Page 9 - Bihar

Congress releases first list of 48 candidates ahead of Bihar Assembly polls

The Congress on Thursday released its first list of 48 candidates for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, fielding its state unit chief Rajesh Ram from Kutumba seat and CLP leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan from Kadwa. The party announced the candidates even before finalising the seat-sharing arrangement with its Mahagathbandhan allies, including the RJD. The last date for filing nominations for the first phase of polls is October 17, while that for the second phase is October 20. The Congress leadership has been in talks with its alliance partners, including the RJD and the Left. According to the list, the party has fielded Bihar Youth Congress chief Prakash Garib Das from Bachhwada seat. Jayesh Mangal Singh will contest from Bagaha, Amit Giri from Nautan and Abhishek Ranjan from Chanpatia seat. From Bettiah seat, the party has fielded Wasi Ahmed, while Shyam Bihari Prasad will be its candidate from Raxaul. From Govindgan seat, the Congress named Shashi Bhushan Rai alias Gappu Rai as

No household left behind: Modi's message to partymen ahead of Bihar polls

Prime Minister tasks BJP workers with visiting every household and using videos to raise awareness on Centre and state government welfare schemes

News highlights: Nitish Kumar's residence sealed off as protests erupt over ticket allocation

Latest news updates, October 14: Catch all the latest news developments from across the world here

Bihar polls: Top Congress leaders discuss names of probable candidates

Top Congress leaders on Tuesday discussed the names of probable candidates for the Bihar assembly elections at a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge along with AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal and party treasurer Ajay Maken were present at the meeting. Rahul Gandhi joined the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting virtually. Sources said the party discussed more than 50 candidates for assembly seats on which the party is likely to contest the polls. The Congress is likely to get a lesser number of seats than the last time due to its dismal performance in the 2020 assembly polls, when it won 19 out of 70 seats it contested. "Today, in the presence of Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi, and Congress General Secretary (Organization) Shri K C Venugopal, an important meeting of the Central Election Committee (CEC) related to the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections

Teacher recruitment to begin immediately if voted to power: Tejashwi

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said the process for holding the teachers' recruitment exam (TRE-4) would be immediately initiated if the Mahagathbandhan is voted to power in the state. Yadav said when the RJD was part of the Nitish Kumar government in the state, over 2 lakh teachers were appointed through TRE-1 and TRE-2 without any paper leaks. "After we left, the new government announced in March that teachers' recruitment for 1.27 lakh posts under TRE-4 would soon take place, but now they have suddenly reduced it by 1 lakh posts. Everyone knows the CM's record of flip-flopping and backtracking on promises. When, who, and how someone made him say or write something, he doesn't even know it," he posted on X. "As soon as our government is formed, the TRE-4 recruitment process will be started immediately," he added. In TRE-1 and 2, 2.40 lakh teachers were appointed, while in TRE-3, 66,603 vacancies were filled. The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) conducts the recruitm

Seat-sharing, ticket announcements on Sunday, says Bihar BJP chief

NDA allies like Rashtriya Lok Morcha have rejected the talk of rift, but Hindustani Awam Morcha, Lok Janshakti Party are seeking more seats in the share

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