Page 9 - Bihar

Bihar bypoll results: Counting of votes for two assembly seats underway

Counting of votes for bypolls to Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies in Bihar began at 8 am on Sunday amid tight security arrangements. A senior election official said that trends will emerge around midday. Of the 6.10 lakh voters -- Gopalganj (3.31 lakh) and Mokama (2.70 lakh) 52.3 per cent had exercised their franchise in the two seats on November 3, he said. A total of 619 polling booths were set up in the two constituencies. Fifteen candidates are in the fray -- nine in Gopalganj and six in Mokama. This is the first electoral face-off between the ruling Grand Alliance (GA) and the opposition BJP in Bihar after the change of government in August this year, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party JD-U snapped ties with the saffron camp and aligned with Lalu Prasad's RJD-led coalition, comprising Congress and other parties, to form a new government. The Mokama seat fell vacant following the disqualification of RJD MLA Anant Singh after his conviction in an Arms Act ca

Bihar will be among top 5 states in 2 yrs if given special status: Tejashwi

Bihar can leapfrog to be counted among the top five states of the country in just two years if the Centre fulfills the long-standing demand for special status, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said on Saturday. The young RJD leader made the claim while complaining about inadequate central aid for urban local bodies of the state and asserting that by its own efforts, Bihar was the best performer in terms of infrastructure growth. "Headquarters of all 38 districts in the state have urban local bodies. For the development of these, the Centre has, as per 15th Finance Commission recommendations, released a paltry sum of Rs 7.35 crore," fumed Yadav, who also holds the Urban Development portfolio. "We will be getting just a fraction of Rs 1,988 crore earmarked for Uttar Pradesh. Our share is much smaller than that of Jharkhand, which is getting Rs 12 crore though it is smaller than Bihar," alleged Yadav. He said Bihar sends 40 MPs to the Lok Sabha with voters of the state helping "a

'Nitish didn't allow road construction over shoe hurled at him 15 yrs ago'

During 'Jan Samwad' with common people in Yogapatti block of West Champaran on Friday, Kishor said that the 32 km road connecting Nawalpur to district headquarter Bettiah was not constructed for 15 yr

Only propaganda, demand for special status not fulfilled, Bihar CM

In a veiled jibe at the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar claimed that "prachar prasar" (propaganda) was going on with little on offer for the poorer states. Kumar, who snapped ties with the BJP two months ago, also lamented that the long-standing demand for special status to Bihar, which "all poor states should get", was not accepted. "Is anything worthwhile happening in poor states? Only propaganda is underway (Garib gurba rajyon mein kuchh ho raha hai? Jhuthe prachar prasar mein laga rahta hai)," said the septuagenarian on Thursday without taking any names. The longest-serving chief minister of Bihar, who has been pitching for a united opposition to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, was addressing a function at the CM's secretariat where he gave away letters of appointment to nearly 200 Urdu translators and stenographers. Kumar spoke at length about his government's efforts to uplift the weaker sections of the society, especiall

Nitish Kumar slams Centre for not according special status to Bihar

"Whenever we talk about special status, the Centre becomes silent," he said.

Assembly by-elections: More than 45% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm

An average voter turnout of 45.60 per cent was recorded till 3 pm Thursday in the by-elections to seven assembly constituencies underway in six states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The polling is being held in Mokama and Gopalganj assembly constituencies of Bihar, Andheri (East) of Maharashtra, Adampur of Haryana, Munugode of Telangana, Gola Gokarannath of Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar of Odisha. Among the seven seats where bypolls are being held, the BJP held three seats and the Congress two, while the Shiv Sena and the RJD had one each. The contest is symbolic of the fierce turf war between the BJP and the regional parties. For the bypolls in Bihar, the main contest is between the BJP and the RJD, and the saffron party's main contenders in Haryana are the Congress, INLD and the AAP. In Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, the main contests are between the BJP and the TRS, SP and the BJD respectively. The Munugode assembly bypoll recorded the highest turnout till 3 pm of 59.9

53 drown in Bihar during Chhath, CM announces ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh

As many as 53 people drowned in rivers and other water bodies in various parts of Bihar during the four-day Chhath festivities, said a disaster management official here on Tuesday. Expressing grief, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the next of the kin of each deceased, the official said. The CM directed all district magistrates to ensure expeditious payment to the victims' families. According to the official, five people drowned in Purnea district on October 30, while three deaths each were reported from Patna, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Saharsa. One person each died in Gaya, Begusarai, Katihar, Buxar, Kaimur, Sitamarhi and Banka among other districts. "At least 18 people died in the state on October 31, the last day of the festival. The state disaster management is trying to establish the identity of all deceased at the earliest," added the official.

Chirag enraged over Nitish's reference to his father's second marriage

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's reference to Ram Vilas Paswan's "second marriage in Delhi" evoked an angry outbust from the late leader's son and political heir Chirag Paswan on Tuesday. Kumar had muttered "biyahwa to dusra Dilli mein jaakar kiye the na" (married for the second time in Delhi) on the previous day in a sort of reflection on the Bihari roots of the father-son duo. He had also called Chirag a "bachcha" (kid). "It ill behoves the chief minister to make personal remarks about my father after his death," the young Jamui MP, born to his late father's second wife, said. "I have never stooped to this level. I have never spoken anything of the kind about Nitish Kumar who has not been transparent about his own personal life. My deceased father was like an open book," said Chirag who has been reaching out to his step-mother and step-sisters after being cornered by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras. Chirag, who is in Bihar to campaign for BJP candidates in the upcoming by-poll

Chirag Paswan to campaign for BJP candidates in Bihar by-polls on Nov 3

Bihar BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal on Friday asserted that Chirag Paswan is an "NDA ally" and he will be campaigning for saffron party candidates for the November 3 by-polls to Mokama and Gopalganj assembly seats in the state. Jaiswal made the averment at a press conference he addressed here and claimed that Paswan, who is a Lok Sabha member from Jamui, will canvass for BJP candidates next week. "We treat all parties that have fought elections in alliance with us and supported us in the Presidential polls as NDA partners. Chirag Paswan very much fits the bill and he will be campaigning on October 31 and November 1," the BJP leader said. The son of Dalit stalwart Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag Paswan headed the Lok Janshakti Party founded by his father till it came apart last year following a rebellion by uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras who rallied along all other LJP MPs. Chirag Paswan had caused a flutter in the 2020 assembly polls when he rebelled against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who w

Nitish may not canvass for Bihar bypolls, Tejashwi to hit campaign trail

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said he might not campaign for the by-elections to a couple of assembly segments in the state where his current ally RJD is locked in a straight contest with former alliance partner BJP. Kumar, who is nursing injuries he sustained recently when his motorboat crashed into the pillar of a bridge on Ganga, said this in reply to questions from journalists who asked him about his schedule for Mokama and Gopalganj where by-polls are scheduled on November 3. "All my party colleagues are campaigning. I need to take precautions till I recover fully," said the JD(U) leader, who had disclosed his injury on Wednesday. The mishap had taken place on October 15 and the administration had said that all the occupants of the motorboat were safe. Speculations are rife that the RJD which seeks to retain Mokama and wrest Gopalganj from the BJP, is keen on Kumar lending his weight to its campaign for the two seats. Meanwhile, the BJP claimed that Kumar was

Centre asks Bihar to complete construction of wheat, rice silos by Dec

Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey has directed Bihar government to complete the construction of wheat and rice silo in Buxar by the end of December. Pandey, who was on a visit to Bhojpur and Buxar districts of Bihar on Wednesday, reviewed the progress of implementation of lifting and distribution of foodgrains under the National Food Security Act and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), an official statement said. He also reviewed the preparedness of paddy procurement for the upcoming 2022-23 kharif marketing season.

Tata Power Solar Systems launches off-grid solar solutions in Bengal, Bihar

Tata Power Solar Systems on Wednesday announced the launch of cost-efficient solar off-grid solutions in West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd (TPSSL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL). The off-grid solutions provide a combination of high-efficient solar modules, inverters and batteries and are available in 11 variants ranging from 1 - 10 Kw with 5-year warranty, a company statement said. The solutions offered by the company are engineered to provide an efficient integrated power system to consumers for their power backup requirements in times of grid supply shortages. The solution was unveiled in the presence of S Suresh Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, West Bengal; Partha Pratim Mukherjee, Director (Distribution), West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd and Nayak, Director (EV), West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd in Kolkata. These solar off-grid solutions are charged during the day time and enable

Over 50 wagons of goods train derail near Gaya; rail traffic disrupted

At least 53 wagons of a coal-laden goods train derailed near Gurpa railway station in Bihar in the early hours of Wednesday, disrupting rail traffic, officials said. The incident took place around 6.24 am between Koderma and Manpur railway stations of the Dhanbad division, East Central Railway (ECR) said in a statement. The exact cause of this is yet to be known. Railway teams have started work to restore the lines, a senior official of the ECR Zone said. Nobody was injured due to the derailment, he said. Ten trains were diverted to other routes and four were partially terminated following the incident, the statement said.

Tejashwi rubbishes speculations about another volte face by Nitish

Speculations about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's return to the BJP-led NDA have received a thumbs down from his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, who asserted that the 'Mahagathbandhan' is going strong. Yadav, who is the heir apparent of the RJD, the largest constituent of the ruling coalition, also said that his party enjoyed the full support of alliance partners and looked forward to winning by-elections to two assembly seats Mokama and Gopalganj -- scheduled to be held next week. "It was decided by all coalition partners that we contest both seats. Mokama is our sitting seat while Gopalganj is my native district. We are confident of a Mahagathbandhan victory at both places," Yadav told reporters on Monday at Jehanabad, where he had gone to attend the death anniversary of a deceased party colleague. The by-poll at Mokama has been necessitated by disqualification of Anant Kumar Singh, who has been convicted in cases relating to arms and explosives recovered from his residences. His wif

Lack of cooperation by authorities affecting Bihar heritage sites: ASI

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has not been able to bring under its "complete care" at least 20 heritage sites in Bihar as authorities concerned are yet to clear encroachments and unauthorized constructions in and around these places, an official said. Goutami Bhattacharya, the superintending archaeologist of ASI (Patna circle), said that district authorities, despite reminders, "have not taken requisite measures" to facilitate the upkeep and maintenance of these centrally protected sites, including the ancestral home of the country's first president, Dr Rajendra Prasad. "We have filed several police complaints pertaining to illegal constructions in the restricted areas surrounding the protected monuments, but no action was taken. "This apathy on the part of the district administrations in removing encroachments and unauthorized constructions has come in the way of bringing these sites under the complete care of the ASI," she told PTI. Bhattacharya also said that she ...

He talks 'rubbish': Nitish on PK's claim that he may ditch Mahagathbandhan

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday refused to comment on the claim made by political strategist Prashant Kishor that the former was still in touch with the BJP and said he keeps talking rubbish. The political strategist on Thursday claimed that Kumar is in touch with the BJP and he might once against tie up with the party if the situation demands. What should I say on this.he (Prashant) keeps talking rubbish. He makes such statements just for his publicity. Everybody knows that he is working for which party, Kumar remarked in reply to questions from journalists who sought his views on Kishor's claims that the CM is still in touch with the saffron party. Kishor had also told PTI on Wednesday that Kumar has kept a line of communication open with the BJP through JD (U) MP and Rajya Sabha deputy chairman, Harivansh. "After having snapped ties with the BJP, Nitish Kumar should have asked Harivansh to step down. If he insisted on occupying the post, he could have been expelled f

60 yrs after Bhoodan, Bihar finds 160,000 acres land fit for distribution

Almost 60 years after Bhoodan Andolan, a campaign to donate land initiated by Gandhian Vinoba Bhave, the Bihar government has found around 1.60 lakh acres of land, donated during the movement, is fit for distribution among landless people. Sources in the Revenue and Land Reforms department in the Bihar government confirmed that the process of distribution of these 1.60 lakh acres of confirmed' (authenticated by the revenue officers) land will start anytime after December this year. Many plots of land were donated by people during the 1950s and early 60s. But while they were being checked by the State Bhoodan Committee for authentication, it had been found that a number of them lack details of documentation. So, though donated, legally they are still owned by the donors. Besides, the Bhoodan Committee found that certain plots were actually on river beds, hills and forests. The entire process got delayed for so long due to these problems, a senior official of the revenue department .

Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP, may join hands again: Prashant Kishor

Political strategist Prashant Kishor claimed on Wednesday that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is in touch with the BJP and that he may go for a tie-up with the party again if situation demands so, a suggestion dismissed by the JD(U) as misleading and aimed at spreading confusion. Kishor, who is on a padyatra in Bihar in what is widely seen as a precursor to his fresh entry into active politics, told PTI that Kumar has kept a line of communication open with the BJP through JD(U) MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh. Query sent to Harivansh for his reaction did not elicit any response but his party rejected the claim and asserted that Kumar will never join hands with the BJP again. Kishor said, "People who are thinking that Nitish Kumar is actively building a national alliance against the BJP will be surprised to know that he has kept a line open with the BJP. He is in touch with the BJP through his party MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh ji." He suggested

Bihar BBOSE 2022 Class 10, 12 first exam June results out; check details

Candidates can check results by logging in to the website by using their roll number, date of birth, accreditation code, exam centre code, mobile number, and e-mail id to check Bihar BBOSE result

Kashmir a 'separate country' in Class 7 exam in Bihar govt school

A question paper in a Bihar government school termed Kashmir as a "separate country" triggering a political war in the state