oppn parties Bihar: New Political Alignments

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  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
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  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
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  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
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  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Tragedy in Kolkata: Stampede at the Chor Bagan Pujo results in 18 people losing their lives and scores injured /////// The stampede was caused by a sudden downpour which made people in the heavy crowd run for cover
oppn parties
Bihar: New Political Alignments

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2020-08-21 08:45:32

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

The Mahagathbandhan in Bihar is on the rocks ahead of the elections in the state. In the latest development, former chief minister Jiten Ram Majhi, the chief of Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM), quit the alliance. The party said that it cannot be a part of the alliance as its demand for setting up of a coordination committee to decide on the seat-sharing formula and declaring of the candidate for the post of chief minister was being ignored. Majhi accused the RJD of trying to control the Mahagathbandhan to further its own interests. Although Majhi is a small player in the caste-ridden politics in Bihar (his party fought the elections from 20 seats last time but won only in 1), the votes of his Mahadalit community can make a difference in several seats. Majhi is expected to join the NDA alliance, either by keeping his separate identity or merging his party with Nitish Kumar's JD(U).

On the other hand, the RJD is facing an acute problem of defections. Important leaders are leaving the party and most of them are crossing over to the JD(U). Chandrika Rai (whose daughter is married to Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap) left the party to join the JD(U). Five other MLAs - Jaivardhan Yadav,  Faraz Fatmi, Maheshwar Prasad Yadav, Prema Choudhary and Ashok Kumar - had also joined the JD(U) earlier. Each of these leaders has a good local following and can cut into the vote bank of the RJD. It seems that the party is unable to get its act together under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav.

The problems of the Mahagathbandhan must be music to the ears of Nitish Kumar and the BJP. The present NDA government was facing anti-incumbency and despite the bravado displayed by Amit Shah in his virtual rally, things were getting tough for the alliance. But if they manage to snare important leaders from the opposition, they might still score a win as nothing matters more in Bihar than caste affiliations. Since most seats can swing with a small percentage of votes, the alliance that gets its caste combination right is likely to win. The NDA seems to be getting a head start in this.

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