalaya
Agatha Sangma	MoS, Rural Development	NCP	Meghalaya

Sidhu only BJP nominee to win in 5 northern states

Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has set a record of sorts by being the only BJP candidate to win the Lok Sabha elections in five northern states.

BJP failed to open its account in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Delhi and Uttarakhand. In Punjab, Sidhu -- who contested from Amritsar -- was the only winner from BJP. "Despite the wave in favour of Congress I won the elections," an elated Sidhu said here.

Indian Elections - Electorate Size - Statewise (2009)

Indian Elections - Electorate Size - Statewise (2009) - 15th Lok Sabha Elections

S.No	State/UT	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	TOTAL	Final total[*]
1	Andhra Pradesh	28009935	28642117	56652052	28390	7455	35845		56687897
2	A & N Islands	140295	123876	264171	45	16	61		264232
3	Arunachal Pradesh	366777	362700	729477	1043	315	1358	730835
4	Assam	9025516	8443442	17468958	18025	7319	25344	17494302
5	Bihar	29094083	25210125	54304208	NA	NA	46558	54350766
6	Chandigarh	268455	215527	483982	997	797	1794	485776
7	Chhattisgarh	7855358	7633215	15488573	3396	1812	5208	15493781
8	Dadra & Nagar Haveli	83085	71087	154172	12	8	20	154192
9	Daman & Diu	47916	46564	94480	8	2	10	94490
10	Goa	510962	507106	1018068	555	253	808	1018876
11	Gujarat	18829327	17545383	36374710	12621	4425	17046	36391756
12	Haryana	6520234	5453791	11974025	58038	31194	89232	12063257
13	Himachal Pradesh	2301113	2239959	4541072	45559	16751	62310	4603382
14	Jammu & Kashmir [#]	3358992	3113856	6472848	32229	6171	38400	6511248
15	Jharkhand	9432070	8452406	17884476	7388	1975	9363	17893839
16	Karnataka	20869160	20082939	40952099	NA	NA	32587	40984686
17	Kerala	10362219	11197224	21559443	38059	17191	55250	21614693
18	Lakshadweep	22559	21818	44377	38	9	47	44424
19	Madhya Pradesh	20160641	17878303	38038944	15479	7691	23170	38062114
20	Maharashthra	38086171	34777093	72863264	NA	NA	189168	73052432
21	Manipur	829717	897523	1727240	6978	1764	8742	1735982
22	Meghalaya	628925	648087	1277012	626	241	867	1277879
23	Mizoram	308547	317700	626247	2458	450	2908	629155
24	Nagaland	673083	644642	1317725	3616	440	4056	1321781
25	Nct Of Delhi	6168350	4896156	11064506	3036	1603	4639	11069145
26	Orissa	14029641	13087850	27117491	21065	9467	30532	27148023
27	Puducherry	363898	391605	755503	269	117	386	755889
28	Punjab	8738479	8076765	16815244	47897	17153	65050	16880294
29	Rajasthan	19442595	17485846	36928441	60784	29232	90016	37018457
30	Sikkim	155649	141931	297580	352	70	422	298002
31	Tamil Nadu	20721440	20598546	41319986	43689	16468	60157	41380143
32	Tripura	1063983	1015827	2079810	1764	632	2396	2082206
33	Uttarakhand	2933387	2797890	5731277	62378	27645	90023	5821300
34	Uttar Pradesh	63433023	52756360	116189383	NA	NA	234718	116424101
35	West Bengal	27488528	24874147	52362675	41871	17070	58941	52421616
	TOTAL[*]	372324113	340649406	712973519	558665	225736	784401	714260951

Source: www.pib.nic.in

# Provisional Figures

* Figures with reference to 01.01.2009 as the qualifying date. However, the process of continuous updating of electoral rolls will continue till the last date of filing nominations.