Latest news with #Mahagathbandhan
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
'Keeping Option Open': Tejashwi Yadav Again Warns Of Poll Boycott Amid Bihar SIR Row
Last Updated: Questioning the credibility of the Bihar polls, Tejashwi Yadav warned that the Mahagathbandhan may boycott the Bihar elections if the voter roll revision exercise isn't stopped. Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday reiterated that the parties in the Mahagathbandhan could boycott the upcoming elections in Bihar if the Election Commission's voter roll revision in Bihar was not stopped. 'We are keeping the option of boycotting Bihar assembly polls open," RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, on the Special Intensive Revision row. 'When the winner in the election is already fixed, what is the use of conducting such an election?" he asked. 'Booth-level officers are putting their own signatures and thumb impressions, on behalf of voters, on enumeration forms. Blank forms are being used like waste paper," he alleged. 'Independent journalists who point out these anomalies are getting slapped with FIRs. And the government is okay with all this because the EC is acting like a political tool of the ruling dispensation," Yadav alleged. On a question of him speaking to the other leaders, Tejashwi said, 'We will speak to all leaders under the Mahagathbandhan." On Wednesday, too, Tejashwi Yadav had threatened to boycott the Bihar elections if the SIR exercise was not stopped. The same day, a high drama had unfolded in the Bihar Assembly after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's intervention during Yadav's statement on the SIR triggered a heated exchange. The situation escalated, prompting Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav to adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm, barely 30 minutes after the House had convened at 11 am. The Speaker expressed disgust over the conduct of many opposition members, who used unparliamentary language, as also those on the ruling side, who refused to back down despite repeated requests. Tejashwi Yadav, who was wearing a black T-shirt as a mark of protest against the Election Commission's exercise in the state, was allowed by the Speaker to make a statement on the issue, which had evoked protests both inside and outside the House on Tuesday. BIHAR SIR AND THE PROTESTS During house-to-house visits in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, poll officials have so far found that more than 52 lakh voters were not present at their addresses, and another 18 lakh have died, according to the Election Commission. Opposition parties have claimed that the EC exercise will disenfranchise crores of eligible citizens. The RJD has also moved the Supreme Court against the voter roll revision in Bihar. Opposition members, who have been turning up at the state assembly for the past couple of days dressed in black as a mark of protest against the SIR, were allowed to make statements by the Speaker on Thursday. A couple of ministers also took part in the discussion. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Bihar Assembly uproar continues on 4th day over voter list revision issue
Patna: The fourth day of the Monsoon Session of the Bihar Assembly began with continued uproar by opposition MLAs, who are demanding a special discussion in the House on the ongoing voter list revision (SIR) in the state. Mahagathbandhan MLAs arrived wearing black clothes, raising slogans inside and outside the Assembly, protesting alleged irregularities in the voter list revision. The opposition alleges that the Election Commission of India, in collusion with the government, is conspiring to remove the names of the poor and disadvantaged voters from the voter list, impacting the upcoming elections. The issue has now escalated to the High Court and the Supreme Court. The opposition leaders reiterated that the House proceedings will not continue until there is a dedicated discussion on SIR, demanding the withdrawal of the current voter list revision campaign. Due to the continuous ruckus, question hour and member queries have not been addressed for the last two days, preventing public issues from being raised. If protests continue for the day inside the House, questions from various departments listed for discussion may also remain unanswered. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister cum Finance Minister Samrat Chaudhary, who had presented the supplementary budget on July 21, said it will be discussed on the day. The Social Welfare Department's budget -- which has received the highest allocation in the supplementary budget -- is scheduled for detailed discussion. On July 21, Samrat Choudhary had presented a supplementary budget exceeding Rs 57,946 crore in the Assembly. The state government will also present the CAG report in the House. The voter list revision ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections has become a flashpoint between the ruling NDA and the opposition Mahagathbandhan. While the government maintains that the revision process is necessary for fair elections, the opposition claims that the process is flawed, poorly timed during the rainy and farming season, and threatens to disenfranchise the poor and migrant voters.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
‘Bihar's Dalit Kidhar', survey highlights State's changing political pulse
New Delhi In a landmark exercise of participatory research, Bihar witnessed its largest Dalit-focused political survey conducted entirely by Dalit activists themselves. The initiative was jointly led by the National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) and The Convergent Media (TCM), who released the findings in Patna on Wednesday. The study, titled 'Bihar: Dalit Kidhar', offers deep insights into the political inclinations, social concerns, and leadership preferences within Bihar's Dalit communities. The massive survey covered 18,581 respondents across 49 Assembly constituencies, including 11 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC). The geographical spread encompassed six key regions of the state—Kosi, Mithilanchal, Seemanchal, Bhojpur, Champaran, and Magadh-Patliputra. A team of 98 trained Dalit youth carried out the fieldwork between June 10 and July 4, 2025, following four residential training workshops held in Patna, Begusarai, and Darbhanga. Among the most striking political findings, the Mahagathbandhan emerged as the leading alliance with 46.13% support among Dalit respondents, significantly ahead of the NDA's 31.93%. The alliance registered overwhelming dominance in regions like Kosi (72.33%) and Bhojpur (53.75%), while NDA held sway in Seemanchal with 42.57%. The survey indicated a visible decline in Nitish Kumar's support base among Dalits, particularly among Mahadalits. Dusadhs, a major Dalit sub-caste—showed the least backing for him at just 18.79%, with other Mahadalit groups offering between 20 to 33% support. In contrast, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav topped the popularity chart with 28.83% Dalit support, followed closely by LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan at 25.88% and Nitish Kumar at 22.80%. Unemployment emerged as the most pressing concern for Bihar's Dalit population, cited by 58.85% of respondents. The issue was particularly acute in the Kosi (80.51%) and Bhojpur (61.42%) regions. Other key concerns included access to education and healthcare (14.67%) and corruption (11.21%). National-level leadership preferences also saw a surprising trend: Prime Minister Narendra Modi led with 47.51% popularity among Dalit respondents, but Congress leader Rahul Gandhi trailed closely at 40.30%—a notable figure considering Congress's limited organisational presence in the state. Legacy leaders still hold significant sway in Dalit consciousness. Ram Vilas Paswan remains the most revered figure, with 52.35% naming him as the most influential Dalit leader, particularly among Dusadhs (65.37%) and smaller sub-castes (68.36%). Babu Jagjivan Ram retained popularity among Ravidas/Chamar groups, with 47.87% support. When it came to the recent caste census initiative, 58.38% of respondents credited the Mahagathbandhan. Rahul Gandhi (30.81%) and Tejashwi Yadav (27.57%) were appreciated for their roles, while 33.15% credited Narendra Modi.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Bihar does not take him seriously': BJP mocks Tejashwi's 'poll boycott' threat; calls it to 'nervousness'
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party ( ) on Thursday slammed RJD leader 's call for a possible "poll boycott", interpreting it as a sign of the Mahagathbandhan's nervousness about potential defeat in the upcoming . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a post on X, the BJP said Tejashwi is desperately looking for a way to avoid facing the electorate. "Facing the prospect of defeat, Tejashwi Yadav is desperately searching for a way to boycott the elections. There are serious reasons behind Tejashwi's despair," the party said. The BJP claimed that Tejashwi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had expected widespread public support in their opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, but were left isolated. "In Bihar, Tejashwi and Rahul expected massive public support in their opposition to the voter revision process. However, not a single voter in Bihar stood with them. Voters enthusiastically participated in the SIR process," the party said. "It is clear, therefore, that Bihar's voters have outright rejected Tejashwi's opposition to SIR. Over 98% of voter data has been included in the process. After being rejected by Bihar's voters, Tejashwi has privately realised that Bihar does not take him seriously at all. Hence, out of nervousness about an impending defeat in the elections, he has now started talking about boycotting the elections." it added. Calling Tejashwi's stance 'dangerous,' the BJP also alleged that his words were a direct attack on public opinion. "Tejashwi's intention is even more dangerous — this is a direct attack on public opinion. No party in a democracy talks about boycotting elections. In the past, slogans of boycott were raised by Naxalites and Maoists. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But now, Tejashwi has openly expressed his intent to follow that path. This is extremely dangerous. In the despair of defeat, venting frustration against the public and attacking public opinion — Bihar will not tolerate this," the BJP said. Tejashwi had earlier suggested that the Mahagathbandhan might consider boycotting the upcoming assembly elections, citing alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's special revision of electoral rolls. 'That too can be discussed. We will see what the people want and what everyone's opinion is,' Yadav told IANS, when asked if a poll boycott was on the table. According to the Election Commission, 98.01% of voters in Bihar have been covered under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as of July 23. Officials said the process has so far identified nearly 20 lakh deceased voters, 28 lakh individuals who have permanently migrated, 7 lakh voters enrolled in multiple locations, 1 lakh untraceable voters, and around 15 lakh unreturned voter forms. The EC also noted that 7.17 crore voter forms — roughly 90.89% of the total — have been received and digitised. This is the first such revision in Bihar in 22 years. According to EC, the aim of the SIR is to clean up the electoral rolls by removing ineligible, duplicate, or non-existent entries, while ensuring all eligible citizens are included.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Can be discussed': Tejashwi Yadav on possibility of Bihar election boycott over SIR exercise; says 'will see what the people want'
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday hinted that the opposition Mahagathbandhan might consider boycotting the upcoming Bihar assembly elections , accusing the ruling NDA of manipulating the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. 'That too can be discussed. We will see what the people want and what everyone's opinion is,' Yadav told IANS when asked if a poll boycott was on the table. The remark came amid uproar in the Bihar Assembly, where RJD and other opposition MLAs demanded a full debate on the SIR process. 'Bihar is the cradle of democracy, and attempts are being made to strangle it,' Yadav said, accusing chief minister Nitish Kumar of suppressing discussion on the issue. Echoing Rahul Gandhi's recent claims of electoral manipulation, Yadav alleged that in some states, dozens of voters were listed under the same BJP worker's address. He warned of similar tactics being deployed in Bihar through the SIR process. Despite the ongoing political tensions, Yadav confirmed that the INDIA bloc has finalised its seat-sharing formula and leadership structure for the Bihar elections. 'An announcement will be made soon,' he said.
