Latest news with #TejaswiYadav
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
'Should EC Allow Dead Voters On List': CEC Gyanesh Kumar Amid Opposition Protest On Bihar SIR
Last Updated: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar defended the SIR voter list cleanup in Bihar, questioning objections to removing dead, duplicate, or untraceable voters. Amid continued protests by the Opposition the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar defended the exercise and asked if the Election Commission should allow dead voters to feature on the voter list. Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, the CEC also asked if people with duplicate Elector Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) and foreigners should be allowed to be featured on the voter list. 'Should the Election Commission allow dead voters to be on the voter list?" he asked. 'Should people with duplicate EPICs be allowed? Should foreigners be allowed on the voter list? What is the objection about?" the CEC said, emphasising that a sacrosanct voter list is the foundation of a successful democracy. The strong defence of SIR came on a day when RJD , Congress lead opposition parties alleged that more than 50 lakh voters stand to be disenfranchised after the SIR exercise. ECI in it's statement on Wednesday said that 56 lakh voters have been found ineligible. 20 lakh deceased, 28 lakh voters who have moved out of Bihar, 7 lakh voters registered in 2 places and 1 lakh who can't be traced. At some point or the other, we all and all the citizens of India must think deeply about these questions together, going beyond political ideologies." CEC Gyanesh Kumar said. Tejaswi Yadav on Wednesday had threatened to boycott elections if the SIR exercise was not stopped. When asked by news agency IANS about boycott , Tejaswi said, " will see what people want and what our allies say. If the state polls are conducted in a partial and manipulative manner where it is already decided who would win what number of seats, what is the use of conducting such an election? We may consider boycotting the upcoming state assembly elections in Bihar after taking feedback from people and our (alliance) partners." 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.
Mint
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Son Rise: Tejaswi, Chirag, Prashant are Bihar's new flavours as assembly polls may power a generational shift
Is Bihar ready for a generational shift in the assembly elections due in a few months' time? On the face of it, the answer would have to be in the affirmative. But it does call for a closer inquiry. Nitish Kumar is wobbly. A generation of Biharis has seen no other chief minister. As the 22nd chief minister of Bihar since February 22, 2015, having previously held the office from 2005 to 2014 and for a short period in 2000, he is Bihar's longest-serving chief minister, holding the post for a record ninth term. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) super boss and former chief minister Lalu Yadav is a pale shadow of his best. After his October 2013 conviction in the Fodder Scam, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha and cannot contest elections anymore. In addition, he has health issues. The third stalwart of this Mandal triumvirate, Ram Vilas Paswan, is no more. What comes in their place are their scions, in at least two cases. Lalu's son Tejaswi Yadav and NDA minister Chirag Paswan, son of the redoubtable Ram Vilas. Add to it a newbie Prashant Kishor, whose Jan Suraaj Party, may not win elections on its own but has an even more critical role to play – it can cut into the anti-BJP votes with precision. Not to be underrated is the not-so-young son of Jitan Ram Manjhi, Santosh Suman Manjhi, who at 50 is a sitting MLC and hopes to play the role of a king maker, should the need arise. Says Ashmita Gupta, member-secretary of the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) in Patna: 'There is no doubt that the younger lot of politicians' time has come. Tejaswi Yadav is drawing crowds and has a mase base. Both Prashant Kishor and Chirag Paswan have done their grassroot work. Let's admit that the younger politicians are well tuned into advanced data collection and technology to leave their imprimatur on the forthcoming Bihar assembly elections.' The other point is the traditional role of caste equations and vote bank numbers, which have dominated elections in Bihar revolving around three main players: the RJD, the BJP, and the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), each enjoying the support of nearly captive voter bases. According to the 2020 Bihar Assembly election results, the RJD bagged the largest vote share (23.11 per cent) followed by the BJP in second place (19.46 per cent); the JD(U) (15.39 per cent), Congress (9.48 per cent), and the Left parties (4.64 per cent). Smaller players like Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), or LJP(RV); Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), or HAM(S); and Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party, or VIP, also played a role in giving their respective alliances an edge. This time, their edge could be more pronounced. Notwithstanding the modern tool of political propagation, the young blood must constantly seek out new alliances in a fight, which is expected to go down to the wire. Tejaswi is trying hard to broaden its Muslim-Yadav vote base by wooing other castes such as the Kushwaha, Dhanuk, and Mallah from the Other Backwards Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backwards Classes (EBCs). As part of this strategy, the RJD fielded many candidates from the Kushwaha or Koiri (vegetable growers) caste in the last Lok Sabha election and appointed Mangani Lal Mandal, a senior socialist leader from the EBC Dhanuk caste, as its Bihar party president. According to the 2023 Bihar caste survey, EBCs make up 36 per cent of the total electorate. The RJD is also counting on the support of its ally the VIP, which has a strong base among the Mallah or Kevat community in constituencies along the Ganges. The JD (U)-BJP alliance is not too badly placed either. In the 2020 assembly election, the JD(U) contested 115 seats but won only 43, while the BJP won 74 out of the 110 seats it contested. The partners flipped their positions within the alliance, with the BJP emerging as the senior partner after playing a supportive role to Nitish Kumar for nearly four decades. The BJP conceded the chief minister's post to Kumar to avoid any potential blowback from the influential EBC castes. 2025 promises to be no different. To broaden its voter base, the Congress – in wilderness since 1989 - has appointed Rajesh Kumar, a member of the Ravidas caste (Jatavs) as its Bihar unit chief. Says political analyst and former principal of Patna College, NK Chaudhary: "Just age is no criteria for winnability in Bihar or else JP and Karpoori Thakur would not have made an impact. Social alliances are all about caste. Whatever you do, elections in Bihar ultimately boil down to caste. Nitish has to be the face of the NDA despite the talk about his declining health as his support base is still intact.'' This is not to suggest that development is not an issue, Chaudhary says. Nitish Kumar has gained considerable goodwill among women voters thanks to prohibition and schemes like free cycles for schoolgirls, something that the BJP is keen to cash in on, because after the death of Sushil Modi, they don't have a state-level leader of any standing. There is no doubt that the younger lot of politicians' time has come. Ironically, Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar, has been left behind in the sweepstakes. In a poll, which is heating up as D-Day approaches, modernity and feudalism mix and match beautifully in Bihar.
India Today
01-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Showdown over Waqf Act: Bihar polls on polarisation, not progress? Experts debate
In this episode of To The Point, the focus is on the upcoming Bihar assembly elections at the end of this year and the war of words between the BJP and RJD over Waqf Act. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) of pursuing Sharia politics after Tejaswi Yadav said that his party will throw Waqf Act in a dustbin if it comes to power in Bihar. Meanwhile, the RJD has defended its stance, emphasising the importance of the Waqf Act. Amid all this, BJP's Gaurav Bhatia criticised Tejaswi Yadav, calling 'Maulana Tejashwi' while Tejaswi Yadav responded by saying, 'calling me a Maulana is a compliment because that means a scholar.' So as polarisation politics peaks, the big question is, will Bihar polls be fought on polarisation, not progress? Watch as experts debate on this episode of To The Point.
Time of India
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Opposition questions Nitish's health and control
As Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's recent erratic public conduct recurs, the Opposition RJD-Congress-Left alliance has decided to publicly raise concerns over the Chief Minister's "well-being" and its "worrisome fallout" on government accountability in the poll-bound state. They are also demanding to know "who exactly is running the show" in the state government, with these questions expected to dominate the run-up to the year-end Assembly elections, Opposition leaders said. RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav has expressed concern not only about the current state of Bihar's administration but also about Nitish Kumar 's well-being. "Who exactly is in control? And who is running the Bihar government? The fact that a group of people, including some bureaucrats, appear to be making decisions behind the scenes raises fundamental questions on government accountability," RJD MP Manoj Jha told ET. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here To Read More - micro segmentation software Expertinspector Click Here Undo Kumar, 74, founder leader of Janata Dal (United) and one of Bihar's most seasoned politicians with a record two-decade stint as Chief Minister, has lately kept a very low profile, with limited public appearances amid growing speculation about his health. Some of his recent rare public engagements were marked by gaffes on stage. Senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar said in the 'BIMARU' state of Bihar, the Chief Minister is said to have become 'bimar' (unwell). "The manner in which the Bihar government is being run is a matter of concern. The future of Bihar cannot be left to such uncertain leadership," Anwar said. Live Events Having built a significant social-electoral base and making JDU a key player in the BJP-RJD contest over the last 20 years, political circles in Bihar are closely watching how Kumar's off-colour presence will impact the upcoming Assembly elections.
