PATNA: Voting will be held in 55 seats tomorrow in the penultimate phase of Bihar election, with stakes high for BJP as it had along with its then ally JD(U) bagged majority of seats in last Assembly polls. BJP had won 26 out of 55 seats spread across seven districts of Muzaffarpur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Gopalganj and Siwan in 2010 Assembly polls. Its then ally JD(U) had emerged victorious in 24. RJD had won 2 seats and Independents 3. But the scenario has changed this time. From the grand secular alliance camp, RJD has now fielded candidates in 26 constituencies followed by JD(U) in 21 and Congress 8. From NDA on the other hand, BJP fielded its nominees in 42 seats in this phase, LJP in 5 and Hindustanti Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) in 4 seats each.

A total of 1,46,93,294 electorate will be able to cast vote on 14,139 polling stations on November 1 to elect their representatives from 776 candidates of which 57 are women. On the basis of assessment of security situation, polling will be held from 7 AM to 5 PM in 43 constituencies, while it will be shortened by one hour in 8 seats and voting would end at 3 PM in four seats, Additional Chief Electoral Officer R Lakshamanan said. He put the number of polling stations in LWE (Left Wing Extremist) affected areas at 3043. Altogether 1163 companies (each comprising 100 personnel) of Central Paramilitary Force and state police will be posted to ensure free and fair elections. A total of 38 motor boats will be pressed into services for riverine patrolling tomorrow. Balloting has already completed on 131 seats in the earlier three rounds. After completion of fourth phase, voting would be over in 186 seats. The last phase of polling is scheduled on November 5 on the remaining 57 seats. Counting of votes is on November 8. The fourth phase saw high voltage campaigning with both BJP-led NDA and JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance accusing each other of trying to polarise voters on communal lines. “If BJP loses Bihar elections even by chance, though victory or defeat will happen in Patna, there will be bursting of firecrackers in Pakistan,” BJP chief Amit Shah had said at a rally at Raxual in East Champaran district on Thursday, three days before the fourth phase polling. Rivals JD(U), Congress and RJD saw the comment as an attempt to communalise voters for the next two rounds on 112 seats and approached the Election Commission.

Acting on the complaint, the state Election Office has sought report from District Magistrate of East Champaran and West Champaran on the remark. Lalu Prasad slammed Shah linking the controversy with the pride of the state alleging the remark was an affront on the citizens of Bihar particularly backwards, EBCs, dalits and minorities who are “firmly rooting” for secular alliance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed two rallies at Gopalganj and Muzaffarpur before the campaign ended last evening. Continuing with his earlier attack on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad, the PM again alluded to the alleged “sinister plan” of Nitish and Lalu to carve out 5 per cent quota from OBC, SC and ST to give to a particular community. Prominent personalities whose fate would be decided in this phase are senior minister Ramai Ram (Bochaha, SC seat), Ranju Geeta (Bajpatti) and Manoj Kushwaha (Kudni). Lakshamanan said 191 arms/weapons, 56 explosives, 595 cartridges and 17 bombs were seized. A total of Rs 5.32 crore of unaccounted cash and 1,58,246 litres of illegal liquor valued at Rs 2.90 crore were seized, he said.

New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday criticized Delhi Police, saying it had no business to enter Kerala House. “I strongly condemn Delhi Police raid on Kerala House. I agree with Kerala Chief Minister (Oommen Chandy) that Kerala House is a government establishment and not a private hotel,” Kejriwal tweeted. “Delhi Police had no business to enter Kerala House. It is an attack on (federal) structure. Delhi Police is acting like BJP Sena,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader added. A Kerala House official told IANS that beef curry based on buffalo meat was removed from its menu after police entered the government guest house following a complaint by a little known Hindu group on Monday.

PM Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Buxar.(Photo: ANI) Continuing his tirade against Bihar Chief Minister Nitsh Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called the former chief minister a ‘virus’ which has affected Nitish’s ‘computer’. Also Read | Second Green Revolution will come from Bihar, says PM at Buxar rally Addressing a poll rally in Buxar, 133km from state capital Patna, Modi said that Nitish Kumar has promised to give computers to the youth but he should first arrange for electricity.
“Nitishji said he will distribute computers to the youth. What will they do with it without electricity. Moreover, your computer has been affected by Lalu virus,” Modi said to a huge applause from the crowd. Attacking Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Modi said Congress ruled Bihar for 35 years but did nothing for the state. “Soniaji, Congress ruled Bihar for 35 years, are you not accountable? But they come here and ask for a report from me,” Modi

24 Oct) New Delhi, Oct.24 (ANI): Janata Dal (United) leader K.C Tyagi on Saturday condemned the statement of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who referred to the death of a 15-year-old Dalit boy as a case of suicide, and maintained that Haryana has the highest rate of crime and atrocities against Dalits. “Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has turned the act of atrocities against Dalits into a case of suicide. Haryana is currently the hub of atrocities against ‘Harijans’. I highly condemn the statement of Khattar,” Tyagi told ANI here. Khattar had said that the death of a 15-year-old Dalit boy accused of stealing a pigeon in Gohana is a case of suicide. “No interrogation is going on. The family came to the police station with a complaint and went back home after the matter was resolved,” Khattar told media. The family however has claimed that, Govind, died in police custody and that the police had demanded money for his release. The Haryana Government has

(24 Oct) Uttar Pradesh PWD Minister Azam Khan addresses a function (Photo: PTI) Rampur: Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan today held mobile phones responsible for rape of minors saying misuse of these gadgets by the younger generation has led to an alarming rise in such cases. He also demanded that the Centre should take steps to divert the attention of the younger generation towards constructive activities. “Two-and-a-half-year olds getting raped, why? It’s because of mobile phones. Even in villages people can download things,” he said in an apparent reference to the alleged rape of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl in Delhi last week. “Rape cases have increased due to misuse of mobile phones by the younger generation. They watch dirty films on the mobile phones,” he claimed, adding, “these films show objectionable things.” His remark drew sharp criticism with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeting, “Of course because rape & depravity didn’t exist

With Dadri-like incidents triggering outrage, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said such “small episodes” cannot damage ‘Hindu culture’ and praised the Modi government for ushering in hope and confidence in the country and enhancing India’s standing abroad.

Making his annual ‘Vijayadashami’ speech in Nagpur, Bhagwat said that the primary agenda now is about how to make India a leading nation in the world as ‘expectations have risen’ since Prime Minister Modi’s government has come into power.

Bhagwat hailed Dalit icon B R Ambedkar for making provisions in Constitution to remove social and economic inequality faced by the weaker sections, a reference to the quota system, whose review he had recently suggested that pushed BJP on the backfoot in Bihar polls.

“Small episodes happen. They get exaggerated and presented in a big way… Small incidents keep happening but it does not distort Indian culture, Hindu culture. Since time immemorial, it respects diversity, coordinates among diversities to establish unity… This is Hindutva,” he said.

“Our country has stood as one and will stand as one. The Sangh has been doing the work of keeping the nation one on the basis of Hindutva for the last 90 years,” he said.

Bhagwat added that people are not as apprehensive as before as there is a sense of new hope now. “India is reaching heights that it had not imagined at one point and our image has improved worldwide.”

Stating that India helped Nepal and Maldives in times of disaster as we are expected to lead when there is a crisis, he added, “We are building good relations with other countries and keeping the interest of our country on the forefront.”

“Raavan was a great king, Ram sent Laxman to him to learn how to rule a kingdom. And yet today, we talk about how Ram ruled. Today we want Ram Rajya not Ravan Rajya in India,” he said.

Bhagwat also said that making policy is not enough. It is important to look at the implementation and get feedback. “Society, government and administration need to work in synergy for a continual and long standing change for the nation.

Talking about increasing population, he said, ” We have to look at the population growth; we have to see our capability to feed this population after 50 years. The population needs to be controlled, there should be a single policy for the entire country.

The RSS chief also stressed that the aim should be not just be material growth but spiritual growth.

Nitish Kumar on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring back ‘purane din’ (old days) of the people, as the Bihar chief minister hit back at the BJP, which blamed him for the rising prices of pulses, and asked why states ruled by it also had the same rates.

“I feel like laughing at Union ministers blaming me for skyrocketing prices of pulses. If it was so, the price of pulses should have been Rs 200 per kg only in Bihar.”

“Why it is selling at Rs 200 per kg in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh?” Kumar wondered addressing an election rally at Nalanda, his home district, in favour of minister Shrawan Kumar.

Union Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and Food minister Ramvilas Paswan today addressed a press conference and blamed Kumar for hike in prices of pulses.

In a bid to present Centre’s stand on the price rise, the two ministers blamed Kumar for decline in production of pulses in Bihar in recent years and also the state government’s failure to utilise “price stabilisation fund.” “Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi and West Bengal which used the ‘Price Stabilisation Fund’, are selling pulses at Rs 120 to Rs 130 per kg through retail outlets,” Singh said.

Slamming Narendra Modi government for “skyrocketing” price of pulses, Kumar sarcastically asked the Prime Minister to “keep your ‘achche din’ with you and return people their ‘purane din’ (old days).”

Seeking to make escalating rate of pulses a poll issue in Bihar, Kumar said pulses called “poor man’s meat” has vanished from plate of common man.

Kumar, who has been declared as the face of grand alliance in the Bihar poll, also raked up issue of ‘Bihari’ and ‘Bahri’ (outsider) against NDA, which is fighting the elections in the name of Modi, and exhorted people to “bid goodbye to outsiders as people have a better choice in him as a Bihari.”

Justifying the act of splattering ink on Jammu and Kashmir MLA Engineer Rashid, the founder of the Hindu Sena, Vishnu Gupta, said his organisation works on the agenda of establishing a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, and anyone who opposes it, would not be spared.

“The Hindu Sena, founded in 2011, works on the agenda of the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra in the nation, the construction of the Ram Mandir and the abolishment of Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir etc,” Vishnu Gupta told ANI.

Having its headquarters in New Delhi, the organisation claims to have numerous units in at least seven states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Assam, Manipur and New Delhi.

Around 50,000 people are online connected to the organisation and we have around 10,000 workers in the field,” he added.

Vishnu Gupta, who started as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, said he had also worked for the Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena (BSKS), but left it in 2012.

“I had protested against writer-activist Arundhati Roy after she had expressed her views on Kashmir in her address at the Indian Habitat Centre in 2011. However, the BJP had not supported us and that’s when I left BSKS. I had also worked with the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, which is the student wing of Shiv Sena. But in 2010, I had resigned from it, because I was against their ideology of attacking North Indians in Maharashtra,” he added.

Gupta said the Hindu Sena, founded in 2011, was registered this year, and has the registration number DL-10 August2015/1720.

On 8 January 2014, the Hindu Sena along with the Sri Ram Sena and the Bajrang Dal attacked the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Kaushambi office after warning Arvind Kejriwal to expel senior AAP leader Prashant Bhushan over latter’s controversial remarks on the contentious Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the Kashmir Valley. Bhushan had called for a referendum as a likely medium to gauge whether AFSPA was indeed needed in valley.

The organisation had also held a protest outside The Indian Express office on January 6, 2014, against what they called its “anti-national” coverage of the Pakistani boat incident.

“The reportage of January 3 edition of The Indian Express says the occupants of the Pakistani vessel were not terrorists. This is like speaking the language of Pakistan,” said Gupta.