BJP, Congress eye bigger share of seats in Magadh region
Gaya: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting in Bodh Gaya on Aug 22 and the positive response to Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in the Magadh division, the bargaining position of both national parties has improved within their respective alliances. Political observers said in the 2020 assembly elections, both parties played second fiddle in NDA and Mahagathbandhan, respectively. In 2020, JD(U) led the NDA in Magadh by contesting 11 of the 26 seats, while the BJP fielded candidates in 10. BJP secured three of these 10 seats in four districts of the division but did not contest in Jahanabad. JD(U), however, failed to win any of the 11 seats it contested in Magadh. Even in Ghosi, long considered Jagdish Sharma’s stronghold, his son Rahul suffered a decisive defeat to CPI(ML) candidate Ram Bali Yadav, who had been seen as an underdog throughout the campaign. In Rafiganj, JD(U) candidate Ashok Kumar Singh slipped to third place. Within the NDA, HAM(S) emerged as the most successful with Jitan Ram Manjhi’s party winning three of the five seats it contested in Gaya, Jahanabad and Aurangabad. In the Mahagathbandhan camp, CPI(ML) achieved a perfect strike rate by winning both Ghosi and Arwal. Congress secured three of the seven seats it contested. Over the past five years, and particularly in recent months, political fortunes in the region have shifted. Gaya district BJP chief Prem Prakash argued that BJP’s growing strength must be reflected in seat-sharing. “BJP was much stronger now and this strength must be reflected in the distribution of seats based on the winnability of the candidates. Moreover, unlike other parties inside and outside the alliance, BJP has got a leader like Prem Kumar, the undisputed EBC leader of Bihar,” said Prakash. In 2015, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Shah Nawaz Hussain, while addressing an election rally in Gaya, had presented Kumar as BJP’s potential CM face. Congress functionaries also believe their position warrants a larger share of seats. Vijay Kumar Mithu, former AICC member, said, “Based on traction, Congress definitely deserves more than the seven seats it contested in 2020. The party would demand at least one more SC seat as it has significantly strengthened itself in recent times and though it has become more popular in all social groups, its footprint was most pronounced among the Dalits and EBCs.” Ali Hussain, principal of a Gaya-based college and a political science teacher for nearly two decades, observed that the rival coalitions would eventually need to adjust. “Sooner or later, the rival coalitions will have to recalibrate their strategy in view of the ground realities,” he added. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to tour flood-hit border districts of Punjab
Chandigarh: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit flood-affected areas in Punjab on Monday. He will land in Amritsar on a chartered flight in the morning and will take a return flight on the same plane from Pathankot after visiting flood-affected areas in border districts, an official said. As per his schedule, the Raebareli MP is set to go to flood-affected Ghonewal, Ajnala, Gurchak, and Makoura before heading to Pathankot. Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said Gandhi had always batted for the interests of farmers, raising their issues and slamming the BJP-led Centre govt for favouring corporates. “Now that floodwaters have receded, it is an appropriate time for him (Rahul Gandhi) to have a first-person account of the damage suffered by farmers. He will meet flood-affected farmers and people, and his visit is expected to force the govt to give immediate and adequate relief to farmers,” Warring said. Warring reiterated that the Rs 1,600-crore financial assistance announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Punjab was “peanuts” and that “so far not even a rupee has been given from the promised amount”. Leader of opposition and Congress MLA from Qadian, Partap Singh Bajwa, too said the visit was expected to force both govts, in the state and at the Centre, to “take the rehabilitation of flood-affected people seriously”. “We would request him (Rahul Gandhi) to take up the matter with the PM and tell him to rethink the relief amount as it is meagre. We would also urge him to get clarity from the PM on disaster funds as the PM said Rs 12,000 crore was lying with Punjab, the state govt said it received Rs 1m500 crore, and the CAG report mentioned that by March 31, 2023, Punjab had Rs ,9041 crore in disaster funds,” Bajwa said. He added Gandhi would visit flood-affected areas in assembly constituencies of Dera Baba Nanak, Ajnala, and Dinanagar. Union minister of state for railways and food processing industries Ravneet Bittu, in a post in Punjabi, took a dig at Rahul Gandhi’s recent foreign visit. “When the elections for Vice-President were happening, you were busy enjoying your holidays. And when Punjab was drowning and people were crying, you were living it up in Malaysia!” In an apparent reference to the Congress leader’s scheduled visit to Punjab on Monday, Bittu said in the post, “These visits don’t seem to be about alleviating people’s pain but rather for staging political drama.” Bittu to Gandhi: ‘What breed of horse are you?’ Union minister of state for railways and food processing industries Ravneet Bittu termed visit “political drama”. In a post on X, Bittu said, “It is said that Rahul Gandhi ji is coming to Punjab! Rahul often says that Congress has all kinds of horses – racehorses, wedding horses, even lame horses. But Rahul ji, can you or your party leaders, especially the leaders of Punjab, tell the people what breed of horse you are?” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Varansi News: Will Rahul Gandhi explode hydrogen bomb in Varanasi, on the same day Modi will donate his mother’s pind in Gaya ji
Rahul Gandhi News: Modi is going to donate his mother’s pind in Gaya ji, Bihar. On the same day Rahul Gandhi is coming to explode hydrogen bomb in Prime Minister Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi. There is a lot of discussion about this. Abhishek Kumar Jha, Varanasi: Rahul Gandhi’s statement on hydrogen bomb is being discussed a lot. In a media byte, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi had targeted the entire election process and talked about hydrogen bomb. With the data of a Lok Sabha constituency of Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi had said that if there was no theft in the elections, the government would not have been formed. Meanwhile, amid the sound of Bihar elections, PM Narendra Modi will donate his mother’s pind in Gaya ji According to the information received by NBT Online on the same day, Rahul Gandhi will explode hydrogen bomb in PM’s parliamentary constituency. 17 September is when PM Modi will donate his mother’s pind. At the same time, Rahul Gandhi will be raising questions about Modi’s election process in his parliamentary constituency. Screening of 1600 houses, more than 500 names on one house NBT Online has received information that Rahul Gandhi will hold a press conference with a list of more than 1600 houses. In this press conference, Rahul Gandhi will be accompanied by Ajay Rai, the state president of Congress and the candidate of the Grand Alliance in the Lok Sabha. In the press conference, Rahul Gandhi will release a list of about 1600 houses, where the number of voters will be unusually high. This will also include such houses or residential addresses, where there will be more than 500 voters. Not only this, the addresses of PM Modi’s old parliamentary office are also included. NBT Online has received information that Rahul Gandhi will reach Varanasi late in the evening of the 16th for this press conference. PM will be offering Pind Daan to Maa Heera Ben in Gaya Ji However, there is no official information yet as to what time PM Modi will reach Gaya Ji and offer Pind Daan to Maa Heera Ben, but on the same day, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi can start a campaign to damage PM Modi’s Bihar election campaign. According to the information, PM Modi is going to Gaya ji for the Pind Daan of his mother Hira Ben. After this news, AI generated videos have also been circulated as a taunt from the social media handles of opposition parties, especially Congress. Politics has started on the Pind Daan program of a son for his mother. Edited by: Vivek Mishra About the author Vivek Mishra is a senior digital content producer at Navbharat Times. His focus remains on the news of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Apart from this, he keeps writing opinion and political analysis. Birthplace is Barabanki and work place has been many cities of three states. Started career in print media in 2013. Has worked on sports for one and a half years in Madhya Pradesh Jansandesh. Has worked in hyper local in Patrika, Hindustan, Amar Ujala. Apart from this, he has worked for one and a half years in Dainik Jagran Noida in Delhi, and one year in Noida-Ghaziabad. Has been working with Navbharat Times since December 2020. Courtesy : Hindi News
BRS secretly aligning with BJP, says TPCC chief
Hyderabad: Telangana Congress president and MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud on Saturday accused BRS working president KT Rama Rao of attacking Rahul Gandhi merely to appease BJP leaders in Delhi, aiming to shield his party’s top brass from a CBI probe in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project case. “KTR doesn’t have the stature to question Rahul Gandhi. How can he involve AICC leaders in the turncoat MLAs issue when the Speaker decides the matter? BRS’s secret deal with the BJP is clear after they refused to support the INDIA bloc’s vice-presidential candidate, Justice B Sudershan Reddy, indirectly backing the NDA candidate,” Mahesh Goud alleged. He recalled that K Kavitha, daughter of former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, had accused KTR and T Harish Rao of planning to merge BRS with BJP, blaming them for corruption in the Kaleshwaram project. “KTR should clarify these allegations. His meetings with PM Modi in the past cannot be used to question Congress MLAs meeting CM Revanth for development. Telangana’s people now see BRS’s psychological merger with the BJP,” he said. He further accused BJP Union ministers, G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay, of staying silent after demanding a CBI probe, suspecting them of shielding the KCR family. “The CBI hasn’t even begun the investigation. Is a formal BRS-BJP merger in the works?” he questioned. On notices issued to party leader Kota Neelima, he alleged the Election Commission acted under BJP pressure and promised legal action to support her. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Good he is going’: Rahul Gandhi welcomes PM Modi’s upcoming Manipur visit; brings focus back on ‘vote chori’
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Manipur. However, he added that the larger concern in the country was “vote chori” which still needs to be addressed. Speaking to reporters, Gandhi said: “The issue in Manipur has been ongoing for a long time. It is good that he is going there now. But the main issue in the country is that of ‘Vote Chori’.” The leader of opposition alleged that the election mandates in Haryana and Maharashtra had been “stolen,” adding that people across the country were calling the prime minister a “vote chor.” — ANI (@ANI) Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit both Mizoram and Manipur on September 13. This will be his first trip to Manipur since ethnic clashes broke out between the Kuki and Meitei communities in May 2023. The violence, which has claimed more than 260 lives, displaced thousands of families, and destroyed homes and businesses. It led to the imposition of President’s Rule in the state in February this year following the resignation of chief minister N Biren Singh. According to officials, PM Modi will inaugurate and launch development projects worth Rs 8,500 crore during the visit. His itinerary includes programmes in Churachandpur and Imphal, symbolic centres of the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities. He is expected to meet displaced families and announce rehabilitation packages. Analysts say the dual engagement is being seen as an attempt to strike a balance between the two communities and signal neutrality in the ongoing humanitarian and political crisis. The prime minister is also scheduled to address a gathering at Kangla Fort in Imphal. His visit comes amid continuing uncertainty in the state, where thousands of displaced families are still struggling to rebuild their lives. The Mizoram Chief Minister’s Office confirmed on X the Prime Minister’s visit. It said the state was “fully prepared to receive the Hon’ble Prime Minister” and that the people were “eagerly looking forward” to it. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Kashi court agrees to hear plaint against Sonia, Rahul over remarks on PM Modi, his mom
Varanasi: The special MP/MLA court of additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM), Varanasi, has agreed to hear a criminal complaint in connection with the alleged hate speech at a Congress rally in Bihar where objectionable comments were made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his mother. The court admitted the plea moved by Shashank Shekhar Tripathi — an advocate and convener of BJP’s legal cell in the Kashi region — under section 223 of BNS, and will hear the parties concerned on Sept 17 to decide the maintainability of the case. Tripathi said that this complaint has been filed against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and the party’s official social media platforms. The complaint alleged that during a Congress-RJD rally in Darbhanga, Bihar, offensive and derogatory slogans were chanted against PM Modi and his late mother. Objectionable and inflammatory posts were also shared from Congress’s official social media platforms, attempting to tarnish the image of the PM, central govt, and constitutional institutions. Such conduct has raised concerns about social tension, enmity, and disturbance of peace, the complaint added. Tripathi said that continuous insults, baseless accusations, and inflammatory propaganda against the PM and constitutional institutions are merely conspiracies to weaken democracy. “The court’s acceptance of our complaint and initiation of proceedings is a significant step towards restoring the dignity of democratic institutions,” he said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
‘Permission leni chahiye thi’ moment at UP meet: Rahul Gandhi, BJP minister engage in heated argument
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh engaged in a heated argument during a meeting in Raebareli. The video of the Thursday-incident has gone viral on social media where Rahul could be seen asking Singh to take permission of the chair before speaking. “I am chairing this meeting. If you have something to say, ask first, and then I will give you a chance to speak,” Rahul said during the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meet. Reacting to the incident later, Singh criticised Rahul saying that the Raebareli MP “comes across as an owner” of the meet instead of the chair, which, he said was “not acceptable” to him. “In the DISHA meeting, the MP is the chair of the meeting of the constituency. As per the guidelines rural development department, implementation, supervising of 43 programmes is his responsibility. When Rahul Gandhi comes, he comes across as an owner, which was not acceptable to me. You will see myself supporting Rahul Gandhi when he does service to the people of Raebareli, but when he uses the platform to criticise the government, then I will be standing against him. I was expecting him to speak about DISHA meeting. Hence, I opposed,” he said. “The chief minister should take note of such conduct. What message does it send about cabinet discipline?” he told PTI. Singh, a legislative council member from Raebareli was formerly a Congress leader. He joined BJP workers in a protest against Gandhi, demanding his apology over alleged abusive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother during Bihar rally. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Why did Rahul Gandhi not attend the Vice President’s oath ceremony? Congress gave Dhankhar’s answer
A political controversy has erupted over Rahul Gandhi’s absence at CP Radhakrishnan’s swearing-in ceremony as Vice President. Responding to BJP’s questions on this issue, the Congress said that the issue is not Rahul Gandhi’s presence, but the presence of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who finally got permission to speak. New Delhi: CP Radhakrishnan took oath as the 15th Vice President of the country on Friday. During this, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was absent, due to which a political uproar has erupted. While BJP is raising questions on one hand, on the other hand, Congress has now responded. Congress said, the issue is not whether Rahul Gandhi was there or not. The issue is that Dhankhar was present there. Finally he got permission to leave his house and come out. What did Pawan Khera say on Rahul Gandhi not attending the swearing-in ceremony Regarding Rahul Gandhi’s absence from CP Radhakrishnan’s swearing-in ceremony, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, the issue is not whether Rahul Gandhi was there or not. The issue is that Dhankhar was present there. After all, he has got permission to leave his house and come out. He questioned, when will Jagdeep Dhankhar be allowed to speak? This is our question. Jagdeep Dhankhar had arrived at the swearing-in ceremony Many leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu were present at Radhakrishnan’s swearing-in ceremony. Former Vice Presidents Hamid Ansari and Venkaiah Naidu also attended the ceremony. Dhankhar also attended the swearing-in ceremony. He was seen in public for the first time after resigning from the post of Vice President. Curated by: Abhishek Pandey About the author Abhishek Pandey is currently a consultant writer at Navbharat Times Online. He has more than three years of experience working on news related to current affairs, politics, crime and public concern. Along with this, he has closely covered the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2022, Lok Sabha elections 2024. Courtesy: Hindi News
‘Congress has sworn to insult her’: BJP on AI video of PM Modi’s mother; blames Rahul Gandhi’s ‘arrogance’
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday slammed the Congress over an AI-generated video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother Heeraben, accusing the party of taking a vow to “repeatedly insult” her. The clip was posted by the Bihar unit of the Congress. “The Congress has sworn to repeatedly insult the late mother of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji. When they found nothing, they showed his mother in a fake video, making her say words that are a complete insult to her,” the Bihar BJP posted on X, alleging that such videos were being circulated at the behest of “arrogant” and “anarchic” Rahul Gandhi. The clip, shared on Wednesday, begins with an AI version of PM Modi going to sleep after declaring that the day’s “vote chori” (vote theft) is done. He then dreams of his mother, and the AI version of Heeraben appears. “First you forced me to stand in long queues during demonetisation and made a reel of washing my feet. Now you are doing politics in Bihar in my name. You are getting banners of my ‘insult’ printed. You are again doing drama in Bihar. How low will you stoop?” she asks, before “PM Modi” hurriedly wakes up. Gandhi has repeatedly accused the Election Commission of indulging in “vote chori” to benefit the BJP — a charge the poll body has firmly denied. This comes days after the prime minister was abused during a Congress-RJD rally in the poll-bound state, with his mother being mentioned. He hit back soon after, calling the remarks an insult not only to him but to “every mother, sister, and daughter of the country,” adding that the people of Bihar shared his anguish. Heeraben Modi passed away in December 2022 at the age of 99. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Cong doesn’t rule out TMC alliance for 2026 elections
Kolkata: Congress on Thursday did not rule out a possible tie-up with Trinamool for the 2026 Bengal assembly polls. While the Congress high command left the question of an “alliance” to the opinion of state netas and “ground realities”, it said Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would be part of the election campaign. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal held a meeting with Pradesh Congress netas to assess the party’s strength in the districts. “The issue of a possible alliance will be discussed in Pradesh Congress first. They will assess the political situation and come forward with a solution. The party high command will take a call at that point in time,” Venugopal said. During the two-hour meeting with Congress’s Bengal minder Ghulam Ahmed Mir, state president Subhankar Sarkar, Malda South MP Isha Khan Chowdhury and seniors like Adhir Chowdhury and Deepa Dasmunshi, Venugopal listened patiently to diverging opinions. Congress, which secured 44 seats in the 2016 assembly polls, was reduced to zero in 2021. Its vote share in Bengal declined from 12% to 3% during this period. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress’s seats were reduced from four to two. In both the assembly polls, Congress was in alliance with the Left Front. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, its seat tally was further reduced to one, and the party was able to retain only the Malda Dakshin seat. However, its vote share increased marginally by a little more than 4.5%. “The Congress high command wants the state unit to consolidate its strengths first. We will leverage that and decide the number of seats the party wants to contest,” a Pradesh Congress neta said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights