He recalled that the state was home to Vaishali, said to be the oldest republic in the world.
The four-and-a-half-year-old son of Bihari migrants based in Delhi died at the railway station in Muzaffarpur on arrival by a 'Shramik Special' train, while his father desperately hunted for some milk he believed will save his child.
While the polling so far has been peaceful, police had to open fire in the air in Purnia to disperse a crowd trying to disturb voting, even as people boycotted polling at 12 booths in Katihar in protest against barriers not being set up at two railway crossings.
About 1.82 lakh people have been evacuated to safe places by the rescue teams in last 48 hours.
Flood victims have been fighting for survival and living in temporary shelters nearby railway tracks with lack of food items. They are yet to get any help from the government, reports M I Khan.
Empty bottles of liquor were discovered inside the premises of the legislature in dry Bihar, in a fresh embarrassment to the Nitish Kumar government in the state, which has been drawing flak over recent hooch tragedies that have claimed more than 40 lives.
A Somalian and an Indian national, hailing from Hyderabad, were arrested today while trying to sneak into Nepal through Bihar's East Champaran district.
A "record" 57.59 per cent of over 1.46 crore voters cast their ballots in 55 assembly seats in Bihar on Sunday in the fourth and penultimate round of polling.
A man with an air gun was arrested on Saturday, an hour ahead of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's rally in Bihar's West Champaran district, police said.
The death toll in Bihar floods today mounted to 64 with over 33 lakh people spread across 13 districts affected by the deluge.
The fire incinerated the bus and nobody could be retrieved so far.
Voting will be held in 55 seats on Sunday in the penultimate phase of Bihar election, with stakes high for the Bharatiya Janata Party as it had along with its then ally Janata Dal-United bagged majority of seats in last assembly polls.
The UNICEF said an estimated 2.4 million children have been affected by the recent floods in the country.
Addressing his rally at Valmiki Nagar, the former Congress president said he was pained to see that Prime Minister Modi's effigy was burnt in Punjab on the occasion of Dusshera, and added that it reflected the 'anger' of youths and farmers.
Effects of the pandemic were all too stark as the rituals were performed with face masks on.
Seven persons died in various rain-related incidents during the past 36 hours as heavy showers coupled with discharge of water from dams worsened the overall flood situation in Bihar.
Thousands of people in Darbhanga, West Champaran and Nalanda districts in Bihar have been affected by floods after rivers flowing through these districts breached their embankments. Floods occurred in Darbhanga and West Champaran districts after breaches developed in the embankments of Kamla Balan and Gandak rivers respectively, while in Nalanda it was due to the overflowing of Panchane river.
Modi will start his Sunday election tour with a rally in Chapra, the political bastion of Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad. As per the itinerary, from Chapra he will go to Samastipur to address a public meeting in Housing Board ground, then at Gandhi maidan in Motihari and will end the campaign trip with a rally in Bagaha.
Modi accused opponents of trying to pit one section against the other while his government is working towards taking all people along
Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday retracted from his 'chopping hands of doctors' comment saying he had used a hindi proverb to convey his feeling on doctors not sincerely serving poor.
Official figures say 1.8 lakh workers have returned home to Bihar. Unofficially, however, that figure is said to have crossed 3 lakhs. Can Bihar cope?
About 54 per cent of 1.03 crore electors cast their votes on Thursday in 48 constituencies that went to polls in the third phase of the Bihar Assembly elections which passed of by and large peacefully.
The farmers in the state had last month gone on an agitation, stopping supply of milk, food grains and vegetables to protest the lack of good prices for their produce.
Presence of Fadnavis will be keenly watched in view of recent tug of war between his home state Maharashtra and Bihar over death of Sushant Singh Rajput, a Patna born Bollywood actor.
In some Bihar constituencies, candidates named Ram are fighting each other.
Both Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have refused to meet Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha.
Already battling Saturday's high intensity earthquake and aftershocks, major parts of Bihar were on Tuesday hit by thunder squall followed by rains hampering relief work.
The elections in this phase are seen as a big test for the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bihar Chief Electoral Officer H R Srinivasa said the Election Commission has established a three-tier security system for strong rooms (housing the electronic voting machines) and the counting centres. The inner core is being guarded by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), then there is the Bihar Military Police (BMP) and then the district police, he told reporters.
This comes at a time when tensions between Kathmandu and New Delhi have escalated over a new map in which the neighbouring country has staked claim over some Indian territories.
The floods have also damaged crops in 2 lakh hectares of land.
The flood situation in Bihar showed signs of improvement with major rivers maintaining a receding trend, even as four more deaths were reported from Darbhanga district, taking the total toll to 81.
The district administration has banned the sale of motor fuels without a permit from the district supply officer in order to stock reserves of petrol and diesel for vehicles to be used for flood-fighting and relief operations.
Over two million people in Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Saharsa, East Champaran, Supaul, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Patna, Katihar and Bhagalpur are reeling under the impact of the calamities
Some of the 29 state-run Mahatma ka schools, as they are known till date, do not even have a single teacher.
The distribution of relief materials was badly hit due to heavy rains
One more person died in floods in Patna district, taking the toll due to inundation in Bihar to 10 even as major rivers on Tuesday showed receding trend.
Filing of nominations begins on Wednesday and ends on October 26.
The polling for the sixth phase on May 12 covers 6 states and one Union Territory.
At least four passengers were killed and 23 others were injured when the Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed at Golden Ganj station near Chhapra.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances