India News

More than two crore voters in Bihar will decide the fate of 1,066 candidates today across 71 assembly segments in the first phase of elections.

The three-phase election in Bihar that would decide if Nitish Kumar gets a fifth term as the Chief Minister, begins today with voting on 71 of the state's 243 seats. His challenger is RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, whose promise of 10 lakh jobs has proved a huge draw in the backdrop of the lockdown and widespread unemployment. The third factor in this election is Chirag Paswan, the son of the late Lok Janashakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan, whose rebellion against the leadership of Nitish Kumar is suspected to be backed by the BJP. The party, a longtime JD(U) ally, is seen to be developing a distance with Nitish Kumar after ground-level feedback that he is no longer a political asset. The election is being held in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic and the Election Commission has drawn up elaborate safety protocols.

The Supreme Court Tuesday stayed the Bombay High Court order directing the Enforcement Directorate to allow cross examination of five persons by former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi in a case of alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Bihar on Wednesday to campaign for their respective alliances in the high-voltage state assembly polls.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday issued a notice to BJP's Imarti Devi, asking her to explain her stand within 48 hours for calling an unnamed political rival "insane".

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav Tuesday said if voted to power he will raise the upper age limit for all categories of the BPSC aspirants, and also asserted his government will spend 22 per cent of the states budget on education.

A Delhi court on Tuesday summoned the CBI joint director supervising the investigation into a case of alleged corruption involving the roles of two of former directors of the probe agency.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav went into damage control mode Tuesday after his "Babu Saheb" remark triggered criticism, saying while he had used the term to highlight "corruption" of officials under the Nitish Kumar government his rivals were giving it a "casteist spin".

State governments have been urged to take a national approach towards engaging with companies and deciding the criteria for COVID-19 vaccination, the Centre said on Tuesday, asserting that in order to deliver the vaccine to priority groups, there is no problem in terms of resources.

Various farmers' outfits protesting against the new farm laws of the Centre on Tuesday announced a nationwide road blockade on November 5.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday assured that strict action will be taken against the accused who shot dead a 21-year-old student in Ballabhgarh, Faridabad in the state.

Jitan Ram Manjhi has spent the better part of his four-decades-long political career as a leader of parties in power. From the Congress to the undivided Janata Dal, and later its splinter groups - Lalu Yadav's RJD and Nitish Kumar's JDU - he has jumped from one party to another whenever a shift in power took place.

There is some evidence which shows that children who were earlier thought to be protected against coronavirus infection can be "spreaders, rather than super-spreaders", ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said on Tuesday.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday that "Indian culture and Hindu culture" is not "expansionist" and neighbouring countries would never feel threatened by India, but they would not feel the same way about China.

Over 2 crore people in Bihar will today vote to elect their representatives for 71 of the state's 243 assembly constituencies. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United is contesting in 35 seats, while its ally BJP is contesting in 29. Chirag Paswan's LJP, which has emerged as Mr Kumar's biggest rival over the last few months, has fielded candidates in all the 35 seats contested by the JDU. Tejashwi Yadav's RJD is contesting in 42 seats, whereas as its ally Congress is trying its luck in 20 constituencies. Strict anti-Covid measures have been put in place by the Election Commission to prevent transmission of the virus during voting. The fate of several high-profile candidates, including six ministers and a former chief minister, will be decided in the first phase of polling.