Le Journal

Aurangabad/Bhabhua (Bihar): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that the record turnout in the first phase of the Bihar Assembly polls was proof that people have reposed their trust in the “track record of Narendra and Nitish”. While the NDA will register its largest victory in this election, the Congress is now busy finding excuses for the impending defeat, the PM claimed. Addressing back-to-back rallies in Aurangabad and Bhabhua, the headquarters of Kaimur district, in the poll-bound State, Modi predicted victory of the NDA, led in Bihar by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president, and also lauded the Election Commission for successfully conducting elections across 121 constituencies where voting was held. He cited the examples of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the abrogation of Article 370, and Operation Sindoor to assert “I do what I promise”. “Yesterday, the voters of Bihar broke all records. Never before in the history of the state has there been such a high poll percentage. Much of the credit goes to mothers and sisters, the Maatri Shakti (mother power), who turned up in large numbers to raise the turnout to nearly 65 per cent. It is evident that they all have trust in the track record of Narendra-Nitish,” said Modi. The people have voted to ensure that an NDA government, which would guarantee good governance, remains in place in Bihar, the PM said. “They have not been taken in by the false promises of RJD-helmed opposition. Even the Congress, despite being an ally, is not trusting the RJD’s promises made in their manifesto,” claimed Modi. Without mentioning the INDIA bloc Chief Ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav by name, the PM said, “The crown prince of jungle raj gets tongue tied whenever he is asked what his plans are for fulfilling the bogus promises he has been making”. People do not want a return of the ‘jungle raj’ during which Naxals ruled the roost and several lives were claimed in violence that used to take place during elections, he asserted. Hinting at a poll campaign of the RJD, which has been a matter of controversy, Modi said, “The jungle raj wallahs have taught even children to speak of things like katta (unlicensed country-made handgun) and dunaali (double-barreled gun)”. “Investors would run away at the sight of the lantern (RJD) panja (palm of hand symbol of Congress) and laal jhanda (red flags of the Left). They must have tried to create mischief this time as well. But I commend the Election Commission for conducting orderly polls,” said Modi. The Prime Minister alleged that Nitish Kumar, the state’s longest serving Chief Minister, whom he credited with having “brought jungle raj to an end”, faced non-cooperation from the Centre “in the first nine years of his tenure”, when Congress-led UPA was in power. They tried to take revenge on the people of Bihar, alleged Modi. “People have faith in the track record of Modi and Nitish because I do what I promise. Today, a Ram temple is in place at Ayodhya, which has undone 500 years of injustice. Article 370 has been scrapped. And, I had promised on Bihar’s soil that perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack will be punished. You all know what happened in Operation Sindoor,” said Modi. In an apparent jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “Vote theft” charge, Modi claimed the opposition party was “already busy finding excuses for impending defeat. They are carrying out a net practice of how to explain why they lost Bihar”. “It is now confirmed that the NDA will register its largest victory in this election. I urge you to be ready for a victory celebration after November 14,” he told the gathering. Speaking in an area of Bihar from where a large number of people are known to be in the armed forces, the Prime Minister also spoke of the one rank one pension scheme, which has led to Rs one lakh crore being transferred into accounts of ex-servicemen. “The RJD people might not even know how many zeros are in one lakh crore,” chuckled Modi,…

Suryapet: Students of Teja Vidyalaya, Kodad, secured second place in the State-level quiz competition organised by the Army Public School, Golkonda, on Friday. Over 1,000 schools from across Telangana participated in the event. INTACH Telangana Chapter convenor Anuradha Reddy served as the quiz master, while Hyderabad Deputy Collector Kadhiravan Palani distributed prizes to Teja Vidyalaya students V Rishika (Class 10) and Gayam Rekhasri (Class 9). Students of Sriram University School, Hyderabad, Master Z School, Warangal, and ZPHS School, Narayanpet, bagged the top honours. Teja Vidyalaya Principal Ramadevi appreciated Rishika and Rekhasri for their performance.

New Delhi: Even as women voters in Bihar again joined in large numbers in the first phase of the Bihar Legislative Assembly election 2025, participation from a significant number of migrants this year is also being considered among factors that could have led to the highest-ever voter turnout of 64.66 per cent on Thursday. Most of these workers, mostly engaged by business establishments, construction sites, or as farm labourers elsewhere, usually return home during festivals like Chhath Puja. Chhath is primally observed in Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal, as a thanksgiving festival where the Sun God and his sister, Chhathi Maiya, are venerated for sustaining life, with devotees praying for health, prosperity, and the well-being of their families. This year, the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls also resulted in many migrants returning home. Political narratives linking the revision to citizenship status is reported to have led to a significant addition to the number of labourers returning home, along with those intending to join their families for the festival. According to Bihar’s caste survey report 2022-23, around 2.7 crore people live outside the State. Earlier, as per the last Census of India, held in 2011, this number was above 74.5 lakh. However, some unverified reports quote it as high as anything between one and three crore, with Opposition parties in Bihar blaming it on the incumbent government to contradict Nitish Kumar’s record of good governance and progress. While there is no reliable figure to indicate the exact number of migrants who returned home in October-November this year to participate in the poll process, local estimates run into “lakhs”. Incidentally, according to the Election Commission, 21.53 lakh eligible electors were added in the draft voters’ list, where it is quite certain that not all of them will be migrants. As per the Census 2011 data, the total number of inter-state migrant workers in the country stood at 4.1 crore. The report on ‘Migration in India’, based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2020-21, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, stated that out of a total of 28.9 per cent, around 10.8 per cent chose to go out from their home states due to employment-related reasons. While employment opportunities could indeed weigh on the minds of such migrants, they would not have certainly voted as a single bloc. Choice of a particular candidate varies by the person’s caste, community, performance, and local grievances, so they could have swung towards either the ruling National Democratic Alliance or the Opposition Mahagathbandhan bloc, or seek alternatives in Jan Suraaj Party, among others, including independents. However, much would still depend on local dynamics and promises on jobs and development. The Election Commission has termed the 64.66 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections as the highest-ever in the history of Bihar. The last record of a large number of electors participating in the Bihar Assembly election was recorded in 2000 at 62.57 per cent, while for the Lok Sabha poll it was registered at 64.6 in 1998. While 121 Assembly Constituencies in Bihar’s 18 districts went to polls with a total electorate of over 3.75 crore on Thursday, the rest of 122 seats across 20 districts with about 3.70 crore voters will go for elections on November 11. Counting will be held on November 14.

Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh): Two weeks after 19 passengers of a bus were charred to death near, the police on Friday arrested the owner of the private travel agency. Vemuri Vinod Kumar, owner of V Kaveri Travels, was arrested and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody. Vinod Kumar is named as accused number two in the First Information Report (FIR). Bus driver Miriyala Lakshmaiah, who is accused number one, is already in judicial custody. They were booked under Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 125(a) and 106(1) for causing death by rash or negligent act. The bus was operating between Telangana and Karnataka through Andhra Pradesh, but was registered in Daman and Diu in 2018 and re-registered in Odisha this year. The bus travel operator had also altered the bus meant for seating to a sleeper coach in alleged violation of rules. The bus, which was carrying 46 people, including two drivers, and was on its way to Bengaluru from Hyderabad, met with the ghastly accident near Chinnatekur village on the outskirts of Kurnool early morning of October 24. While 19 passengers, including two children, were charred to death, 27 passengers, including both drivers, escaped by breaking glass windows. Seven of the victims were from Andhra Pradesh, six from Telangana, two each from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and one each from Odisha and Bihar. Police investigation revealed that the bus ran over a motorcycle lying on the road after the rider rammed it into the road divider. The bus dragged the bike for about 200 meters, and the friction and fuel leakage from the bike ignited the massive fire, which quickly engulfed the entire bus. Police concluded that the bike rider, B Shiva Shankar (22), died after hitting the divider, while his friend Erriswamy alias Nani, who was riding pillion and escaped with minor injuries, fled the scene in panic after watching the bus in flames. After establishing the presence of a second person and identifying him with CCTV footage recorded at a petrol pump a few minutes before the accident, the police arrested Erriswamy from his native village, Tuggali, in Kurnool district, and he revealed the cause of the accident. Shiva Shankar, who was riding the bike and was drunk, died on the spot after the two-wheeler skidded and rammed into the road divider. Erriswamy told the police that he shifted Shiva Kumar to the roadside and was about to move the bike lying in the middle of the road when the speeding bus hit the bike and dragged it some distance. As the fire engulfed the bus, he panicked and fled the scene.

Mumbai: Before Rashmika Mandanna’s “The Girlfriend” reaches the cinema halls on Friday, rumoured beau Vijay Deverakonda praised the entire team for making something powerful. Claiming that the drama is ‘going to create an impact’, the ‘Arjun Reddy’ actor wrote on social media, “I know they have made something powerful. Something important. Something that will be hard to digest. I know the performances by all actors are top class and what @23_rahulr has created with @iamRashmika and @Dheekshiths and @ItsAnuEmmanuel is going to create an impact (sic).” “Tomorrow we will all see this happen with #TheGirlfriend, go experience it in the theaters and think. Lots of love and big hugs to the entire cast and crew (hugs and red heart emojis),” VD added. In the meantime, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) cleared Rahul Ravindran’s directorial featuring Rashmika and Dheekshith Shetty for release with a U/A certificate. On Thursday, Geetha Arts, the production house presenting the film, shared the update on social media saying, “It is a U/A for #TheGirlfriend. Experience intense drama, relatable emotions and stellar performances on the big screen. Grand Release Worldwide Tomorrow. (sic)” Prior to this, Rashmika also showed unwavering faith in director Rahul Ravindran and “The Girlfriend”. Wishing the fiilmmaker on his birthday, the ‘Pushpa’ actress penned, “You are too precious my friend.. I still can’t believe you’ve made a film like ‘The Girlfriend’… The emotional depth you have, the niceness that you have in your heart flows through every frame,” she said and added that she had met him for ‘The Girlfriend’ and had found “a director, a friend, a mentor a partner in crime for a lifetime who I trust wholly and immensely (sic).” Penned and helmed by Rahul Ravindran, “The Girlfriend” enjoys the music scored by Hesham Abdul Wahab and camera work by Krishnan Vasant. If the rumors are to be believed, Rashmika and Vijay are already engaged and are all set to tie the knot next year. However, nothing has been officially announced till now.