Page 13 - Bihar

Oppn MPs protest against Bihar SIR; vow to press for PM's presence in House

Opposition MPs, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, on Tuesday staged a protest in Parliament House complex against the Election Commission's voter roll revision in Bihar. The opposition MPs gathered on the steps of Makar Dwar of Parliament and raised slogans against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, alleging that it amounts to stealing elections. They also held placards like 'SIR: Stealing Indian Rights' and 'SIR: Subverting Indian Republic'. MPs of several parties, including the Congress, SP, RJD, TMC, DMK, JMM, among others participated in the protest. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took part in the protest. Earlier, a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders was held in the presence of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. During the meeting, the opposition decided to press for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence in the Hou

3 arrested in Patna hospital murder case following gunfight with police

Three persons, wanted in the murder of gangster Chandan Mishra at a hospital in Patna, were arrested in Bihar's Bhojpur district on Tuesday following a gunfight with the police, officials said. Those arrested were identified as Balwant Kumar, Raviranjan Kumar Singh and Abhisekh Kumar. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Special Task Force and district police around 5 am reached the Bihiyan area where they were hiding. Noticing the police personnel, they tried to escape by opening fire, officials said. The security personnel retaliated and overpowered them. Balwant Kumar and Raviranjan Kumar Singh sustained bullet injuries. No policemen were injured in the exchange of fire, officials said. Three pistols and two magazines with four cartridges were seized from their possession, they said. Kumar and Singh are undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Ara, the district headquarters of Bhojpur. Mishra, a murder convict who was out on parole, was shot dead by gunmen inside

Tejashwi meets Bihar Assembly Speaker, seeks discussion on SIR in House

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday called on Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav and requested that the House take up for discussion the controversial special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. The leader of the opposition in the assembly spoke to journalists after meeting the Speaker inside the latter's chamber, on the inaugural day of the monsoon session. "We requested that the matter be taken up for discussion in the House tomorrow. The assembly is the largest temple of democracy in Bihar... democracy is under attack in the state. An attempt is being made to rob the deprived sections of their right to vote. We will fight it out from the House to the streets (sadan se sadak tak)," Yadav said. However, senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who spoke to journalists separately, said, "The fears are unfounded. Not a single genuine voter's name will be dropped. All will exercise their franchise in the upcoming assembly ...

Paras hospital firing case: Four accused sent to Patna on transit remand

All four of the accused have been arrested in Kolkata in connection with the murder of Chandan Mishra in a Patna hospital, said Patna SSP Kartikey K Sharma

Loco maker Wabtec looks to make Bihar unit key pillar of global chain

With over 700 locomotives already manufactured and an order pipeline till 2028, the company is drawing up plans to make the facility a mainstay in the Indian market

CEC stays firm amid political storm over Bihar electoral roll revision

Ever since CEC Gyanesh Kumar-led poll body has taken up the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the 61-year-old ex-bureaucrat is in the line of fire of the Opposition parties

A riddle in Election Commission's roll revision in Bihar: 'Missing' voters

As the SIR drive nears its end and a fresh electoral roll is set to be published, questions remain over the fate of millions of voters

Crimes committed by criminals: Bihar ADG apologises for 'farmers' remark

In a video posted on the official handle of Bihar Police on platform X, Krishnan stated that his comments were misrepresented and that he did not intend to associate farmers with crime

Over 4.2 mn Bihar voters not found at listed addresses during revision: EC

The Election Commission on Saturday said nearly 42 lakh Bihar electors were not found at their addresses while over 7.50 lakh were found to have enrolled themselves at multiple places. During the ongoing special intensive revision of the voters' list of the state, 95.92 per cent of the nearly 7.90 crore electors have been covered, with six more days still left for the exercise. The EC said it is making efforts to reach out to each voter with its booth-level officers and booth-level agents of political parties trying to ensure that no eligible elector is left out of the draft electoral roll to be published in August. With six more days to go for filling up of enumeration forms, the Election Commission said efforts are being made to ensure that the remaining nearly 32 lakh electors are added to the draft roll. Booth-level officers have already completed over three rounds of the house-to-house visits and have established contact with the electors. A concerted effort by the entire ...

Around 76,000 Indian startups are women-led: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

The Minister said that India's path to becoming a developed nation by 2047 will be led by empowered women and youth

Nearly 95% of Bihar voters covered in electoral roll revision exercise: ECI

According to the ECI, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will publish the draft Electoral Roll on Friday, August 1 and invite suggestions

Modi launches NDA poll campaign in Bihar, warns of opposition intent

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sounded the poll bugle in Bihar, where assembly elections are due shortly, calling for "an NDA government, once again", which would protect the state from the "evil intentions" of the RJD-Congress combine. Modi also accused the RJD of seizing land from the poor on the false promise of jobs, in an apparent reference to the 'land-for-jobs' scam, and asserted that the 'viksit' (developed) Bihar is key for eastern India's development. Addressing a rally in Motihari town, the headquarters of East Champaran district, he said, "The people of the state had broken the shackles of RJD", but the younger generation "must be made aware of the despair in which Bihar was mired two decades ago". He also made an indirect reference to the land for jobs scam, on a day when the Supreme Court turned down a plea by RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, a former railway minister and the prime accused, for a stay on trial. "Employment generation could have never taken place in Bi

Just over a quarter of Bihar's first-time voters have a birth certificate

Election Commission exercise has people scrambling for papers that are arduous to obtain

Lightning kills 19 in Bihar, CM Nitish Kumar announces ₹4,00,000 ex-gratia

The Bihar government has appealed to the public to stay indoors and stay safe during bad weather conditions

Bihar CM launches projects worth ₹21,406 cr to improve rural connectivity

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday launched projects worth Rs 21,406.36 crore under the Rural Works Department (RWD), marking a major step toward improving rural connectivity across the state. The projects include the construction of 11,346 roads and 730 small bridges. The CM virtually inaugurated the projects during a function held at his official residence at 1, Anne Marg, here. According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), "It is worth noting that under the Rural Roads Strengthening and Management Programme, a new component, Mukhyamantri Gramin Sadak Unnayan Yojana, was launched in 2024. Under this programme, construction of 5,047 roads (total length of 8,893 km) commenced on Thursday, with a total approved cost of Rs 6,198 crore. Additionally, foundation stones were laid for 4,079 roads (total length of 6,484 km), with a total approved cost of Rs 5,627 crore". Through the Mukhyamantri Gramin Setu Yojana, the previously implemented Mukhyamantri

Rahul slams EC over Bihar SIR, calls it BJP's 'election chori branch'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that the Election Commission has been caught "red handed" stealing votes in the name of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, and asked whether the poll body has completely become BJP's 'Election chori branch'. The EC has all along maintained that the revision, being held after 22 years, will cleanse the voters' list of ineligible people, duplicate entries and include those eligible as per law to vote. Gandhi shared a post by Ajit Anjum, whose YouTube channel is running a series on special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. "Election Commission in Bihar has been caught red handed stealing votes in the name of 'SIR'. Work - just theft but name is 'SIR' and FIR will be lodged against the one who exposes it!" Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X. 'Is EC still 'Election Commission' or has it completely become BJP's 'Election Chori' branch?" the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said. Anjum has bee

CEC Kumar thanks Bihar voters for cleaning up exercise of electoral roll

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar thanked the eligible voters of Bihar on Wednesday for their active participation in the "much-needed" cleaning of the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Kumar's remarks came in the backdrop of the Supreme Court hearing a clutch of pleas questioning the intent behind the SIR ahead of the Assembly polls in the state later this year. Opposition parties have asserted that the ongoing exercise will disfranchise crores of eligible Indian citizens for the want of citizenship documents. "I thank all eligible electors of Bihar for actively participating in the much-needed cleaning of the electoral rolls," the CEC told a group of booth-level officers during a training session here. Separately, the Election Commission said only 6.85 per cent of the 7.9 crore voters are yet to fill the enumeration forms under the SIR. "As on today, 6,99,92,926 of the existing electors have given their enumeration form to be included in

Bihar voter roll revision: 35.6 lakh names to be dropped ahead of Bihar assembly polls | EC

Ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls, the Election Commission’s special revision of electoral rolls has led to over 35 lakh names being struck off.

Bihar Cabinet approves proposal of 10 mn jobs, employment opportunities

The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday cleared a proposal of 'one crore jobs and employment opportunities' in the next five years. The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, approved the proposal of the Labour department in this regard and also decided to constitute a 12-member committee headed by the Development Commissioner to explore the possibilities and take decisions in this effect. The CM on Sunday had announced that "For the next five years (2025 to 2030), we are setting a target to double the 2020-25 goal by providing government jobs and employment opportunities to one crore youth. To achieve this, new job and employment opportunities will also be created in the private sector, particularly in industrial areas. For this purpose, a high-level committee is being constituted. Soon after the Cabinet meeting, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) S Siddhartha told reporters, "The state Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Labour department proposal to ..

BSP's Mayawati takes jab at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's 'job promises'

BSP chief Mayawati on Monday dismissed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent job-related promises as mere "rhetoric and electoral deception." The announcements, she alleged, were aimed at distracting from the "deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar" and questioned their credibility ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state. "In the midst of national discussions over the poor law and order situation in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the NDA government appears to be making announcements to divert public attention," Mayawati posted on X. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister particularly referred to Kumar's recent declaration that if re-elected, his government would provide employment to one crore people in the next five years. "Such a claim seems more like rhetoric and electoral deception, similar to the 'achhe din' slogan, rather than a practical promise, going by people's past experiences," she said. Mayawati alleged that most political parties ma