RJD's Tejashwi Yadav to be opposition's Chief Ministerial candidate in Bihar elections

20:04 October 03

Vikassheel Insaan Party unhappy with seat allocation, walks out of joint presser

The opposition Mahagathbandhan on Saturday announced its seat-sharing for Bihar elections with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as its leader but differences cropped up as Vikassheel Insaan Party leader Mukesh Sahani expressed dissatisfaction with the seat allocation and walked out of the joint press conference.

In fact, Mukesh asserted that the Deputy Chief Minister's chair has assured him of providing 25 seats and now they are cheating us.  

"Tomorrow, at 11 am, I will hold a press conference, in which the announcement of the new alliance would be addressed", said Mukesh.

19:38 October 03

LJP parliamentary board meeting Postponed, JD(U), BJP wait for Chirag's next move

LJP parliamentary board meeting Postponed, JD(U), BJP wait for Chirag's next move

Meeting of the LJP Parliamentary Board to be held in Delhi has been cancelled after the health condition of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan deteriorates.

His son and party's national president Chirag Paswan left for the hospital to see his ailing father.

Ram Vilas Paswan has been admitted to Escorts Hospital in Delhi since last month after experiencing breathing problem.

It is speculated that Chirag is likely to make an announcement for LJP's future on Sunday where he might also release the first list of candidates of his party.

On the other hand, LJP is likely to contest elections on its own after failing to strike a seat-sharing deal with the BJP and NDA. The talks with NDA seems to have reached a dead-end.

On Friday, several posters were seen in Patna with the slogan 'Modi se bair nahi, Nitish teri khair nahi' (No issues with Modi, but Nitish, you are done) in a bid to target the CM.

Also, Chirag Paswan shared a photo with PM Modi saying that Bihar First, Bihari First Vision Document 2020 has been prepared.

Praising PM Modi, Chirag Paswan said, 'I am proud that I got an opportunity to work as an MP with such a Prime Minister, for whose efficient leadership he is known all over the world. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, waved India's glory all over the world.'

17:40 October 03

RJD's Tejashwi Yadav to be opposition's Chief Ministerial candidate in Bihar elections

Patna: Patna: A multi-party Grand Alliance took shape here ahead of the Bihar assembly polls on Saturday, notwithstanding a minor fissure, with Rashtriya Janata Dals Tejashwi Yadav being backed unanimously as the face of the coalition and the party ending up with a lions share of the seats.

Announcing the seat-sharing formula in presence of leaders of Congress, CPI(ML), CPI and CPI(M), Yadav said his party will accommodate old alliance partner Vikashheel Insaan Party (VIP) and JMM its ally in adjoining Jharkhand from its quota of 144 seats in the 243-strong assembly.

Among other allies, Congress has been given 70 seats, nearly twice as many as it had contested in the 2015 assembly polls in alliance with the RJD and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U). The Congress will also be fielding its candidate in Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat where by-poll will be held on November 07.

Among the Left parties, the CPI(ML) has been given 19 seats, followed by CPI (six) and CPI(M).

Yadav vowed to dislodge the government headed by Nitish Kumar, whom Congress leader Avinash Pandey in his address accused of 'apharan' (hijacking) of the mandate in the previous elections.

The JD(U) chief had fought 2015 elections opposing the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi but ended up re-aligning with the saffron party, Pandey said.

The disjointed formation, however, continued to be in disarray as VIP president Mukesh Sahni a Bollywood set designer-turned-politician announced soon after the press conference that he was quitting the grand alliance since he did not get 'a respectable offer'.

The Election Commission announced that Bihar Assembly elections will be held in three phases -- October 28, November 3, and November 7. The counting of votes will take place on November 10.

In 2015 Bihar Assembly elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) emerged as the largest party by winning 80 seats while the ruling Janata Dal-United won 71 seats and the Congress won 27. The BJP managed to win 53 seats, followed by two seats by the LJP and one seat by Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular, others won 10 seats in the state.

The BJP despite winning only 53 seats got the maximum percentage of vote share with 24 per cent, followed by the RJD with 18 per cent and JD-U at 17 per cent. The Congress managed to get seven per cent vote share and LJP got around 4.8 per cent vote share.