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.
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.
Modi accused Congress and RJD leaders of insulting 'Chhathi Maiyya' to gain votes in the Bihar elections.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
'...the electoral playing field is tilted significantly in its favour.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
'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.'
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 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.
A women offers prayers to the Sun God on the occasion of the Chhath Puja in Bhubaneswar.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
The Royal Challenger's Bengaluru parade in celebration of the team's maiden Indian Premiere League win in 18 years turned into tragedy as at least 11 fans died and several were injured in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday allowed Chhath Puja celebrations at designated sites in the city except the banks of Yamuna river.
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.
The railway authorities have made arrangements by adding special trains for UP and Bihar, with a new train added for Gorakhpur in UP from Udhna on Sunday, officials said.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, the power couple of Bollywood and cricket, enjoyed a casual dosa date at Benne Bombay, a popular eatery in Bandra, north west Mumbai.
Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party chief Virendra Sachdeva was admitted to the RML Nursing Home on Saturday with complaints of itching and breathing difficulties, two days after he took a dip in the heavily-polluted Yamuna to highlight the alleged failure of the Aam Aadmi Party government to clean the river.
'The great singer Shardaji took Bhojpuri music and singing to the national and international level with her singing!'
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.
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.
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.
Effects of the pandemic were all too stark as the rituals were performed with face masks on.
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