33.1 % voting in Bihar till 1 pm

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33.1 % voting in Bihar till 1 pm

After a sluggish start, people are coming out to vote in 16 districts of Bihar for the first phase of Assembly elections.

As per trends till 1 pm, the Election Commission has registered 33.1 percent votes in these districts with the maximum 40.16 percent reported from Lakhisarai followed by 38.08 percent in Nawada, and 34.76 percent in Buxar.

The voting percentage in other districts such as Bhagalpur was 34.34, Banka 33.11, Munger 31.84, Shekhpura 29.49, Patna 34.74, Bhojpur 32.15, Kaimur 34.75, Rohtas 30.26, Arwal 30.55, Jahanabad 32.32, Aurangabad 33.32, Gaya 32.90 and Jamui is 31.37 percent.

Voting for 71 seats is underway and 1066 candidates of different political parties are contesting in the first phase.

Baroda bypoll: BJP-JJP alliance will win, says Haryana minister

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Baroda bypoll: BJP-JJP alliance will win, says Haryana minister

Haryana Electricity Minister Chaudhary Ranjit Singh said on Tuesday that the BJP-JJP alliance will win the Baroda bye-election because the people are very cynical and they need an MLA who works for the common man.

“The Baroda bypoll campaign is in the last phase and people of the Baroda constituency are eager to vote in favor of the BJP-JJP candidate. People are with the government and they have prepared their minds on whom to elect,” Singh said.

The minister was the chief guest at a function in Gurugram on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the second term of the current state government.

Responding to questions of media after the event, the minister claimed the victory of the BJP-JJP alliance candidate in the Baroda bypoll on November 3, saying that he is going to visit Baroda on Wednesday and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will be there on October 29.

“The opposition has made their perception that whatever the government does, the opposition has to criticize it,” the minister said.

Singh said that criticism should also be constructive and that “we are doing our work”.

Chaudhary who also hold jail minister portfolio said that the prisons across the state are safe and no incident of a jailbreak came to the fore and no encounter took place inside the jail premises.

To a question about electricity supply in Gurugram, Singh said that on average 23.51 hours of electricity is being provided here.

“The electricity corporation that was earlier running in loss is now earning a profit, which is a big achievement of the present government,” Singh added.

Himachal’s Solan, Mandi, Palampur to be Municipal Corporations

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Himachal’s Solan, Mandi, Palampur to be Municipal Corporations

The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday decided to upgrade the Municipal Councils of Mandi, Solan, and Palampur towns to Municipal Corporations by the inclusion of adjoining areas, and hold elections to urban local bodies in January next.

It also decided to create six new Nagar panchayats. They are Kandaghat in Solan district; Amb in Una district; Ani and Normand in Kullu district; and Chirgoan and Nerwa in Shimla district.

The Cabinet presided by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, also decided to exempt land and buildings in the newly-included areas of these urban local bodies from payment of general tax for three years and to retain the customary rights as provided under Wazib-Ul-Urz in the record of rights.

It was decided that the election to the urban local bodies, including the newly created Nagar panchayats and the Municipal Corporations, would be conducted in January 2021 after consultation with the State Election Commission.

However, the election to the Shimla Municipal Corporation will be conducted in 2022.

The Cabinet decided to restore the ‘Janmanch’ Programme from November 8 to ensure speedy redressal of public grievances near their homes.

It also gave nod to fill 1,334 posts of constable, including 976 men and 267 women and 91 drivers, on a regular basis through direct recruitment and decided to raise the honorarium of 1,345 information technology teachers engaged on an outsource basis in the Education Department by 10 percent from April 1.

It decided to provide a government job to Tanzin Dolkar, sister of Tanzin Chhultim, who laid down his life while fighting militants in Srinagar on August 3, 2017.

She would be appointed as a junior office assistant (information technology) on contract in Lahaul-Spiti district.

LJP may play spoilsport for JD-U in Bihar polls

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LJP may play spoilsport for JD-U in Bihar polls

The entry of Lok Janshakti Party as an independent contestant in the Bihar Assembly elections may spoil the party for the ruling Janata Dal-United, an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The JD-U, which was the ‘big brother’ for the NDA in the past, is now faced with the embarrassing situation wherein its leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s pictures are not even there on BJP advertisements in newspapers ahead of elections, giving rise to a lot of speculations.

Even surveys done by various agencies in Bihar have allegedly revealed that Nitish’s popularity among the voters has gone down.

However, BJP state President Sanjay Jaiswal maintains that the BJP-led NDA is fighting the elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar only, who is the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance.

On the other hand, JD-U leader Ajay Alok maintains that many ‘yuvraj’ or political heirs were in the fray to save their political careers and the situation will be clear on November 10 when the results are declared.

Irrespective of what NDA allies may say, the situation for the JD-U began to worsen after LJP leader Chirag Paswan moved away from the NDA in Bihar to show his independence by voicing a difference of opinions on the implementation of various schemes in Bihar or the working of the state bureaucracy.

The LJP’s independent stance was showcased in the very beginning when the JD-U wrote to the Election Commission of India to hold the Bihar Assembly elections as scheduled while the LJP wanted the same to be postponed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

The LJP fielded candidates in 136 of the 243 constituencies, though the nominations of its nominees in Makhdoompur and Phulwari were rejected. Most of these 134 nominees are now pitted against the JD-U even as others are facing BJP rivals in Gobindganj, Lalganj, Bhagalpur, Raghopur, Rosara, and Narkatiyaganj.

LJP spokesperson Ashraf Ansari said that while Gobindganj and Lalganj have sitting MLAs from his party, there is a ‘friendly match’ with the BJP in other seats. He claimed that the LJP will form the next government in Bihar along with the BJP.

Chirag Paswan too has been appealing to the voters to vote for the BJP in Assembly segments in which his party is not in the fray.

It is being said that the LJP wishes to bag at least 10-15 seats by taking advantage of the Narendra Modi factor in the Assembly elections and will play an important role in the formation of any future government if the JD-U and BJP failed to bag a simple majority of 122 seats on their own.

In the NDA, the JD-U is fighting 115 seats, BJP 110 seats, Vikassheel Insaan Party 11 and Hindustani Awam Morcha seven seats.

The elections for 243 Assembly seats will be held in three phases – for 71 seats on October 28, for 94 seats on November 3, and the remaining 78 on November 7. The results will be announced on November 10.

UP CM extends ‘Ashtami’ and ‘Navami’ greetings

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UP CM extends ‘Ashtami’ and ‘Navami’ greetings

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday extended greetings to the people on the auspicious occasion of Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami in Sharadiya Navratris. He said the festival was known for celebrating women’s power and respect for girls.

The Chief Minister said goddess ‘Adi Shakti’ had several infinite forms and primarily existed in nine forms as goddess Navdurga, showering her compassion on the whole universe. On the occasion of Navratri, these nine forms of the Goddess are worshiped with full devotion, he said.

The worship of Maa Durga during Navratris is a symbol of Sanatan Dharma’s tradition of respect for women, the CM added.

Devotees all over the country perform ‘Kanya Pujan’ on Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami.

He also appealed to the people to strictly follow the Covid-19 protocols and social distancing norms during celebrations on the occasion.

“Goddess Mahagauri (eighth avatar of goddess Durga), the goddess of grandeur, pomp, peace, and prosperity, blesses all her devotees with Ashta Siddhis (eight yogic accomplishments) and nine treasures according to the Hindu scriptures. May everyone be blessed in the new year with the blessings of the mother goddess. Hail goddess Mahagauri!” he added.

Jagan asks banks to strengthen rural economy supporting schemes

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Jagan asks banks to strengthen rural economy supporting schemes

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy urged banks to extend support in implementing the state government’s welfare schemes to strengthen the rural economy.

He addressed senior bank employees at the 212th state-level bankers’ committee (SLBC), where he said that helping farmers and strengthening villages are the top priorities of the state government.

Reddy highlighted that over 62 per cent of the state relies on agriculture.

“Government has been successfully implementing YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan schemes by providing Rs 13,500 to farmers in three spells, Rs 7,500 in Kharif, Rs 4,000 in rabi and Rs 2,000 during harvest time in January,” he said.

According to the CM, the loan target of Rs 75,237 crore for the 2020-21 Kharif season has been achieved 83 percent by disbursing Rs 62,650 crore worth loans.

He asked the senior bank employees to check whether all farmers enrolled one – cropping platform is receiving loans or not.

“It is mandatory for farmers to have an e-cropping certificate to avail crop insurance and zero-interest loans in order to avoid corruption,” highlighted Reddy.

The chief minister told bank employees to pay special attention in granting loans to farmers as they check e-cropping certificates while issuing loans.

He said the government introduced a market intervention fund of Rs 3,200 crore to procure crops by paying minimum support price (MSP), which will rise to Rs 3,500 crore this year.

Reddy also explained to the representatives of banks about the plethora of schemes the government introduced.

Modi compares 15-yr ‘lawless rule’ with NDA’s development era

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Modi compares 15-yr ‘lawless rule’ with NDA’s development era

Five days ahead of the first phase of Bihar Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the state’s people cannot forget the “lawlessness” seen during the 15-year rule of the opposition (Rashtriya Janata Dal).

“People of Bihar know what the situation was at that time. People were killed in broad daylight, kidnappings took place, and criminals were protected by leaders of the ruling party. Massacres happened in large numbers. People of Bihar stayed inside homes after sunset. No one can forget that,” Modi said while addressing a public gathering in Shahpur in Sasaram block of Rohtas district.

“The situation changed after the change of regime in Bihar. Such lawlessness had forced the people of Bihar to change the government. After the NDA came to power under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, the atmosphere of fear changed. Now, parents are not scared when their daughters step out of the house. What was the situation then? Parents virtually had their hearts in their mouths till their daughters did not return home safely,” Modi said.

“Now, a new generation has come into politics of Bihar but its ideology is the same. The people of Bihar will not fall for their bluff. People will give votes to the NDA.

“They (Opposition leaders) are experts in spreading aberration. People of Bihar knew how they extort lakhs of rupees for giving one government job. They are offering the same this time too to get votes. They are looking at you with a tempting offer. They are luring voters of Bihar through job offers,” Modi said.

“When the RJD lost the Assembly elections in Bihar in 2005, they were still part of the UPA in the Centre. They deliberately did not allow the economic packages to be sanctioned to the state from the Centre.”

The Prime Minister added: “Nitish Kumar was the CM of Bihar and I was Gujarat CM when the UPA ruled at the Centre. In every CMs’ meeting in Delhi, Nitish Kumar used to urge the then Manmohan Singh government for special packages for Bihar but the Congress alliance partner (RJD) would not let it sanction any package. In the last four years, we have a double engine government in Bihar and we are working together.”

“The leaders on the other side (UPA) are on a destructive path to sabotage the nation. We abolished Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir last year and their leaders said they will restore it once they came to power,” Modi said.

“Bihar is a place that produces brave soldiers. They were martyred while fighting in Galway Valley. They were also martyred in the Pulwama attack. I want to pay respects and homage to them and their family,” Modi said.

“Our double engine government is working on every aspect to develop Bihar through road infrastructure, power supply, irrigation connectivity to every agricultural land, construction of a large number of bridges on the rivers. I want to point out that the construction of the four-lane bridge is in the last phase at Koilwar in Bhojpur district, a bridge is also coming on the river Son to connect Bihar with Jharkhand. Construction of new roads, widening of roads from two lanes to four lanes are being done on a large-scale power plant in Chausa in Buxar district at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore is also coming up,” Modi added.

“Such infrastructure will help create a new food park as areas surrounding Rohtas, Kaimur and Bhojpur are known as ‘Dhan Ka Katora’,” Modi said.

Modi said that he had decided to conduct one common entrance examination in the country for different jobs. “Besides, we will soon implement ‘education in mother tongue’, including in higher education fields like medical and engineering,” he said.

He claimed that the opposition was against new agricultural laws to save middlemen. “The farmers will directly sell their products to anyone and anywhere. I want to assure you that the new laws will help the farmers,” he said.

Modi started his one-hour speech in Bhojpuri and paid homage to Bihar’s leaders Ram Vilas Paswan and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh who died recently.

He also said that people from Scheduled Castes and Tribes as well as Backward Classes were getting the benefit of reservation. Besides, a 10 percent reservation was also given to the economically weaker sections among the upper castes, he added.

Earlier, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said: “We have connected every village with roads in the state. With the help of the Centre, free LPG was given to 85 lakh poor during the coronavirus pandemic. We arranged trains to bring back our migrant laborers. Two Covid hospitals are coming up in Bihta in Patna district and Patahi in Muzaffarpur district,” Kumar said.

“When we came to power, electricity consumption in Bihar was 700 megawatt but now it’s 6,000 megawatts. In 2005, the Bihar budget was Rs 24,000 crore but Rs 2.11 lakh crore now. We believe in development and it will continue if you vote for the NDA in this election,” Kumar said.

BJP leaders to hit the campaign trail in UP

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BJP leaders to hit the campaign trail in UP

The BJPs star campaigners will hit the campaign trail for the by-elections to seven assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh from Thursday amid the corona pandemic restrictions. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP state President Swatantra Dev Singh, among others, will hold public rallies in three regions going to the polls.

Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma will also campaign for the party.

BJP state media in-charge Manish Dixit said Yogi Adityanath and Swatantra Dev Singh will hold public rallies in Amroha’s Naugawan Sadat, Bulandshahr, and Tundla assembly constituencies.

He informed that Dinesh Sharma will address a public rally in Bulandshahr on October 24. On October 27, the Chief Minister and the BJP state President will campaign for the Ghatampur seat in Kanpur and the Bangermau seat in Unnao. Keshav Prasad Maurya will address two public rallies on October 28 and three on October 29. Swatantra Dev Singh and Yogi Adityanath will seek votes for the party candidates at public rallies in Malhani and Deoria on October 31.

Public rallies by ministers, MPs, MLAs, and the party’s state officials are also being organized. The BJP’s state organizational General Secretary Sunil Bansal has been holding frequent meetings with party officials and workers for all the seven assembly seats due for by-elections on November 3.

SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav files nomination for RS polls

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SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav files nomination for RS polls

Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Wednesday filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections slated for November 9.

He is a sitting Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, though his term is slated to expire on November 25.

“I thank the party leadership for making me its Rajya Sabha candidate for the fifth time. The people of the country and the state are unhappy. But I do not want to say anything on this issue today,” Yadav told the media here.

Yadav was accompanied by Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, who made his first public outing after the coronavirus pandemic outbreak in the country.

Ram Gopal Yadav was declared SP candidate a week ago.

The Samajwadi Party, which has an effective strength of 45 MLAs in Uttar Pradesh Assembly with 403 members, can send only one member to the Upper House of Parliament.

Elections will be held for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and one in Uttarakhand on November 9. The BJP can comfortably win nine UP seats, but is yet to announce its candidates.

The Rajya Sabha members due to retire on November 25 are Chandrapal Singh Yadav, Javed Ali, Ravi Prakash Verma, Ram Gopal Yadav (all from Samajwadi Party), Veer Singh and Rajaram (Bahujan Samaj Party), Raj Babbar and PL Punia (both from Congress), and Neeraj Shekhar, Hardeep Singh Puri, and Arun Singh (all from BJP). Raj Babbar was elected from Uttarakhand whereas the rest represented Uttar Pradesh in the Upper House.

Delhi CM announces Rs 15 cr for flood-hit Telangana, KCR grateful

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Delhi CM announces Rs 15 cr for flood-hit Telangana, KCR grateful

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced Rs 15 crore financial assistance to flood-hit Telangana.

According to the Telangana Chief Minister’s Office, Kejriwal announced the aid for relief and rehabilitation work in the areas affected by heavy rain and flash floods.

Kejriwal said Delhi state would stand by Telangana during this natural calamity.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao thanked Arvind Kejriwal on behalf of the people of his state for announcing the financial assistance. Rao spoke to Kejriwal over the phone.

KCR also spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami over the phone and thanked him for extending financial help to Telangana.

Palaniswami conveyed in a letter to KCR on Monday that he has ordered an immediate contribution of Rs 10 crore from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund as a token of the support and solidarity of the government and people of Tamil Nadu with the people of Telangana.

He said the Tamil Nadu government will also be sending blankets and mats to the affected families.

The Telangana CM has also urged industrialists, traders, business establishments, and others to extend their help to the people who have suffered due to heavy rain and floods. He asked them to donate generously to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

Heavy rain and floods in Telangana since October 13 have claimed 70 lives including 33 in Greater Hyderabad and caused a loss of over Rs 5,000 crore.

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