A young girl wants to correct her father's name in her school certificate; a man wants his three year unpaid rent from a government doctor, an athlete wants an archery set... Scenes from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Darbar, recorded by Rediff.com's Archana Masih.
Nitish Kumar's decision to contest the Rajya Sabha elections signals the end of his long-standing tenure as Bihar's Chief Minister, paving the way for a potential BJP leader to take the helm.
Sony Sports Network has secured exclusive television broadcast rights for the upcoming three-match T20I series between India and Afghanistan, scheduled from September 13 to 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The series will feature India led by Shreyas Iyer and Afghanistan led by Ibrahim Zadran, with both teams showcasing aggressive T20 cricket. This acquisition strengthens Sony's sports portfolio and offers a platform for Afghanistan to demonstrate its talent against a top-tier team.
India's spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule has indicated that Ravindra Jadeja's prospects for the 2027 ODI World Cup are strong, with his all-round skills being a crucial factor. The team is actively assessing various spin options, including Axar Patel, and using current series to experiment with combinations and fine-tune the squad for the upcoming showpiece event in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
'If Nitish Kumar were to depart from this alliance, it would signal substantial instability in central government politics.'
Abhishek Sharma etched his name in cricket history by smashing the fastest T20 International hundred by an Indian, a blistering 30-ball century against Afghanistan before the hosts won the match by 127 runs to sweep the series.
Bihar's political corridors are buzzing with rumours of the star-politician joining hands with Nitish Kumar.
"Best wishes to Nitish Kumar ji on being nominated as the chief minister. I hope he makes his priority positive issues such as aspirations of the people of Bihar, the NDA's promise of 19 lakh jobs-employment, education, health, livelihood, irrigation and justice rather than his ambition for the chair," Tejashwi wrote in a social media post.
Bihar Police have arrested three individuals in connection with a deeply disturbing viral video from Jamui showing the harassment of a young couple, an incident that has sparked widespread social media outrage and strong political condemnation.
'Nitish Kumar has only done what any smart politician will do in his place,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
'Nitish Kumar is the only leader who gave us everything.'
The BCCI's fitness monitoring system is under scrutiny after pacer Harshit Rana was found overweight despite being cleared for selection for the England tour. This incident, coupled with other player injuries, has prompted the board to introduce stricter, uniform fitness benchmarks, including a fixed Bronco Test standard, to address inconsistencies and improve player fitness assessment.
'Nitish Kumar has reverted to the 1990s model. The besetting sin of this type of ministry formation was a fundamental insult to democracy,' argues T V R Shenoy. 'Not only did it not inform the voter who the prime ministerial candidate was, but it also gloried in keeping out the largest party in the Lok Sabha.'
India, having already secured the T20 series against Afghanistan, is likely to experiment with its playing XI in the third and final match in New Delhi. This provides an opportunity for players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and others on the bench to get game time before the Asian Games, while Afghanistan aims for an improved performance to boost morale.
'Voters from the forward castes voted for JD-U because they feared Laloo Yadav's return, but since that fear is no longer there they may not see the need to vote for Nitish Kumar anymore.'
VVS Laxman, BCCI's Centre of Excellence chief, will coach the Indian men's cricket team at the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. He will be assisted by Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh. Gautam Gambhir, the regular head coach, will be with the senior team for the West Indies ODI series. Amol Muzumdar will continue as the head coach for the Indian women's team, who will also defend their title.
Dharmendra Kumar Singh says the Bihar chief minister may be fighting a losing battle.
Nitish Kumar may be in the chief minister's chair again, but with the BJP grabbing the home department and the assembly speaker's post, the real power in Bihar has shifted unmistakably, reports MI Khan.
Police in Jamui, Bihar, have arrested two main accused in the molestation of a minor girl, bringing the total arrests to five. The arrests followed an encounter where the accused were injured. The incident, captured in a viral video, has ignited a fierce political debate between the ruling NDA and opposition parties over law and order in the state.
Rampant crime challenges the chief minister's promise to maintain law and order. But some say there are other forces at play.
Political activity in Bihar is all set to intensify once the inauspicious kharmas period ends on April 14. Will Nitish Kumar pull another rabbit out of his hat? M I Khan reports.
Singh, considered close to RJD president Lalu Prasad and his family, was charged with raising slogans against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on February 13, during a heated exchange in the House.
Iltija Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party leader, filed a police complaint in Srinagar seeking a first information report against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over a widely circulated video showing him removing a woman doctor's naqab at an official event in Patna.
The rumours have primarily been about the impending resignation of JD-U national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', for alleged proximity towards ally Rashtriya Janaat Dal at the expense of loyalty to his own party.
Kumar has to be elected to the legislative council within six months of assuming power as chief minister.
Hindustani Awam Morcha chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday alleged that "poisonous substances" were being mixed into the food served to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, by those "coveting his chair".
Questioning the secular credentials of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Rashitriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad on Thursday said Janata Dal-United is in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is being dictated by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Indian batter Dhruv Jurel scored an unbeaten 115, becoming only the second Indian to hit a Test century at No. 7 or lower in Sri Lanka. His crucial partnerships, including a 112-run stand with Rishabh Pant, helped India declare at 503/9, putting them in a strong position against Sri Lanka in the second Test.
The BJP knows that there is no leader in its ranks who can match Modi's popularity or have his cult following, and what awaits is a return to the Vajpayee numbers, when allies called the shots, argues Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
As the ruling alliance starts feeling the tremors, discussions on new equations have also started, reports Satyavrat Mishra.
Political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party has secured its first seat in the Bihar Assembly, with Kishor winning the Bankipur bypoll in his electoral debut, stunning the BJP in its long-held bastion.
Maestro Virat Kohli and skipper Shubman Gill displayed their mastery in 50-over format with virtuoso hundreds as India subdued the West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
Eleven days after Nitish Kumar government declared 28 of 38 districts as drought hit, he announced in his speech that remaining 10 districts have been declared as drought hit."Now entire Bihar has been declared drought hit in view of scanty rainfall" Nitish Kumar said.
Nitish has warned that FDI in retail sector will destroy the local retailers across the country.
After the National Democratic Alliance swept the assembly polls in Bihar, rediff.com's N Ganesh spoke to Biharis in Mumbai to gauge their reactions to Nitish Kumar's impressive performance.
'If the BJP continues with Nitish as CM, it will not consolidate its position further in future.'
The RJD supremo also said that Nitish should cover his body with saffron cloths and chant Jai Shri Ram.
India begin their 2027 ODI World Cup preparations against Afghanistan with Rohit Sharma's fitness and Nitish Kumar Reddy's all-round abilities under scrutiny, while Shubman Gill continues to shape his leadership credentials.
India's top centrally-contracted cricketers, including Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, underwent mandatory fitness tests at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. These assessments, featuring the Bronco Test, 2k run, and YoYo test, are crucial for the upcoming eight-month home season, which includes series against Afghanistan and West Indies, and the Asian Games.
National selectors are set to convene in New Delhi to finalise India's ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming home series against West Indies, with Rishabh Pant's potential white-ball return and Hardik Pandya's fitness being the primary discussion points.
