Setting the tone for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday termed the proposed Mahagathbandhan a compulsion of leaderless grouping with BJP chief Amit Shah asserting that if the party succeeds in next general election, it would remain in power for the next 50 years.

the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday decided to defer its organisational elections to pave the way for Amit Shah to continue as President until the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Indian elections are based on ideologies and not personalities, said key opposition leaders on Friday and stressed that 2019 general elections will be a "Modi vs India" affair.

The upcoming Assembly elections in four states that will set the trend for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are likely to figure prominently in the two-day BJP National Executive meet beginning here on Saturday.

All possible steps for extending relief to the flood-affected Kerala are being taken under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is personally monitoring the situation, Union Minister J.P. Nadda said on Friday.

Pakistan's anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), on Thursday filed a corruption reference against former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and others for allegedly misusing their authority in an illegal publicity campaign which caused a huge loss to the national exchequer.

India requires stringent steps to ensure maximising the efficiency of its existing coal-fired power plants to achieve nationally determined contributions under the landmark 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement, a report said on Thursday.

Colombia football coach Jose Pekerman has announced he does not wish to renew his contract and wished the national team the best ahead of the 2022 World Cup. "I'm sad not to be continuing; look at the guys and see what they achieved. The team drives them. To see Colombia so high in the FIFA national team rankings was so exciting. We achieved our goals," Pekerman said at a press conference on Tuesday, reports Xinhua news agency. Pekerman coached the Colombian national team for six years, leading them to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup. However, a poor showing from Colombia during this year's World Cup in Russia led to questions over the continuation of his tenure. He said the Colombian national press, which had reported rumours of his potential return to manage Argentina's national team, had told lies about his exit.

Spanish striker Alvaro Morata said on Tuesday he was optimistic after being called up by his national team, although he said he was saddened by his absence from the squad which went to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Accusing the Congress of patronising and funding the maoists, the BJP said on Monday that the now-defunct National Advisory Council (NAC), headed by Sonia Gandhi during the previous UPA regime, was the body for "supporting naxalism".