Page 8 - Bihar

NDA seat-sharing talks for Bihar polls not yet over, says Upendra Kushwaha

Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Saturday dismissed speculations about rumblings of discontent among NDA constituents in Bihar over seat sharing for the upcoming assembly polls and said that talks have not yet concluded. The former Union minister, in an X post, said, "Don't pay attention to rumours floating around. The talks are not yet concluded. Wait...! I don't know how the news is being circulated in the media. If someone is planting news, it's deceit, it's betrayal." Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had earlier said that he was "requesting and not making a claim" that his Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) be given a respectable number of seats, otherwise the party might not contest the election. Another Union minister, Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which had earlier settled for around 20-22 seats, is now reportedly asking for at least 25 more. Assembly elections in the state will be held on November 6 and 11, while votes will be counted on ...

Union minister slams Tejashwi Yadav for 'Jungleraj' under RJD rule in Bihar

Union Minister Harsh Malhotra criticises Tejashwi Yadav over RJD's past, while NDA, LJP, and JSP finalise seat-sharing ahead of elections

Bihar Congress finalises poll seats, candidates to be announced soon

Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar on Thursday claimed that the party has finalised the seats it will be contesting in the upcoming assembly polls and claimed that consent has been received from "alliance partners". Talking to reporters here upon his return from Delhi, Kumar said the Congress central election committee has also approved the list of candidates, and a formal announcement will be made "in a day or two." "Decks have been cleared. We had identified the seats after talks with alliance partners. The names of candidates we proposed have been approved by the central election committee", the BPCC chief said. He, however, refused to divulge further details, saying "we are to accommodate some new entrants in the INDIA bloc. The process is in the final stages. In a day or two, we will be through and come up with a formal announcement". The INDIA bloc in Bihar is helmed by the RJD and includes three Left parties CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI and CPI(M), all of which had contested t

Poll code applicable to Central govt too for policy decisions on Bihar: EC

The Election Commission on Wednesday said the provisions of model code of conduct are also applicable to the Central government as far as announcements and policy decisions on Bihar are concerned. The poll code came into force immediately after the Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule for the Assembly elections in Bihar on Monday. The polls will be held on November 6 and 11, and the counting of votes will be taken up on November 14. In a statement issued here, the EC said, "The MCC shall also be applicable to the Central government so far as announcements/policy decisions for Bihar are concerned." The poll authority also said that privacy of citizens must be respected, with no demonstrations or picketing outside private residences. "Land, buildings, or walls shall not be used for flags, banners or posters without the owner's consent," it said. The EC has also issued directives to the Bihar chief secretary related to the removal of defacement from government, public and

Bihar elections 2025: Key parties, issues, and electoral shifts explained

From Nitish Kumar's 'sushasan' to Tejashwi's job promise, Bihar's elections since 2005 tell a story of shifting alliances, changing issues and the state's long battle between caste and governance

Inside Bihar's silent agricultural revolution: What has changed, and how

In a state where nearly 75 per cent of the population depends on agriculture, Bihar has been steadily revolutionising its rural economy by improving yields, diversifying crops, and empowering women

Nitish Kumar inaugurates first phase of Patna Metro: Check route, fare

Passengers can travel on the 4.3-km corridor between ISBT, Zero Mile, and Bhoothnath stations from October 7; minimum fare for a single station ride is ₹15, and the entire stretch will cost ₹30

New initiatives for Bihar Assembly polls to be replicated nationwide: CEC

Claiming that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) "purified" Bihar's voters' list after 22 years, CEC Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said many new initiatives were being undertaken for the upcoming assembly elections in the state, and these would be replicated across the country in due course. Addressing a press conference in Patna before winding up his tour of the state, Kumar said these initiatives include a new SOP (standard operating procedure) to ensure that EPIC cards are delivered to voters within 15 days of registration and a mobile deposit facility at polling booths. He said the elections to the 243-member assembly will be completed before the expiry of its term on November 22. "We have an ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) in each of the 243 constituencies. They were assisted by 90,207 BLOs in completing the SIR exercise, which has purified the voters' list after 22 years," he said. The last time an intensive revision of electoral rolls had taken place in the state was in ...

PM Modi launches schemes worth ₹62k crore with poll-bound Bihar in focus

The schemes include a major national initiative to upgrade Industrial Training Institutes and several youth-focused programmes in Bihar

PM Modi slams Congress, RJD for 'devastated' education system in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the NDA government for improving the education system in the State

Sonam Wangchuk detention, Bihar elections, new US bill on H1-B visa & more top

administration. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar disbursed ₹10,000 each to 2.5 million women under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, bringing the total aid disbursed so far to ₹10,000 crore

Jan Suraaj Party to unveil first list of Bihar poll candidates on October 9

The Jan Suraaj Party, founded by former political strategist Prashant Kishor, on Friday said it will come up with its "first list of candidates" for the Bihar assembly polls on October 9. "The first list of Jan Suraaj candidates will be released on October 9," the party said in a post on X. Dates for the assembly polls are likely to be announced by the Election Commission soon. Kishor has maintained that he was building a "new political alternative" for Bihar, which has been let down by the established parties. Besides promising adequate number of tickets to women, Muslims and the extremely backward classes (EBC), Kumar has also said he could enter the fray himself "if the party takes the decision". The 47-year-old former political strategist has also identified Raghopur, the seat of the Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, and Kargahar, his own place of birth, as two constituencies he might like to contest.

Bihar to develop 3 road projects on Ganga river stretch for ₹17,000 crore

Bihar will soon start developing three road projects along the Ganga river on a hybrid annuity model (HAM) for an estimated cost of Rs 17,000 crore to boost economic activities and tourism, the state's Road Minister Nitin Nabin has said. The three projects to be implemented under HAM are Digha-Sherpur-Bihta-Koilwar (35.65 km), Munger (Safiabad)- Bariyarpur-Ghorghat-Sultanganj (42 km), and Sultanganj-Bhagalpur-Sabour (41.33 km). Under the HAM, the government funds about 40 per cent of the project cost, while the private developer funds the remaining 60 per cent and operates the road for a concession period, receiving annuity payments from the government. The Sultanganj-Bhagalpur Gangapath project will be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 4,849.83 crore, and the Munger-Sultanganj Gangapath at Rs 5,119.80 crore. The Digha-Sherpur-Bihta-Koilwar project will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 6,495.79 crore. These roads would not only provide connectivity but also attract tourists

ECI releases final voter list for Bihar after SIR; 74.2 mn people can vote

The voter list can be downloaded from ECI's official website; physical copies of the electoral roll will be made available to all district election officers

Bihar to get 3 new Amrit Bharat Express trains today: Check route, time

The new Amrit Bharat Express trains will start from Bihar on September 29, connecting Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana

Ashwini Vaishnaw flags off 3 Amrit Bharat, 4 passenger trains for Bihar

The three Amrit Bharat Express Trains will be connecting 25 districts with 62 stoppages in Bihar, increasing connectivity for the people

Amit Shah relying on 'vote chori, vote revdi' to win in Bihar: Congress

With Home Minister Amit Shah urging people to ensure NDA victory in more than 160 seats in Bihar, the Congress on Monday said he is hoping that "VC (vote chori) plus VR (vote revdi)" will bring about this outcome. It asserted that the politically conscious people of Bihar will defeat these "machinations". In an X post, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said that in education, VC stands for Vice Chancellor; in the world of start-ups, VC stands for Venture Capital and in the military, VC is Vir Chakra. "But now there is a new kind of VC that is defining our politics --? vote chori (vote theft)," he wrote. "And the sutradhar (director) has already unveiled the target for VC in Bihar. The Union Home Minister has confidently declared that the NDA will get more than 160 seats out of 243," Ramesh said on X. "He is hoping that VC plus VR (vote revdi, or vote doles) will bring about this outcome. The politically most conscious people of Bihar will defeat these ...

350-400 CAPF companies to be deployed for Bihar Assembly elections

Around 350-400 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and other state police units are expected to be deployed for providing security during the forthcoming assembly elections in Bihar, officials said on Friday. A single CAPF company has an operational strength of about 70-80 personnel. The exact dates and the number of phases for the 243-member assembly polls are expected to be announced by the Election Commission (EC) in early October. The earmarked companies have been asked to initiate de-induction from their place of deployment and move to Bihar. These companies include units from forces guarding the international borders, the officials told PTI. The units will be added or subtracted once the EC directs the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for a specific number of companies, they said. The maximum number of companies will be drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Other CAPFs like the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF

Prashant Kishor's casteist slur on TV: How law deals with such remarks

Prashant Kishor's 'chori-ch***ri' remark in a TV interview has triggered a row with Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary, bringing focus back on how Indian law defines casteist insults

Cabinet okays ₹6,014 cr highway, railways projects in poll-bound Bihar

Cabinet clears ₹6,014 cr highway and railway projects in Bihar to boost freight, tourism, and cross-border trade, cutting travel time and expanding rail capacity