oppn parties Whatever The Result, It Is Going To Be A Vote Against Nitish Kumar

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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
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
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  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • 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
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Whatever The Result, It Is Going To Be A Vote Against Nitish Kumar

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-11-10 08:31:26

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

As the counting of votes begin in Bihar, one thing is absolutely clear from the pre-poll and post-poll surveys and the exit polls - this is going to be an anti-incumbency vote and it is primarily directed against Nitish Kumar. There is discontent and a seething anger against Kumar which was visible to most observers in the run up to the elections. But people were wondering whether the opposition would be able to up the ante and convert it into votes. It seems that the young Tejashwi Yadav has managed to do that. He has managed to convince the voters that he will provide a fresh government that will do away with the corrupt legacy of Lalu Yadav and the inaction of Nitish Kumar in the last five years.

It seems that the BJP miscalculated grossly in continuing the alliance with the JD(U). The late Ram Bilas Paswan and his son Chirag, although they have been marginalized in Bihar politics, saw the writing on the wall and left the alliance in Bihar. Exit polls indicate that the BJP is likely to double its seats while the JD(U) is likely to get half of what it holds in the outgoing assembly. If the BJP had not allied with JD(U) this time, it is likely that it could have got the majority for the simple reason that backward caste votes would have been divided between the RJD and the JD(U) in multi-cornered fights.

The NDA can still win as exit polls and surveys have got it horrendously wrong in the past. But anyone who traveled across Bihar between June and October knows that Nitish Kumar's government was not favoured to win another term. Even if the NDA manages to win, it will be with the thinnest of margins and the BJP will get more seats than the JD(U), giving it an upper hand. Even in that case, it will be a clear vote against Nitish Kumar. It remains to be seen whether the NDA wins and whether the BJP gets more seats than the JD(U) and in that event, whether the BJP allows Nitish Kumar to remain the chief minister. 

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