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Bihar polls: NDA, Manjhi’s party reach seat-sharing agreement

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Jitan Ram Manjhi

New Delhi: The BJP and Jitan Ram Manjhi have finally reached a seat-sharing agreement for the Bihar assembly elections with the former chief minister party’s being allotted 20 seats.

“All is well and a positive outcome is expected,” PTI quoted a senior BJP leader as saying on Sunday after the talks with Manjhi’s Hindustani Avam Morcha (Secular) party in Delhi.

The seat sharing agreement was said to have been reached at a meeting the Bharatiya Janata Party’s in-charge for Bihar elections and Union minister Ananth Kumar and party general secretary in-charge of the state Bhupendra Yadav had with Manjhi in Bihar Niwas.

After the late night meeting, a HAM(S) leader claimed the party would get to field about 20 candidates, while five others would contest on the BJP’s symbol under the arrangement worked out.

BJP president Amit Shah, party sources said, cancelled his Mysore visit on Sunday to oversee the negotiations. Manjhi met Shah at the latter’s residence twice on Sunday.

Manjhi and his aides also held a series of meetings with BJP leaders including Kumar, Yadav and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan throughout the day.

On Saturday, Manjhi’s associates had threatened to reconsider continuing in the alliance if a “respectable” offer was not made after the BJP agreed to spare 13-15 seats for them.

A final announcement on the seat sharing arrangement between BJP and its three allies – Ram Vilas Paswan’ Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and Manjhi’s HAM(S) – was held up after Manjhi played hardball.

The LJP and RLSP have already agreed to the seat-sharing formula brought forth by the BJP.

Though the BJP has a strong Dalit ally in Paswan, it wants Manjhi on its side in the high-stakes state elections to bring in the Mahadalit votes.

Manjhi was said to be unhappy after he was offered 13-15 seats by the BJP and sought to draw a parity with Paswan’s LJP, which was tipped to get around 40 seats.

Those privy to the talks said the BJP wanted to contest around 160 of the state’s 243 seats, leaving 25 for RLSP.

BJP sources said its Central Election Committee is likely to meet on Tuesday as the party is keen to announce the names of its nominees at least for the seats which go to polls in the first few phases.

The five-phase polling for the 243-member assembly begins from October 12 and concludes on November 5.

(PTI)

AIMIM to contest Bihar elections from Seemanchal: Owaisi

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Asaduddin Owaisi

Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) today said it will contest the upcoming Bihar State Assembly elections from Seemanchal region.

MIM chief Assaduddin Owaisi said his party will contest the election but will limit itself to Seemanchal region, which comprise mainly four districts – Araria, Purnea, Kishanganj, Katihar.

“We are limited to Seemanchal area of Bihar. We are realistic about our chances of winning. We know our strengths and weaknesses. It is in the interest and justice of Seemanchal region we are contesting elections there,” Owaisi said without disclosing the number of seats his party will contest.

He replied in the negative when asked about the pre-poll alliance with other parties.

“Bihar’s development parameters are bad. But when it comes to Seemacnhal it is worse. That’s why we want the government to set up a regional developmental council under Article 371,” he said.

Owaisi held Congress, BJP, Nitish Kumar and other parties as responsible for the underdevelopment of the region.

When asked about the division of votes when the party contests without any alliance, the MIM leader said the NDA won with great majority even when his party was not in the poll fray in Jammu and Kashmir and local body elections of Rajasthan.

“Did I contest in Delhi elections? Did I contest in J&K elections. Did I contest in Municipal elections of Rajasthan? This is a wrong allegation which has no relevance. So-called secular parties have lost their credibility,” he said.

MIM, which has two seats in the Maharashtra assembly, has appointed Akhtar Imam as president of AIMIM’s Bihar unit.

(Agencies)

Bihar polls to be held in 5 phases, starting Oct 12 through Nov 5

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Counting will take place on November 8

Nasim Zaidi- Chief Election Commisioner. File photo: PTI

Nasim Zaidi- Chief Election Commisioner. File photo: PTI

New Delhi: The assembly polls in Bihar will be held across five phases, beginning on October 12 and ending on November 5.

The vote count will take place on November 8.

“The model code of conduct has come into force with immediate effect,” said Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi here.

The term of the 243-member Bihar assembly comes to an end on November 29.

The first phase of polls begin on October 12, the second phase of voting is on October 16, the third phase of ballotting is on October 28, the fourth phase is on November 1 while the fifth and the last phase is on November 5.

(IANS)

JD-U to send one lakh hair, nail samples to PMO daily

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nitish kumar

Patna: In a protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s DNA remark on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Bihar’s ruling JD-U will send one lakh hair and nail samples to the prime minister office everyday starting Thursday, a party leader said.

“We will send one lakh hair and nail samples of party leaders, workers and supporters starting September 3 to the prime minister office (PMO),” JD-U leader N.K. Arya said.

He said five million samples would be sent by the Janata Dal-United till October 15.

“We have already collected nearly one million hair and nail samples of people,” Arya said, adding “We have given a target to party leaders, including legislators, MPs and others to collect samples for DNA test from their respective constituencies across the state”.

Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad have been trying hard to link the DNA issue with the self respect of Bihar.

The JD-U launched a “shabdwapasi” campaign to put pressure on the prime minister to take back his remark and began a drive to collect signatures.

Addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarpur on July 25, Modi said: “There seems to be some problem in his (Nitish Kumar) DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy, you give respect even to your political rivals.”

(Agencies)

SP pulls out of grand alliance, to contest Bihar polls alone

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mulayam-singh-yadav

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party today pulled out of the ‘grand alliance’ in poll-bound Bihar, saying it felt “humiliated” as it was not consulted while deciding seats and would contest the Assembly elections in the state on its own.

The SP’s decision ahead of the Bihar polls comes as a jolt to the grand alliance which was floated to counter the BJP in the state.

SP National General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters here that “In Bihar the party will contest separately. The bigger parties in the alliance did not consult us while declaring seats due to which the SP felt humiliated. This is not the ‘gatbandhan dharma'”.

The final decision on the Bihar Assembly polls was taken at a party parliamentary board meeting here in presence of SP national President Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Yadav said that it was the duty of the major constituents to consult the SP before deciding over seat sharing.

“We came to know about this through the media. This is not the ‘gatbandhan dharma’ and SP felt humiliated,” he said.

Yadav said the party was not happy with the paltry two or five seats offered out of the 243 in the state assembly.

“We will win much more seats by contesting on our own as compared to that being offered by the alliance. We will contest respectfully,” he said.

On the future of ‘Janata Pariwar’, Yadav said at that time itself he had said that he would not sign the “death warrant” of the party.

“Respecting the sentiments of the party workers, SP has decided to go all alone in Bihar Assembly elections,” he said.

The JD-U and Lalu Prasad-led RJD have been alloted 100 seats each while the Congress got 40. The NCP was alloted three seats.

The SP spokesman said Janta Parivar could never come together, but he would not comment as to who was responsible for that.

If required, the SP would take support of some other parties in Bihar, he said.

“President of Bihar unit Ramchandra Yadav is in consultation with some other parties. Names of the candidates will be decided once the process of consultation is over,” he said.

Asked if cracks in Janta Parivar would boost the morale of communal forces, he said, “I wan’t to know from you whether there was division of secular votes in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh and BJP won.”

“Why would we have won the 2012 UP Assembly elections if victory and defeat was based on division. In Bihar there is a contest between secular forces. This is not the logic,” he said.

On being asked about his meeting with the Prime Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah and whether there was any discussion on the case of former Noida chief engineer Yadav Singh, he said, “Why should we have any fear in the Yadav Singh case. An inquiry should be conducted if any person has committed irregularity, and others should also be probed.

You as well as we all know who were the persons Yadav Singh was close to.”

Yadav Singh is accused of amassing illegal wealth.

“The manner in which hurdles are being created in the working of the state government. If such a situation will arise we finally met the President and now the PM. If required we will meet again,” he said.

(Agencies)

Modi makes amends for DNA jibe, says Biharis most intelligent

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Narendra_Modi

Bhagalpur: Under fierce attack for his DNA jibe against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, which has been turned into a major electoral weapon against him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today sought to make amends, calling Biharis the “most intelligent” people.

He also charged Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad with “sacrificing” the legacy of towering socialist leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan by sharing platform with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Addressing the last of BJP’s ‘Parivartan’ rallies in the election-bound state before the poll schedule is announced, Modi launched a blistering attack on his RJD-JD(U) rivals, charging them with spreading the “poison of casteism and communalism” during their 25-year rule.

In the rally billed as the BJP’s counter to the impressive ‘Swabhiman Rally’ of the newly formed ‘Grand Secular Alliance’, which was attended by Sonia Gandhi, besides Kumar, Lalu and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother Shivpal, Modi claimed credit for making development an agenda in the state elections for the first time.

“After 25 years, people of Bihar have decided to vote for development and form a government for development. Nobody can stop this (NDA’s) victory march irrespective of how many parties and leaders come together against us.

“Two days back there was a sacrificial meeting in Gandhi Maidan in which JP, Lohia and Karpuri Thakur were sacrificed. Lohia fought against Congress but his disciples have now betrayed him for their lust for power. They have joined hands with those (Congress) who put JP in jail,” Modi said, asking people to “sacrifice” such people by voting them out.

Modi, facing sustained criticism by Kumar and Lalu for his DNA dig at the Bihar Chief Minister, lavished praise on the people of the state, saying the “most intelligent people live in Bihar”.

The Prime Minister, who had earlier announced a Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for the state, referred to Kumar’s sop of Rs 2.7 lakh crore, and claimed that the Bihar Chief Minister was forced to do so after he made development a major poll plank.

“They ridiculed my package but realised in two-three days that people have seen through their game. So they were forced to announce their own development package. I am very happy that development has become a poll issue in Bihar,” he said.

(PTI)

BJP adamant on contesting 170 seats in Bihar

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bjp-bihar

Bhagalpur: A day after two of its allies said seat sharing in Bihar must conclude within a week, a BJP leader announced on Tuesday that his party will contest 170 of the 243 assembly seats.

“The BJP will contest nearly 170 seats, there is no question of anything less than that,” Ashwani Kumar Choubey, an MP and a former minister, said here.

Choubey was replying to statements from leaders of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) that the BJP must contest only 102 seats and leave the remaining 141 to its three allies.

“There is no one in the country to advise the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi about seat sharing within the NDA,” said Choubey, a votary of Hinduvta politics.

The third BJP ally, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, on Tuesday said the BJP should contest only 122 seats.

“They must distribute the remaining seats among its three allies to defeat the grand alliance of JD-U, RJD and Congress,” HAM leader Brishen Patel said.

Patel asked the LJP and RLSP to “behave gently” to ensure the defeat of the Nitish Kumar-Lalu Prasad combine.

The LJP and the RLSP on Monday expressed unhappiness over the delay in finalisation of seats among the BJP and its allies in the assembly elections.

“We want the seat sharing arrangement to be over and done before the election are announced in the first week of September,” LJP state president Pasupati Kumar Paras said at a press conference also attended by RLSP state presidnet Arun Kumar.

“It will provide enough time for candidates to campaign,” he said.

The LJP and RLSP are unhappy over the BJP slogan – “Abki bar Bhajpa sarkar”.

According to them, it was wrong to raise such a slogan as the next government in the state would be formed by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Paras said the BJP was delaying seat sharing though the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) had announced their seat sharing and virtually given ticket to their candidates.

RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha says his party wants to contest from 67 seats. He said the LJP should get 74 seats.

BJP president Amit Shah announced earlier this year that his party wanted to contest and win 185 of the 243 seats.

The RJD and the JD-U have decided to contest 100 seats each, leaving 40 to the Congress and three to the Nationalist Congress Party.

(Agencies)

Arvind Kejriwal, Nitish Kumar take on Modi

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nitish-kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday extended his support to JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar for upcoming Bihar Assembly elections while also felicitating the latter during Bihar Samman Samaroh in Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar thanked Kejriwal for inviting him at Bihar Samman Samaroh.

“It’s good that people have voted for AAP. Arvind Kejriwal is a right choice for Delhi. 67 out of 70 seats is a surprising mandate. And, AAP got this mandate when PM Modi had said that Delhi’s mood was same as that of nation’s and vice versa. After Delhi has shown its mood, PM Modi is trying hard for Bihar,” said Nitish.

Further, extending his support to Bihar CM, Arvind Kejriwal assured him that he will go to Bihar whenever Nitish will call him.

“Before elections PM Modi says something and post elections something else. Had he announced before during Rewari rally that OROP scheme will take some time to be implemented, he wouldn’t have got votes,” said Kejriwal.

“Two days back we heard PM saying in Bihar 50…60…70 thousand crore. Was he there to sell Bihar? If they (govt) have so much money then PM should first go and implement OROP scheme,” Kejriwal slammed Modi govt on Bihar package.

(Agencies)

Cobrapost film on Bihar Dalit massacres ‘exposes’ BJP links

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Ranveer Sena

New Delhi: Investigative web portal Cobrapost on Tuesday claimed that it has confession on camera of operatives of Ranveer Sena claiming to have been involved in mass murders in Bihar between 1994 and 2000. As many as 144 Dalits were killed in these massacres including several women and children.

The Cobrapost on Tuesday claimed that its journalist K Ashish got the confessions of Ranveer Sena members Chandkeshwar alias Chandreshwar, Pramod Singh, Bhola Singh, Arvind Kumar Singh, Siddhnath Singh and Ravindra Chaudhry by claiming that he was making a movie on the Sena, a disbanded armed group of upper castes in Bihar.

Except Chaudhary, all others were accused in mass murders. “These mass murderers not only reveal how they planned and carried out indiscriminate killings on such scale with precision and ruthlessness of a war machine but also candidly admit who trained them, who armed them, who financed them and who lent them political support, naming some big-time politicians,” Cobrapost said in a statement on Tuesday.

It also said that this was a reason for abrupt dismissal of Justice Amir Das Commission of Inquiry that the state government had set up on December 27, 1997 in the wake of Laxmanpur Bathe massacre as soon as the JDU–BJP alliance came to power in Bihar.

In an interview with Cobrapost, Justice Das (retd) categorically states that he was asked to shut shop because his report could have implicated some prominent politicos for their support to the private army, the webportal claimed.

The alleged confessions of the accused were released on the day PM Narendra Modi announced a financial package for Bihar. Cobrapost also claimed that Ranveer Sena had political patronage of the BJP, a reason for disbanding of Das commission. The investigations also showed that Sena had a diabolical plan of carrying out 50 massacres in as many villages.

(Agencies)

Modi announces Rs.1.25 lakh crore Bihar package

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Modi

Ara: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a Rs.1.25 lakh crore Bihar package to “change the face of Bihar”.

Modi inaugurated a national highway project in Ara town of Bhojpur district and said: “I am announcing a package of Rs.1.25 lakh crore. This package will change the face of Bihar.”

He said Rs.40,000 crore left from an earlier aid to the state will also be given, taking the total amount of central assistance to Rs.1.65 lakh crore.

He promised to “implement the package fully”.

“If we want to solve people’s problems then the only way ahead is development,” Modi said.

He questioned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s anger when he had called Bihar “bimaru” (sick). “They say Bihar is not ‘bimaru’, and then they make demands…,” Modi said.

Modi also said: “I will change the destiny of the country.”

He said the central government was formulating special schemes to empower women and OBCs in the state of Bihar.

He spoke a few lines in Bhojpuri language and greeted the people.

Modi was earlier received at the Patna airport by Governor Ram Nath Kovind and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Modi laid the foundation stone of a four-lane road connecting Patna and Buxar in Ara, the district headquarters of Bhojpur, about 60 km from Patna.

All private schools in Ara were closed on Monday and Tuesday due to restrictions on plying of school buses on several route through the town and for security reasons.

The four-lane highway and other projects were approved by the previous Congress led UPA government.

Modi will later in the day address the Bharatiya Janata Party third parivartan rally in Saharsa district in flood-prone Kosi region.

He has already addressed two election rallies in Muzaffarpur and Gaya ahead of the forthcoming assembly polls.

(Agencies)

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