Politics

If the Somnath Chatterjee was the most prominent figure to face the axe, 18 MPs from various parties have either been expelled or are on the verge of being turfed out.

Even as Congressmen woke up on Wednesday to celebrate the trust vote win, the leaders of 12 parties - all non-Congress, non-BJP - were getting ready for a breakfast with Mayawati.

In support of the view for review of the JMM judgment were also two former Chief Justices of India - Justice V N Khare and Justice R C Lahoti.

There was intense speculation on Wednesday that the Congress high command has decided to project Manmohan Singh as the party's prime ministerial candidate.

In one word, "overwhelming" is how Omar Abdullah sums up the response to his speech in Parliament.

After the trust vote win on Tuesday, the government has sent a slew of diplomats around the world.

While Manorama and Kunnur were formerly with Congress, Sangliana is a retired IPS officer. All three had joined BJP before the 2004 general elections.

BJP leader L K Advani has demanded an inquiry into the cash-for-votes scandal.

The BJP MPs, who mounted a sting on the alleged SP bribery attempt seeking to switch their allegiance during the trust vote in Parliament will lodge a complaint with the police.

Ironically, Chatterjee, is empowered as Speaker to determine whether those who defied their party whips by cross voting or remaining absent during the trust vote attracted disqualification.

Rahul Gandhi had visited Kalavati's household in Vidarbha last week and then pegged his 'nuke speech' on her. Rahul, however, did not visit Ramdas Bonde's hut.

Somnath Chatterjee was expelled from the CPM amid indications that he was turning into the source of a fresh discord between the Congress leadership and Left.

Arvind Sharma, an MP from Karnal and a dentist by profession, proved a pain for Congress and BSP managers over three days as he kept switching sides.

Refusing to give life term to a rapist who snuffed life out of a five-year-old, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said the case fell in the rarest of rare category.

PM Manmohan Singh, who had ruled out trading ministerial berths for support during the confrontation over the nuke deal, may be forced to expand his team next month.

Sources in the home ministry said the buyers had even purchased government land - some of which was in the possession of security agencies and the Border Security Force.