New Delhi Mar 31 PTI Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas leader Chirag Paswan on Thursday expressed his disappointment with the manner in which his family has been evicted from their Janpath bungalow by the government noting that he has not been given any alternative official residence which he is entitled as a second-term member of ParliamentHe visited the residence where eviction exercise by the urban development ministry began on Wednesday and paid his respects to the bust of his late father Ram Vilas PaswanSpeaking to reporters later Chirag Paswan asserted that he respected rules and lawful process and never demanded that his family should be allowed to stay in the house permanentlyWe had to vacate this sooner or later I do however slightly object to the way it has been done he saidThe ministerial bungalow was allotted in 1990 to his father a stalwart Dalit leader who was a minister for much of the period till his death in 2020Chirag Paswan said his family had been staying there after being given extensionMy family full respects the lawful process One cannot forcibly keep a place if he is not entitled to it Surely I am disappointed with the manner in which it eviction was done I am a second term MP and I should have been given an alternative accommodation the Jamui MP saidHe said he has as of now no government accommodation and has shifted to his grandmothers house in the national capitalStriking an emotional note he said his fathers memories are attached with the bungalow and added that nearly 100 people associated with the LJP founder had been living thereI will try my best to help them he said while again underlining his disappointment with the sudden eviction process The government on Wednesday started the process of evicting the family of late Ram Vilas Paswan from the 12 Janpath bungalow that was allotted to him in 1990 with several trucks carrying furniture and other household goods seen driving out of the accommodationThe Directorate of Estates which comes under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry sent a team of officials to execute an eviction order issued to the late ministers son Chirag Paswan officials had saidThe 12 Janpath bungalow is earmarked for Union ministers and the occupants of the government accommodation have been asked to vacate it PTI KR ZMN

New Delhi [India], March 30 (ANI): Months after eviction notice, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Chirag Paswan on Wednesday vacated 12 Janpath bungalow that had been allotted to his later father and former union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Imphal Feb 28 PTI Stray incidents of violence marred the first phase of Manipur assembly elections to 38 constituencies on Monday as 7803 per cent of around 1209 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 5 PM when polling ended an hour after the time announced earlier officials said Naorem Ibochouba a state police personnel deployed for poll duty in Tipaimukh assembly constituency in Churachandpur district died in a suspected case of accidental firing from his service rifle Chief Electoral Officer CEO Rajesh Agarwal saidThe highest voter turnout of 8297 per cent was recorded in Kangpokpi district followed by Imphal West 8219 per cent Imphal East 7664 per cent and Churachandpur 7445 per cent the officials saidThe final percentage will be available after the return of the polling partiesVoting at 1721 polling stations was more or less peaceful except for stray incidents of violence as EVMs were damaged by miscreants at Saitu Henglep and Singhat constituenciesFIRs were registered in the incidents of EVM damage in seven polling stations the CEO saidAs there were complaints that the pace of polling was slow in certain booths those who came before 4 pm were allowed to cast their votes Agarwal saidA polling staff died of haemorrhagic stroke in Tipaimukh constituency he saidAt least one person was injured in a clash between two political parties in Churachandpur districtAlleged Congress workers vandalised a BJP polling booth in Kakwa area in Langthabal constituency in Imphal West district while a vehicle of an NPP candidate was damaged by supporters of a rival group in Keirao assembly seat although nobody was injured in the incident Security forces fired in the air to control the crowd at New Keithelmanbi polling station in Kangpokpi district The situation arose after Congress accused BJP of attempting to capture the booth Prominent candidates in the fray in the first phase of the elections include the chief minister Assembly Speaker Y Khemchand Singh Deputy Chief Minister and NPP candidate Yumnam Joykumar and Manipur Congress president N Lokesh Singh Of the 38 seats 10 constituencies are in Imphal East 13 in Imphal West six each in Bishnupur and Churachandpur and three in Kangpokpi district Nine seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and one for Scheduled Castes All-women personnel are conducting voting in 381 polling stations PWD personnel are manning a polling station in Saikot assembly seat in Churachandpur The BJP has fielded candidates in all the 38 seats followed by Congress with 35 contestants NPP with 27 JD U with 28 Shiv Sena with seven RPI Athawale with six LJP Ram Vilas with three and Kuki National Assembly and Kuki Peoples Alliance with two each Eighteen Independents are also in the fray Congress had on Sunday night expelled its candidate in Wangoi constituency Salam Joy Singh from the primary membership of the party on disciplinary grounds The BJP had formed the government in Manipur in 2017 with the support of the National Peoples Party NPP Naga Peoples Front NPF and the Lok Janshakti Party LJP However the saffron party is contesting all the seats alone this time The Congress has formed an alliance with CPI CPIM Forward Bloc RSP and Janata Dal Secular The grand old party had emerged as the single largest party winning 28 of the 60 seats in the 2017 state polls The voting for the remaining 22 seats in the 60-member House will take place in the second phase on March 5 while the counting of votes will be held on March 10 All polling stations were sanitised and circles marked outside polling booths to enable voters to maintain social distancing while standing in a queue PTI COR ACD NN NN

Lamphelpat (Manipur) [India], February 28 (ANI): Polling for the first phase of Manipur Assembly elections began in 38 constituencies spread across five districts including Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Churachandpur, and Kangpokpi on Monday.

Imphal (Manipur) [India], February 26 (ANI): The high-octane poll campaigning in Manipur came to an end on Saturday setting the stage for the first phase of Assembly elections in the state where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking to retain power while the Congress is pinning hope on its six-party coalition to oust the Biren Singh government.

Patna Feb 22 PTI The political fraternity in Bihar on Tuesday racked its brains on Chief Minister Nitish Kumars worthiness for the post of the President of India which is to fall vacant in a few months from now The ball has been set rolling by Maharashtra leader Nawab Malik who said that his party headed by Sharad Pawar was ready to back the JDU leader for the countrys highest constitutional office if the latter snapped ties with BJP When Kumar was approached by journalists he replied with folded hands This matter is not at the back of my mind There was no reaction so far from BJP his ally in Bihar which rules the Centre with majority in Lok Sabha but may have to depend heavily on the support of other parties to get a candidate of its choice elected as the president The tenure of President Ram Nath Kovind ends in July The electoral college comprises members of both houses of Parliament besides legislative assemblies of states and union territories There were mixed reactions from the RJD founded and headed by Kumars arch rival Lalu Prasad on the chief ministers name doing the rounds for the top job in the country Prasads maverick elder son Tej Pratap Yadav questioned how could a murder accused be elected to the top post He was referring to a nearly three decades old case in which Kumar has been acquitted by Supreme Court Upset over his fathers conviction in yet another fodder scam case he declared petulantly Lalu ji will become the prime minister RJD spokesmen Mrityunjay Tiwari and Shakti Yadav came up with a more nuanced response Tiwari said As a Bihari I will be proud if a leader from the state became the president but alleged that Kumar once seen as prime minister material by Laluji himself had lost his credibility following his realignment with BJP Shakti Yadav recalled Kumars own stance in the last two presidential elections when he had supported candidates fielded by coalitions opposed to the ones he was part of The JDU leader had supported Pranab Mukherjee despite then being with the NDA and supported Kovind who was fielded by the BJP though he was then in the Grand Alliance which included RJD and Congress Yadav added tongue in cheek The president is supreme commander of the armed forces If people start getting elected to such a post with the backing of a PR agency then the country is definitely headed for interesting times The jibe was aimed at Prashant Kishor famous political strategist and a former aide of Kumar who had met the Bihar chief minister during his recent Delhi trip It is being reported in a section of the media that Kishor who has worked in his professional capacity with almost every prominent political party in the country is playing a role in getting non-BJP parties back Kumar by way of demonstrating opposition unity The JDU is predictably gratified with the hubbub and state minister Shravan Kumar a confidant of Kumar ebulliently asserted that the Bihar chief minister deserved to be at the top Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi showered praise on Kumar who had helped him reach the states highest seat of power He is suited for the highest offices As far as I am concerned when chief ministership came my way I did not flinch from accepting the challenge I am game for any future challenges said Manjhi who has a reputation for loquaciousness Meanwhile LJP leader Chirag Paswan who seems intent on making a career out of attacks on Kumar bristled at the sudden spotlight on the septuagenarian In a tweet he taunted Kumar for not denying the speculations and charged him with pursuing his own ambitions while leaving the state in ruins PTI NAC KK KK KK

Patna Jan 31 PTI Lalu Prasads RJD and the Congress old allies in Bihar who have not been very comfortable in each others company are engaged in a fresh spat over two dozen seats in the state legislative council for which elections are scheduled in a couple of months The two parties had fallen out with each other in October last year when the RJD unilaterally decided to contest by-elections for two assembly seats evoking strong protest from the Congress which vowed to go it alone in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the assembly elections which will be held a year later After the by-polls were comfortably won by Chief Minister Nitish Kumars JDU the Congress-RJD bickering subsided triggering speculations that the two largest constituents of the Grand Alliance may have sorted out differencesHowever recently Tejashwi Yadav the leader of the opposition who virtually calls the shots in the RJD founded and headed by his father gave ample hints of the contempt for the Congress which has repeatedly been called out for its poor strike rate in the assembly pollsThe five-party Grand Alliance had won 110 seats falling short of the magic mark by 12 This was largely blamed on the Congress which had contested 70 but could win only 19When Tejashwi Yadav was asked about the legislative council polls he said the RJD would contest these apne dam par on its own strengthHe also said the Left has been taken on board and when asked about Congress remarked dismissively we have made it clear that we support them on the national level What more can be asked forThis evoked predictable outrage from the Congress which has been feeling that personal equations between Sonia Gandhi and Lalu Prasad notwithstanding things are not the same with the next generationTejashwi Yadav is a big leader bade neta He should tell us who he is trying to help in Bihar said MLC and AICC media panelist Prem Chandra Mishra in remarks dripping with sarcasmHe said the Congress has suffered the most because of the alliance with RJD But it has valued the ideological opposition to BJP-led NDA more than its own electoral prospects Tejashwi Yadav may announce that he seeks to contest 2024 Lok Sabha polls on his own if he is so convinced of his own prospectsNotably in 2019 Lok Sabha polls the NDA had swept Bihar and the RJD had drawn a blank The Congress for long considered a spent force in the state had managed to grab one seatAmid turmoil in the Grand Alliance the NDA has finalised its own seat-sharing formula though it has not prevented chinks in the ruling coalitions armour from coming to the foreState minister Mukesh Sahni who heads the Vikassheel Insaan Party VIP has cried foul over the disrespect shown to himHe said the NDAs formula of BJP contesting 12 seats and JDU settling for 11 leaving one for LJP faction of Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras shows they do not think much of meBut I will demonstrate what the Nishad community is capable of The VIP will contest all 24 seats said Sahni indicating a bumpy ride ahead for the NDA PTI NAC RMS RMS

Patna Nov 28 PTI Rival factions of the Lok Janshakti Party on Sunday held separate functions here to celebrate the 21st foundation day of the party which came apart less than a year after the death of its founder Ram Vilas PaswanThe late Union ministers son and heir apparent Chirag Paswan held a function in the sprawling Bapu Sabhagar auditorium where he reached in a huge procession in a virtual show of strength aimed at asserting that desertion by LJP MPs notwithstanding he enjoyed the support of the foot-soldiersJust a few kilometres away Chirags rebellious uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras and renegade cousin Prince Raj attended a function held at the Wheeler Road office of the undivided LJP which the breakaway faction has come to occupy post the splitLJP was floated on this date in 2000 by Ram Vilas Paswan who was then a member of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet and had got elected to Parliament on a ticket of the JDU which was then a faction of the undivided Janata Dal and later got merged with Nitish Kumars Samata PartyThe Election Commission has frozen the LJPs well-known bungalow symbol after the splitChirags faction has been recognised as LJP Ram Vilas while the one headed by Paras is called Rashtriya LJP and both has been allotted new symbols PTI NAC SOM SOM

Patna (Bihar) [India], November 23 (ANI): Janata Dal (United) will hold a celebration at 40 locations including Patna to celebrate the 15 years of governance of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on November 24.

Patna (Bihar) [India], November 14 (ANI): Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Saturday said that he believes that there will be mid-term elections in Bihar and his party would be part of an alliance in the upcoming elections.