The four-day Chhath Puja festival began on Saturday with the Nahay-Khay ritual, marking the start of prayers to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, celebrated with devotion, discipline across India.
Thekua, a very representative sweet snack of Bihar and Jharkhand, Nepal too, recently gained special attention after it was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a gift to Richard Rai, speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, when he visited India.
A recurring theme of the prime minister's election rallies was the reminder of the 'jungle raj' during the RJD rule under chief ministers Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, and there were special efforts to ensure that the youth in the state does not get swayed by the promises made by Tejashwi Yadav.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused President Droupadi Murmu of acting on the advice of the BJP and questioned her silence on issues affecting tribal communities in other states. This comes after Murmu raised concerns about the pace of tribal development in West Bengal.
Modi accused Congress and RJD leaders of insulting 'Chhathi Maiyya' to gain votes in the Bihar elections.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee escalates tensions ahead of assembly polls by accusing President Droupadi Murmu of political bias and criticising her stance on tribal welfare, sparking a major controversy.
A women offers prayers to the Sun God on the occasion of the Chhath Puja in Bhubaneswar.
After two years of restrictions due to COVID-19, devotional fervour gushed forth across Bihar and parts of India where Biharis are in present on Sunday when salutations were offered to the setting sun on the auspicious occasion of Chhath.
Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor believes migrant workers who stayed back after Chhath Puja are influencing the Bihar assembly elections.
The BJP has filed a complaint with the Election Commission against Rahul Gandhi for his alleged derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during recent rallies in Bihar.
The Election Commission is set to announce the schedule for the Bihar legislative assembly elections on Monday. The announcement will be made at a press conference at 4 pm.
Hardworking people who toil from dawn to dusk and beyond speak about their everyday lives and what they want from the sarkar as Bihar prepares to vote.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday claimed that the Congress had been unwilling to accept Tejashwi Yadav as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) chief ministerial candidate and relented only after the Rashtriya Janata Dal pointed a 'katta', an unlicensed country-made gun, at its head.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday jumped into a muddy pond in Bihar and interacted with fishermen present at the spot, whom he told that they always had his back.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav will address joint rallies before the first Phase of voting and, after that, for the seats in the second Phase of voting, they added.
33 candidates face cases of murder, 86 candidates face cases related to attempted murder, 42 candidates have cases related to crimes against women with two of them facing rape cases.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during rallies in Bihar, accusing him of prioritizing votes over genuine governance and alleging that the BJP is controlling the state government through remote control.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday claimed that people were not voting for the Rashtriya Janata Dal-helmed opposition in Bihar as they fear that if voted to power, its regime will 'put katta to their heads and order them to hold their hands up'.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the record turnout in the first phase of the Bihar assembly polls indicates people's trust in the NDA government. He predicted victory for the NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and lauded the Election Commission for conducting successful elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the GST Council's overhaul of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, calling it 'GST 2.0' and a significant boost for national growth. He highlighted the simplification of the tax system and the introduction of new rates.
A man's alleged suicide in West Bengal, with a note blaming the National Register of Citizens (NRC), has ignited a political firestorm between the ruling TMC and the BJP, with accusations of fear-mongering and political exploitation.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar expressed satisfaction over the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, stating that the exercise has 'purified' the voters' list after 22 years. He made the announcement during a press conference in Patna.
'...the electoral playing field is tilted significantly in its favour.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his Bihar assembly poll campaign, asserting that the NDA under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will break all previous electoral records. He criticized the INDIA bloc and highlighted the NDA's cohesiveness and development efforts in Bihar.
The RJD, which has been voicing apprehensions that the SIR might have been carried out to "help" the BJP-led NDA, also urged the EC to divulge details of the 3.66 lakh persons whose names were deleted from the final electoral roll published earlier this week.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday allowed Chhath Puja celebrations at designated sites in the city except the banks of Yamuna river.
The Congress party has alleged that approximately 23 lakh women's names have been removed from the voter list in Bihar, particularly in constituencies with close contests in the 2020 elections. They claim this is a deliberate act of 'vote theft' orchestrated by the ruling party through the Election Commission.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his pain over the abuse directed at his mother during a Congress rally in Bihar, stating that the people of Bihar will not forgive the RJD and Congress for their actions.
'Without our support Nitish Kumar wouldn't have become chief minister.' 'After the government was formed we became ministers, but our agenda remained the same: Amit Shah had promised reservation for Nishads.' 'He wouldn't listen, so we went to UP and contested 52 seats in the 2022 elections. He didn't like the idea of rebellion.' 'He saw that this man, coming from Bombay, is very sharp. He's made four MLAs now, tomorrow he'll make 40. A time will come when they will make it 125.' 'They bought our MLAs and ousted us from the government.'
This festive season, Indian homes are mixing global luxury with personal touches using heirloom fabrics, handmade decor, and nostalgic menus to create celebrations that feel both grand and intimate.
Bihar has been cleaning its homes and surroundings, including the narrowest of lanes, and especially the roads leading to the Ganga ghats and the ponds. Devotional songs can be heard every where you go during Chhath, says M I Khan.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in an order last week prohibited Chhath Puja celebrations at public places, including riverbanks, water bodies and temples, in view of the COVID-19 situation.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority in its order on October 29 allowed Chhath celebrations at "designated sites" barring the banks of the Yamuna.
The Bombay high court on Thursday quashed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) order revoking permission granted earlier to an organisation headed by a former corporator of the Nationalist Congress Party to conduct Chhath Puja at a suburban ground.
Effects of the pandemic were all too stark as the rituals were performed with face masks on.
This year, the festival is being celebrated amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and many devotees said that they prayed to Chhathi Maiyya to keep everyone safe from the virus. "I am keeping fast without water for four days. We will pray to Chhathi Maiyya to keep everyone safe from COVID-19," says Rinku Devi, a devotee, after taking a dip in the river.
A seemingly innocuous word, "bhai" (brother), led to a 13-minute disruption in the Delhi Assembly on Thursday, with the ruling BJP and the opposition AAP engaging in heated exchanges. The incident began when PWD minister Parvesh Verma used the word during a debate on the Teerth Yatra Samiti, prompting AAP MLAs to accuse him of disrespect. Three AAP MLAs were marshalled out by the Speaker amid the uproar, which even saw BJP legislators chanting slogans of "Chhathi maiya ki jai".
While people gathered at Lucknow's Gomti riverfront, the Ganga banks in Varanasi and Patna were abuzz with devotees, keeping the COVID-19 protocols at bay.
This is not the first time that a large number of people have died in stampedes at temples and other religious gatherings over the years in India.
Sinha, who pioneered and popularised the rich folk traditions of Bihar beyond its borders, was undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Delhi for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.
