C M Y K RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008 NO !"# "# #" $% & ith the AAP and the P he Opposition O WCongress going public TMahagathbandhan is final- in asserting that they will not ly in place in Bihar. The enter into an alliance, it is now Congress on Tuesday agreed to NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who contest on nine seats as against OO has entered the scene to play its insistence for 11 seats. The the mediator, in what is being alliance’ mainstay RJD will seen as a last-ditch attempt to contest 20 seats, seven less PNS: BJP Lok Sabha MP forge a pre-poll alliance than it fought in 2014 thus Shatrughan Sinha may be pit- between the two parties in paving the way for the accom- ted on a Congress ticket from Delhi to take on the BJP, which modation of other smaller par- Patna Sahib against Union holds all the seven Lok Sabha ties in the grouping. Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. seats in the Capital. Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP The confusion over After a series of flip-flops will fight on four seats and Jitan Darbhanga seat is also under- between both the parties, P Ram Majhi’s HAM on three stood to be cleared as Kirti sources said Congress Central seats. RJD leader Tejashwi Azad will be the Congress leadership has started a rethink Yadav, who is spearheading candidate from the seat. While on the insistence of their the formation of the much- Azad was suspended from alliance partners’ tallest leader hyped grand alliance, has BJP and he joined Congress, Pawar, who met Congress chief rushed to Ranchi to brief and Sinha has kept it a secret on his Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun further deliberate with RJD part but has made his inten- Kharge first and then AAP’s P patriarch Lalu Prasad, cur- tions obvious by criticising his Sanjay Singh, also a Rajya rently cooling his heels in jail parent party BJP and Prime Sabha member. The Maratha in a multi-crore fodder scam. by RJD which had field- what the other was Minister Narendra Modi on strongman had last month P The Mahagathbandhan in ed him on its ticket five to get. The cur- several occasions. hosted a mega Opposition Bihar formally acknowledges years ago but expelled rent impasse sur- meeting that starred Rahul Congress, RJD, RLSP, HAM, him later on disciplinary joint Press conference by rep- faced following Tejashwi indi- Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and her party colleagues at her She also urged the leader- Sharad Yadav’s Loktantrik grounds. resentatives of all the grand cating “fissures” as crisis over Mamata Banerjee. home to reconsider a tie-up ship to spell out its stand to Janata Dal and Mukesh Sahnis “RJD is to contest on 20 alliance partners. seat-sharing deepened in the Following Pawar’s media- with AAP — an idea that she avoid confusion among party Vikasheel Insaan Party as its seats, Congress on 9 seats, Sharing of seats in the Bihar Mahagathbandhan. tion, Delhi Congress president has resisted vehemently so far. workers. constituents. While Congress RLSP on 4, HAM on 3, LJD Grand Alliance was hampered Amid hard bargaining by Sheila Dikshit convened an Sources said 13 former While Dikshit has strong- wants to take on board and VIP on 2 seats each,” said by squabbles between smaller smaller parties, the major play- urgent meeting with the three Congress district presidents ly opposed a tie-up with the Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav, AICC sources, adding that a partners like the RLSP and the ers — RJD and Congress — working presidents — have written a letter to party AAP, Congress incharge of whose wife Ranjeet Ranjan is a formal announcement would HAM with each party demand- locked horns over the seat Devender Yadav, Haroon Yusuf chief Rahul Gandhi asking for Delhi PC Chacko made it clear Congress MP, it was opposed come up on Wednesday at a ing a share that was bigger than sharing arrangements. and Rajesh Lilothia — of Delhi an alliance with the AAP. on Tuesday that “Delhi leaders Pradesh Congress Committee Dikshit, a three-time Chief have to follow the Congress’ (DPCC), which had opposed an Minister whose rule ended policy decision to go for O alliance with AAP. The leaders with AAP’s rise in Delhi, had alliances with parties opposed R did not divulge any details and on Monday warned in a letter to the BJP”. Even after Pawar’s only stated that the meeting was to Rahul and UPA chairperson intervention, Sheila said she over decision of candidates for Sonia Gandhi that an alliance was against the alliance but will the Lok Sabha elections. with the AAP will hurt the follow whatever the party lead- Sources said Sheila met Congress in the long run. ership decides. P Bhopal: In a heart rending incident, he BJP-led Government in police have revealed that a girl whose TGoa will face the floor test beheaded body was found three days on Wednesay, a day after it was ago in Sagar district of Madhya formed. Governor Mridula Pradesh was brutally raped by her Sinha has convened a special three brothers and uncle. session of the Assembly on Contrary to allegations of the Wednesday at 11.30 am to family which had alleged kidnapping enable Chief Minister Pramod Madhya Pradesh till now offers and murder of the girl by a rival Kurmi Sawant to prove his majority in 16 per cent reservation to SCs, family over old enmity, the police have the House, an official said. he Madhya Pradesh High 20 per cent to STs and 14 per revealed that the girl was actually Sawant on Tuesday said his TCourt on Tuesday stayed cent to Other Backward gang-raped by her three real brothers Government had sought a floor the state government's ordi- Categories (OBCs). and uncle who later chopped off her test on Wednesday to prove its nance increasing reservation The MP government while head to conceal their heinous crime. strength in the Assembly. The for Other Backward Classes raising the OBC quota had Sagar police made revelations in Government in the coastal (OBC) category to 27 per cent contested that OBCs comprise the case on Tuesday. Three arrested by State claims support of 21 from the earlier 14 per cent. around 52 per cent of the total police including two brothers of the MLAs — 12 from the BJP, three The Congress government population of the state so hapless girl and his uncle confessed to each of allies Goa Forward in the state had issued an ordi- increasing their quota was nec- police during investigation that she Party (GFP) and nance on March 8 increasing essary to safeguards interests of wasn’t allowed to leave for school on P Maharashtrawadi Gomantak the reservation in the OBC cat- the community. Wednesday and instead was abduct- Party (MGP) and three egory to 27 per cent. The decision to hike OBC ed by eldest brother Ramlal who took Independents. The double bench of justice quota was approved by Kamal her to uncle Banshilal’s secluded room Modi and other top leaders, Assembly polls last year. The The strength of the 40- RS Jha and Sanjay Dwivedi Nath cabinet on March 6. outside the village Belakhedi in Banda met here to deliberate over its Congress had won 68 seats, member House has been ordered here on Tuesday that Bhopal, had filed the petition The Congress government town of Sagar. n a major decision, the BJP candidates for the polls. reducing the tally of the BJP, reduced to 36 due to the death the MBBS counselling which opposing the MP government’s is yet to implement 10% quota Showing no respect for blood Ion Tuesday announced it “We have decided to fight which was in power in the of Chief Minister Manohar gets underway from March 25 move of hiking OBC reserva- offered to economically poor relations, first the eldest among broth- will drop its all 10 incumbent the elections with new can- State for 15 years, to a mere Parrikar, BJP MLA Francis would be undertaken as per 14 tion quota from existing 14 per and has formed a committee to ers –Ramlal (22) raped the minor girl MPs from Chhattisgarh and didates and new zeal,” Jain 15. The difference in the vote D’Souza and resignations of per cent reservation to OBCs. cent to 27 per cent. look into the implementation while other brothers – aged around 17 replace them with new faces told reporters. The party deci- share of the two parties was two Congress MLAs Subhash The HC served notice to The Kamal Nath govern- aspects of the provision. and 19 years took turns to rape their in the Lok Sabha polls, a deci- sion means that Union a huge 10 per cent. The BJP Shirodkar and Dayanand Dept of Medical Education, ment through a gazette notifi- BJP spokesperson Rajneesh sister. Their uncle-Banshilal, 40, also sion that comes in the wake Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and is also considering not field- Sopte. MP--seeking a reply on the cation days ago had announced Agrawal on the HC verdict joined in and raped the girl. of the party’s drubbing in the seven times Lok Sabha mem- ing any family member of The Congress is the single matter within a week’s time. to hike reservation quota for slammed Kamal Nath govern- The autopsy had later revealed that recent Assembly elections. ber and former Union these sitting MPs, sources largest party in the State with Referring to constitution- OBCs in the state to 27 per cent ment said the Congress gov- the perpetrators also engaged in BJP general secretary Minister Ramesh Bais will not said.