Bihar MLC polls: JD(U) confident of NDA sweep, backs Neeraj Kumar amid Anant Singh rift

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Patna, Oct 5 (IANS) As JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar is set to file his nomination for the Bihar Legislative Council elections on Monday, the party expressed confidence that the NDA will win all eight seats in the upcoming biennial polls, describing the contest as a one-sided affair.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced October 23 as the date for the biennial elections to eight seats of the Bihar Legislative Council.

Speaking to IANS, JD(U) Bihar president Umesh Kushwaha said the NDA would secure victory on all eight seats.

“The NDA will win all eight seats, and it will be a one-sided victory. No one is in contention. You know how the NDA performed in the 2025 Assembly elections. This is based on the trust of our workers, and we have placed our trust in them,” Kushwaha said.

JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan also expressed confidence in Neeraj Kumar, saying he would continue the party’s winning streak.

“He will continue the winning streak. The way he has consistently served the party and the people, he has also been vocal in the Legislative Council. He has been recognised as a popular leader since the party’s inception, and this will undoubtedly benefit him in the Legislative Council election,” he said.

The election for eight seats in the Teacher and Graduate constituencies of the Legislative Council has generated considerable interest even before the nomination process. Differences have emerged within both the NDA and the Grand Alliance camps.

Within the NDA, differences have surfaced in the JD(U) over the Patna Graduate constituency. At the same time, the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), a key constituent of the NDA, has reportedly expressed resentment over not being allotted a seat.

The contest has also gained significance amid the ongoing war of words between JD(U) MLA from Mokama, Anant Singh, and Neeraj Kumar. Neeraj recently met JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar on Saturday and sought his blessings. The meeting is being viewed as significant ahead of the MLC election. Following the meeting, Neeraj said he would file his nomination on October 5.

The internal standoff between Anant Singh and Neeraj Kumar has intensified in recent days. Anant Singh on Sunday claimed that he would ensure Neeraj’s defeat in the election at all costs, even if it resulted in his expulsion from the party.

Meanwhile, Bihar Health Minister and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s son, Nishant Kumar, urged young party workers to unite and actively campaign for Neeraj Kumar to ensure his victory.

Interacting with party workers, Nishant said, “Neeraj Kumar is a dedicated and experienced party colleague with an unwavering commitment to socialist ideology. He has consistently raised public grievances and issues concerning the welfare of his constituency.”

On the other hand, Anant Singh maintained that the dispute between him and Neeraj Kumar was a personal matter and not a party issue. He also cautioned that leaders considering intervening in the dispute could be making a mistake.

–IANS

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Bihar bandh: NDA’s protest over remarks on PM Modi’s mother brings state to halt

Patna, Sep 4 (IANS) The NDA’s statewide bandh, called from 7 a.m. to noon on Thursday, saw a significant impact across districts, with road blockades, closed markets, and traffic jams reported in several areas.

The bandh has been called to protest against and demand an apology for what it termed derogatory remarks made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during the ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ of the Mahagathbandhan in Darbhanga.

In the state capital Patna, NDA leaders and workers hit the streets. BJP MLA Sanjeev Chaurasia, along with women workers, staged a protest at Income Tax intersection, blocking the road and raising slogans against the opposition.

In Ara, roads were blocked at Mathiya turn with loud slogans of “We will not tolerate mother’s insult.”

In Banka, the BJP Mahila Morcha blocked NH-33A in Panjwara market; shops shut, buses stopped at Amarpur block.

Women leaders declared, “Mother is the form of Goddess; her insult cannot be tolerated.”

In Aurangabad, shops closed, and roads were jammed in the Tandwa and Navinagar blocks.

In Katihar, protests erupt at Shaheed Chowk and Mirchaibari Chowk. The protesters burnt tyres on the roads. Former Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad led a march, saying: “The PM’s mother is the mother of the entire country. Her insult is the insult of 140 crore Indians.”

In Darbhanga, women workers led by BJP Mahila Morcha president Sapna Bharti blocked roads at Delhi Mor Bus Stand.

Sapna Bharti, “Until Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav apologise from a public platform, BJP’s protest will not stop.”

Dr Ismat Jahan from the JD(U) condemned the Darbhanga remark, saying: “It is unfortunate to abuse the Prime Minister from the land of Mata Sita.”

In Gopalganj and Siwan, the BJP workers forced shops to close, vehicles stopped on NH-27, and autos off the roads.

In Sasaram, BJP workers led by former MLA Jawahar Prasad and Lalan Paswan blocked the Post Office crossing, leading to a traffic halt and long queues of vehicles on either side of the stretch.

This bandh is notable as rarely does a ruling alliance call for such a statewide shutdown.

For the Grand Alliance (RJD-Congress-Left-VIP), the controversy has now become a major defensive challenge, as NDA leaders are positioning the insult as a moral and cultural attack on Indian values, while vowing to escalate protests further.

–IANS

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Rs 157.90 crore cyber crime fraud committed across India: Gurugram Police

Gurugram, Feb 24 (IANS) The cyber crimes teams of the Gurugram Police have arrested 27 including a minor cyber criminal who defrauded people in 14,633 complaints worth Rs 157.90 crore across the country, police said on Monday.

According to the police, after reviewing the data of the 17 mobile phones and three SIM cards recovered from the accused by the police from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordinate Center (I4C), it was found that the accused were involved in fraud of about Rs 157.90 crore and around 14,633 complaints were registered against them across India.

In connection to this out of 14,633 complaints 611 were converted into cases which were registered across India.

Out of 611 cases, 28 cases were registered against them in Haryana including four in Gurugram. The accused revealed before the salutes that they used to commit fraud by creating fake IDs on Instagram and cheating people, committing fraud in the name of investment, digital arrest, KYC-related fraud and task-based fraud.

The investigation teams have recovered 7 mobile phones, three SIM cards and 02 debit cards from the possession of the accused.

“The accused used to defraud people in the name of investing in the stock market, online loans and offers lucrative offers to the victims and duped them,” Priyanshu Diwan, ACP (south) said.

He said that the Gurugram police is closely working with other agencies and organisations to counter these frauds.

“We appealed to the public to steer clear of such dubious callers and advised caution in sharing personal details to strangers stalking them online,” he added.

“The cyber fraudsters commit fraud by luring people with good profits, investing in the stock market, reducing electricity bills, in the name of buying/selling cheap goods online, sextortion through video calls on WhatsApp, morphing, sending links through various means, posing as a customs officer/police officer in the name of implicating false case, in the name of issuing a No-Objection Certificate, digitally arresting people by showing the fear of implicating them in a criminal case, etc,” he said.

–IANS

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Ex-TN minister Sengottaiyan joins Vijay’s TVK

Chennai, Nov 27 (IANS) Former Tamil Nadu Minister and nine-time MLA K. A. Sengottaiyan has formally joined actor-turned politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), bringing an end to his decades-long association with the AIADMK.

The move comes shortly after he was expelled from the AIADMK by General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami for leading the call to reunite expelled party workers, triggering intense internal friction within the party.

Sengottaiyan, expressing strong displeasure over the expulsion, resigned his MLA post representing Gobichettipalayam and then joined TVK in Vijay’s presence at the Panayur headquarters.

On Wednesday, he arrived at the Secretariat in Chennai, met Speaker M. Appavu and handed over his resignation. His symbolic farewell to the AIADMK was striking – he travelled in a car decorated with the party’s flag, bore an AIADMK flag tattoo on his arm, and kept a photograph of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in his pocket while stepping down, marking the emotional weight of his departure.

Later that evening, Vijay held internal discussions with TVK leaders Bussy Anand, Aadhav Arjuna and Nirmal Kumar at the Pattinapakkam office.

Around 4.30 p.m., Sengottaiyan arrived and met Vijay for nearly two hours. The meeting remained confidential as neither the veteran leader nor the TVK leaders made any public comments afterwards.

According to sources, the talks unfolded in two phases. The first phase reportedly included Vijay, Sengottaiyan, strategist John Arockiaswamy, Bussy Anand and Aadhav Arjuna.

The second phase, which was more decisive, was attended only by Vijay, Sengottaiyan and John Arockiaswamy, during which crucial decisions were finalised.

Reports indicate that Sengottaiyan is likely to be given a major organisational role within TVK.

Sources suggest he will be appointed as a coordinator, particularly overseeing the influential Kongu belt, a region where he has held sway for decades.

He is expected to report directly to Vijay, bypassing second-tier leadership – a rare privilege in the party’s structure. Decisions related to Kongu region strategies will reportedly be taken in consultation with strategist John Arockiaswamy.

TVK leadership believes that Sengottaiyan’s entry will significantly strengthen the party’s prospects ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

More than 500 supporters, including former MP Sathyabama, are also expected to join TVK alongside him.

Vijay is likely to visit an indoor arena in Erode, Sengottaiyan’s home turf, to meet the public in the coming days, signalling the party’s intensifying focus on the region. Further announcements regarding Sengottaiyan’s official responsibilities within TVK are expected soon.

–IANS

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