Year-ender 2024 | Nation bids adieu to a former PM, NDA takes centerstage & more in Indian politics

As we approach yet another year-end, the Indian politics scene has been dotted with ups and downs and bittersweet comebacks and some very many controversies. The country voted as well with Lok Sabha elections giving PM Modi yet another chance at coming back to herald the nation, albeit with humble numbers despite some very polarising campaigns that included 'mangalsutra, machhli and mutton' as well. States voted, some won, some lost and Parliament saw a lot of action as well. And not just verbal. Read to know more as keep a keen eye on 2025!

India bids adieu to Manmohan Singh

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh's ashes being immersed at the Asth Ghat, Majnu Ka Tilla in New Delhi.

India is all set to mark the end of 2024 on a sombre note as the nation saw the passing of its former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on December 26. The 92-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician, the country's first Prime Minister from a minority community, breathed his last at the AIIMS Delhi after a prolonged illness. Tributes poured in from across the world over the loss of India's economic reformer. But even the quiet and resilient statesman could not seem to escape controversy in his death as the Congress locked horns with the BJP over carrying out Singh’s last rites at the Nigambodh Ghat instead of at a designated spot that could later become his memorial. Amid accusations and counter-accusations, the Centre later said that a decision to set up a memorial had already been taken and that a trust would be formed to identify the location soon.

Poll of polls, the Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during a road show for Lok Sabha elections, in Varanasi

The biggest political event of the year was the Lok Sabha Elections, where the BJP won 240 seats, coming down from its earlier tally of 303 it won the last time. The Congress meanwhile won 99 seats. Overall, the NDA got 293 seats, while the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc won 234 seats. The Opposition called the results a mandate against the BJP and its popular faces Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath. A major blow to the BJP was also the fact that it lost the seat of Faizabad in UP, where in Ayodhya the Centre had overseen the opening of a grand Ram temple in January this year. 

The BJP had begun the year with the grand opening of the Ayodhya Ram mandir with as PM Modi consecrated 'Ram Lalla' in the opulently built temple. The consecration of the Ram temple brings to a close a decades-long chapter that saw intense political and religious discord, and which eventually brought down the Babri Masjid in 1992.

Andhra Pradesh and Odisha also saw Assembly elections simultaneously and the Jagan led YSRCP was overthrown by the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP along with allies BJP and Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena party. Odisha also saw Naveen Patnaik losing his home turf of Odisha to the saffron party.

No end to Siddu’s MUDA troubles

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah leaves the office of Lokayukta in Mysuru after being questioned in the MUDA site allotment case.

Troubles mounted for Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah after the state Governor sanctioned his prosecution over alleged irregularities in the site allotment by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). The row pertains to the allotment of compensatory land parcels to Siddaramaiah's wife when he was the chief minister. As of now, the state Lokayukta police has received an extension till end of January to file their probe report in the case.

Hindenburg Adani SEBI: 'Knot or not'

A bag held by an MP during a protest against industrialist Gautam Adani on the issue of his indictment by a US court in a bribery case.

US short-seller Hindenburg Research launched a broadside against market regulator SEBI chairperson Madhabi Buch, alleging she and her husband had stakes in obscure offshore funds used in the Adani money siphoning scandal. The Congress brought up the issue and demanded a JPC to probe this "massive scandal".

The grand old party’s chief Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that until a JPC inquiry probes the issue, concerns persist that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will continue to "shield his ally, compromising India's Constitutional institutions, painstakingly built over seven decades".

Graft charges haunt Kejriwal, Soren to jail and back

Arvind Kejriwal, the former chief minister of Delhi, was arrested from his residence by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, on March 21. He was again arrested by the CBI in the excise policy case in June, just before his plea against a High Court stay on bail granted to him by a lower court was to be heard by the Supreme Court. Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court in September and released from Tihar jail where he was under judicial custody. The AAP convenor came out and vowed to ‘fight against anti-national forces’.

Hemant Soren, the JMM executive president, was arrested by the ED on January 31 shortly after he resigned as the chief minister over charges of corruption in a land scam case in Ranchi. He became CM again after the high court granted him bail in June. He returned to power in November after winning the assembly elections recently held.

Parliament: Row over ONOE, Waqf, Ambedkar

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other I.N.D.I.A. bloc MPs during their protest against Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks related to B R Ambedkar.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was introduced in the Indian Lok Sabha in August, much to the chagrin of the Opposition and Muslim-led parties. It seeks to repeal Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923 and amend the Waqf Act, 1995. A JPC was formed later to deliberate on the bill, whose tenure was extended for more discussions.

The ONOE bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in December.  While a vote took place with 269 members supporting the move and 198 against it, a 39-member joint parliamentary committee (JPC) was formed to examine the bills further.

The Parliament also saw a row over Ambedkar after Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on the Constitution framer. Shah had said while hitting out at the Congress, “Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai - Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar…”. The Opposition latched on it and demanded the BJP leader’s resignation. But what followed was even more dramatic, with some good ol’ ‘dhakkam dhakki’ outside the Parliament amid protests with two BJP leaders getting hospitalised afterwards!

R G Kar case and the unnecessary politics of it

Junior doctors raise slogans during a torch rally towards the CBI office in protest against the alleged rape and murder of a woman medic at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Kolkata

The rape-murder of a woman doctor in the premises of Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital in August caused widespread anger among the public and while the horrific crime shouldn’t have ideally been given a political colour, the state TMC and opposition BJP engaged in political mudslinging where the former was accused of shielding the culprits. Agitating doctors took to streets for close to two months. 

Two many factions for one lone Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan with the newly-sworn Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar during the swearing-in ceremony, in Mumbai.

Maharashtra saw elections held in November to elect all 288 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. And while two parties NCP and Shiv Sena had split over a period of two years in 2022 and 2023, the ruling Maha Yuti alliance secured a landslide victory, winning 235 seats but what followed was a closely watched drama over the CM face until Fadnavis emerged the ‘chosen one’ and Eknath Shinde had to suffice with being his deputy.

Bonds, electoral bonds

Youth Congress activists protest against BJP over alleged illegal and unlawful fund transfer through electoral bonds in recent years, in Kolkata.

The Supreme Court earlier this year struck down the electoral bonds scheme as ‘unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary’, which provides blanket anonymity to political donors, as well as critical legal amendments allowing rich corporations to make unlimited political donations.

But Union Home Minister Amit Shah had a different view and the BJP leader went on to say at a media event that the 'bonds scheme should have ideally been improved' rather than done away with totally.

Vinesh’s political debut, state polls in Haryana, J&K

Wrestler and Congress candidate from Julana seat Vinesh Phogat celebrates her win in Haryana Assembly polls

Olympian Vinesh Phogat joined the Congress weeks after heartbreak at the Paris Olympics where she was declared overweight and disqualified from the gold medal match the night before the final bout. She won from the party in the Haryana assembly elections. But the grand old party wasn't so lucky in itself in the state as it lost the elections to the BJP. And out came with it charges against EVMs as well! Some things never change it seems.

The National Conference (NC) emerged as the single largest party in Jammu and Kashmir with 42 seats and formed the next government in the Union territory with its alliance partner Congress, which has bagged six seats.

New criminal laws come into effect

Three new criminal laws came into effect in the country on Monday, bringing far-reaching changes in India's criminal justice system. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) take into account some of the current social realities and modern-day crimes.

The new laws replaced the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.

Tirupati laddu conflict, Manipur has had enough

Pawan Kalyan takes part in a purification ritual, as part of his 11-day penance to propitiate the deity amid the Tirupati laddu controversy in Vijayawada.

Allegations of the presence of “animal fat” in the laddoos served as 'prasadam' at Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh sparked a massive controversy. The Centre too weighed in, with Union Health Minister J P Nadda seeking a report on the matter from the Andhra Pradesh government. Andhra deputy CM Pawan Kalyan even undertook a 11-day penance to atone for the alleged sins committed by the previous YSRCP regime at Tirumala.

Meanwhile, in far east, The National People's Party (NPP) withdrew support from Manipur’s BJP-led government alleging that the administration failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy, although they said they would reconsider if the saffron party chooses to replace N Biren Singh.