Bihar Assembly Election 2020: "Everyone belongs to this country, everyone is Indian," he said.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday publicly told off Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, for his comments on "throwing out infiltrators".
"Who does all this malicious campaigning? Who says all this faltu baat (nonsense)? Who will throw out people? No one dares do that. Everyone belongs to this country, everyone is Indian," the Bihar Chief Minister said at a public meeting.
Though Mr Kumar did not name anyone in his speech, but it was widely perceived as a rejoinder to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart, who has talked about the new law that enables Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they fled religious persecution and entered India before 2015.
Meanwhile, the voting percentage in the second phase of polling on 94 seats in the Bihar assembly elections increased to 55.70 from 54.64 after updation of the figures by the Election Commission on Wednesday.
Here are the Highlights on Bihar Assembly Election 2020:
Vote For My Sister Subhashini 'Sharad Yadav', Rahul Gandhi Says In BiharSubhashini Yadav, a Congress debutant in the Bihar election, has the big task of protecting her father's legacy. Sharad Yadav, a veteran politician, won and lost many times from the Madhepura Lok Sabha constituency.
The 73-year-old is currently in a hospital in Delhi.
His daughter Subhashini is contesting from the Bihariganj seat in Madhepura, where voting will take place on Saturday, in the last phase of the Bihar election.
Election posters in the constituency introduce her as Subhashini Sharad Yadav.
Sharad Yadav has represented Madhepura in Parliament four times. He lost the last two Lok Sabha elections.
Subhashini Yadav is from Madhya Pradesh, but she chose Madhepura for her first poll contest as a mark of respect to BP Mandal, the author of the Mandal Commission report, who was born here.
Last Election, Says Nitish Kumar. And Chirag Paswan Zinger FollowsNitish Kumar's statement at a rally that the Bihar election is his last, clarified later by his aides, did not pass without biting comments from his opposition rival Tejashwi Yadav and his former ally turned chief critic Chirag Paswan.
"Today is the last day (of campaign for the final phase of the election). The day after, this election will end and this is my last election. Ant bhala to sab bhala (All's well that ends well)," Nitish Kumar said while campaigning in Bihar's Purnea for the state polls that end on Saturday.
Amid furious retirement buzz, sources close to the five-time chief minister clarified that he meant "last election meeting of this election".
"Trump Struggled, Modiji Saved India": JP Nadda's Covid Claim In BiharPrime Minister Narendra Modi has done what US President Donald Trump failed to do and "saved the country" from the novel coronavirus, BJP President JP Nadda declared Thursday at an election rally in Bihar's Darbhanga, which goes to the polls on Saturday in the final phase of voting.
Praising the centre's handling of a pandemic that has, so far, infected nearly 84 lakh and killed over 1.24 lakh people in the country, Mr Nadda referred to the ongoing US presidential election and the multiple criticisms of Mr Trump's handling of the Covid situation - an issue that has featured prominently in the campaign of his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden.
"The results of the US elections are being declared and the allegation against Donald Trump is that he could not handle COVID-19 properly. But Modiji saved the country and its 130 crore population by taking timely decisions," Mr Nadda said.
"I need Nitish Kumar's government for development": PM writes to Bihar
Ahead of the third and final phase of polling in Bihar on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written an open letter to the people of the state, telling them he needs the Nitish Kumar government for the development of Bihar.
"I need Nitish Kumar's government in Bihar to ensure that the state's development is not derailed and that it doesn't fall short,"
PM Modi wrote in his four-page letter in Hindi.
AIMIM colluding with BJP, will have little impact on polls: Congress' Bihar chief
Dubbing the AIMIM as the BJP's "B-team", Congress' Bihar unit chief Madan Mohan Jha on Thursday accused the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party of colluding with the BJP, but said it will not have any significant impact on the assembly polls as people will not "waste" their votes, PTI reported.
Don't vote for those who won't come to seek blessings again: Chirag Paswan
Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan on Thursday reacted to Nitish Kumar's statement that Bihar election 2020 is his last election, and urged the voters not to vote for those who will not come to ask for blessings again, ANI reported.
"Saheb has said that this is his last election. This time, he has not given the account of the last five years and has already said he will not come to the account next time. Do not waste your rights to those who will not come to ask for your blessings again tomorrow. Neither sir will remain nor JDU. Then who will we account for?" Chirag Paswan Tweeted.
Asaduddin Owaisi's goodwill or winnability of Mahagathbandhan: Muslim votes hold key in Bihar's Seemanchal region
The goodwill AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi enjoys among a large section of Muslims in Seemanchal, a region his party has focussed on in the Bihar assembly polls, appears unmistakable and many of them express their disaffection with the Congress for not speaking more strongly on issues like the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
However, as the region with the state's highest concentration of Muslims readies for polls on November 7 in the last phase of the elections, it is the RJD-Congress-Left alliance that draws considerable support from the community amid sporadic voices in Mr Owaisi's support as they weigh their choices.
If there is certain unhappiness among them with the opposition alliance, there also seems to be a realisation that it remains their best bet, PTI reported.
Fight of development vs destruction, says JP Nadda on last day of Bihar campaign
BJP president JP Nadda assailed the opposition Mahagathbandhan on Thursday, saying the ongoing election in the state is a contest between those who work for the development and those who took the state towards "destruction".
Addressing an election rally here on the last of the campaign, he attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he never realises when he starts opposing India's national interest in his quest for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PTI reported.
This is my last election, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tells poll rally; according to news agency PTI.
Polling in 1st and 2nd phases in Mahagathbandhan's favour: Tej Pratap
Exuded confidence that the Grand Alliance will form the next government in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Thursday said that the polling in the first and second phases of the ongoing elections had been in the Mahagathbandhan's favour.
"It is certain that the Mahagathbandhan will form the next government in the state. We have full faith in the way, in which votes were cast (in our favour) in the first and second phases. Voting in the third phase too will be in our favour. It is time for development in Bihar," he told reporters.
The Mahagathbandhan is in the fray against the incumbent Janata Dal (United)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which consists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and two other parties, ANI reported.
For Subhashini "Sharad Yadav", protecting father's turf, legacy uphill task on poll debut
She jumped into the electoral battle to protect her father Sharad Yadav's political legacy, but the journey to success in Bihariganj assembly seat is an arduous one for Subhashini Raj Rao, who as a Congress candidate is locked in a multi-corner contest in the constituency.
A part of the Madhepura Lok Sabha seat, Bihariganj will go to polls in the third and last phase on November 7, PTI reported.
No question of any Indian citizen leaving country: Dharmendra Pradhan
Trying to instil confidence among people, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said there is no question of Indian citizens leaving the country.
His remark came after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said nobody had the power to throw anybody out of the country, apparently allaying fears of people in the region over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
"There is no question of any Indian citizen leaving India. But even globally, all nations have done the work of identifying their own citizens and foreigners living in their country. So, India is also taking the initiative recently to start a similar exercise," Mr Pradhan told news agency ANI.
Addressing a rally in poll-bound Bihar's Kishanganj,
Nitish Kumar said: "Who keeps spreading misinformation, keeps talking rubbish? Who will send whom out of the country? No one has the power to throw anyone out as all belong to India. Sab Hindustan ke hain, sab Bharat ke hain. Kaun kisko bahar karega (All belong to Hindustan, all belong to Bharat. Who will throw anyone out)?"
People from all castes should come together to form RJD government: Tejashwi Yadav
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday said that people from all castes should come together to form the RJD government in Bihar, ANI reported.
"Everyone should come together to form a government - whether be it the forward caste, backward caste, Dalits or Mahadalits. I will take everyone together. We have taken a resolution to take everyone together to form the government," Mr Yadav said at an election rally in Saharsa.
Chirag Paswan, whose attacks on the Chief Minister have been increasingly bitter since he announced his decision to contest the Bihar election separately from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), today hit out at the JD(U) leader over an onion attack at a recent public meeting while campaigning for state polls.
"Instead of asking people to come to him and talk about their problems, he instigated them and said 'pheko, pheko aur pheko,'" the Lok Janshakti Party chief said today.
Revised voting percentage in second phase of Bihar polls recorded at 55.70%
The voting percentage in the second phase of polling on 94 seats in the Bihar assembly elections increased to 55.70 after updation of the figures by the Election Commission on Wednesday.
The provisional voting figure till late Tuesday night was 54.64 which rose marginally after the poll panel updated the data with the arrival of more inputs from these constituencies.
"Who Talks Like This?" Nitish Kumar Disses Yogi Adityanath's CAA Comment
Nitish Kumar on Wednesday publicly told off Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, for his comments on "throwing out infiltrators".
"Who does all this malicious campaigning? Who says all this faltu baat (nonsense)? Who will throw out people? No one dares do that. Everyone belongs to this country, everyone is Indian," the Bihar Chief Minister said at a public meeting.
Though Mr Kumar did not name anyone in his speech, but it was widely perceived as a rejoinder to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart, who has talked about the new law that enables Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they fled religious persecution and entered India before 2015.
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