`Lalu ki beti` Misa goes hi-tech to win Patliputra

Patliputra: Battling two heavyweights in her debut in the political arena, Misa Bharti is banking on hi-tech poll strategies and family support in her bid to salvage the pride of her father RJD supremo Lalu Yadav, who lost the Patliputra seat in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. 39-year-old Misa, an MBBS, is fighting from this seat against two seasoned politicians once considered her father's very close aides- ex-RJD veteran and now BJP candidate Ram Kripal Yadav and sitting MP Ranjan Prasad Yadav of JD(U). Significantly, Ranjan defeated Lalu in 2009 by a margin of over 23,000 votes here. Apart from the vote bank of her father, who cannot contest polls due to conviction in a fodder scam case, Misa is relying on her husband's management skills for her electoral debut in this seat nestled along the banks of river Ganga. Being a computer engineer and management graduate, Misa's husband Shailesh Kumar is giving hi-tech support to her election campaign. Patliputra goes to polls on April 17. "Naturally his experience is coming handy. We are doing our campaign in a more planned way on the basis of new hi-tech analysis," Misa told 

Jolt to Nitish Kumar, Kisanganj candidate withdraws in favour of Congress

Kisanganj: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Tuesday suffered a jolt as JD(U) candidate from Kisanganj withdrew in favour of Congress nominee in the Parliamentary Election. "I have decided to withdraw myself from election in favour of sitting Congress candidate to check split of minority votes," JD(U) candidate Akhtarul Iman said. Congress candidate Maulana Asrarul Haque is seeking re-election from the minority dominated Kisanganj Lok Sabha seat. Iman had recently crossed over to JD(U) from RJD and had resigned as MLA of that party from Kochadhaman in Kisanganj district. He was among 13 RJD MLAs to rebel against the party and seek separate status. He was rewarded by Nitish Kumar with Lok Sabha ticket from Kisanganj. With the withdrawal of Iman, Kisanganj will witness a direct contest between Asrarul Haque (Congress) and D K Jaiswal (BJP). The seat will go to voting on April 24. Iman said he tried to contact the Chief Minister to acquaint him with his decision to withdraw from the race, but could not get through him. "I have acquainted JD(U) leaders in Kisanganj about the decision," he said.

UP, Bihar, Karna will change fortunes of BJP: Ananth Kumar

Bangalore: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Karnataka would change the "fortunes" of BJP and help it secure majority but the government would be formed with NDA partners, party leader Ananth Kumar said on Monday. "There is a Modi wave in the country. There are three states which will change the fortunes of BJP - UP, Bihar and Karnataka. BJP has the chance to win 80 plus seats in these states. It will form the government at the Centre with a clear majority," he told reporters at meet-the-press event organised by Bangalore Reporters Guild here. Kumar, however, said BJP would form government with NDA partners even if the party gets a majority mandate. "We want to continue our relations with NDA partners and form government," he said. On Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's remarks that there is no Modi wave, Kumar said there is anti-Siddaramaiah wave in Karnataka. "There is no Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and there is no hope of Manmohan Singh's wave. If anything, there is a heavy anti-Siddaramaiah wave. If he is not able to see the Modi wave, it will make (him) extinct."

Polling begins in six seats in Bihar, Maoist attack in Munger

Patna: Polling began Thursday in six of the 40 constituencies, all in Maoist-hit areas, for the first of the six-phased Lok Sabha polls in Bihar. The constituencies where polling is being held, starting at 7 am, are Sasaram (SC), Karakat, Aurangabad, Gaya (SC), Nawada and Jamui (SC). About an hour and a half before the start of polling, Maoists triggered a bomb blast in Munger, killing two CRPF jawans and injuring three others, when they were on their way to a polling station in Jamui parliamentary constituency. Of the 80 candidates, including 10 women, the electoral fate of outgoing Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, former Kerala governor Nikhil Kumar and actor-turned-politician Chirag Paswan, son of LJP president Ramvilas Paswan will be decided. Meira is seeking re-election for the third consecutive term from Sasaram, her home turf, which elected her father and Dalit icon Babu Jagjivan Ram eight times since independence to 1984. Chirag Paswan is debuting in Jamui (SC) seat and is pitted against Assembly speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary. 

Cong withdraws candidates from two Assembly seats in Bihar

Patna: Congress has decided to withdraw its candidates from Vaisi and Khochadhaman Assembly seats where bypoll will be held along with three other constituencies. Congress has decided against contesting Kochadhaman and Baisi Assembly seats and asked its candidates to withdraw from the fray, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) Vice-President Prem Chandra Mishra said on Wednesday. Explaining the reason for the decision, he said, since both assembly segments were part of Kishanganj parliamentary seat being contested by sitting Congress MP Asrarul Haque, the party did not want any confusion to prevail vis-a-vis the alliance with the RJD for the Lok Sabha elections. On Maharajganj assembly seat, he said, Congress was considering whether to contest the seat and a decision would be taken soon. Earlier Congress had announced that it would contest the bypoll to five Assembly seats without any alliance with the RJD. 

CRPF hints at mistake in defusing IED which killed 3 in Bihar

Gurgaon: The CRPF on Wednesday indicated that there could have been a "mistake" by its officials in crippling an IED in Bihar's Aurangabad district which left three of its personnel dead and seven others injured. However, CRPF chief Dilip Trivedi dismissed any shortcomings in the evacuation of one of its jawan whose heart wrenching appeal to save him was flashed across TV channels and social media platforms. "Our officers have come back (from Bihar) after investigations in this case. The information that I have got is that there is no such lapse (in evacuating the injured personnel). Also, may be, it can be said that there could have been a slight mistake or lapse in handling the IED but it can be a human error. "Even experts commit mistakes but it is important to see that our men went on a mission of national security and we should not be doubtful about someone who has sacrificed his life," CRPF Director General Dilip Trivedi told reporters on the sidelines of the 'valour day' and passing out of new officers event here.