Day: December 2, 2019

BJP needs to introspect in Jharkhand, says party spokesman Praveen Prabhakar before resigning.

Source – indiatoday.in

In a jolt to the BJP in Jharkhand where polls are underway, its principal spokesman and a leading light of the statehood demand, Praveen Prabhakar, on Sunday resigned from the party. He will now contest the Assembly elections from Nala on a National Peoples’ Party (NPP) ticket.

Associated with the BJP for the past five years, Prabhakar had been among the founding members of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), which fought the 2014 Assembly election in alliance with the BJP but is contesting separately this time. He was said to be unhappy with the ticket distribution in the state by the party.

Prabhakar told IANS that he had learnt a lot from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief and Home Minister Amit Shah but in Jharkhand, the BJP needed to do some introspection.

He joined the National Peoples’ Party (NPP), headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, at its national convention at the Constitution Club in Ranchi on Sunday, and was named its candidate from Nala, which will go to polls in the last of the five phases on December 20.

Shillong MP and former Union Minister Agatha Sangma, Meghalaya Home Minister James Sangma and NPP’s Jharkand chief Raj Kumar Poddar were also present at the programme.

The NPP was recently recognised as a national political party by the Election Commission, making it one of the eight to enjoy this status.

Speaking on the occasion, Conrad Sangma recalled his father and former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma had set up the party in 2013 and his dream was that it not remained confined to the northeast but spread to other states across India as a national party to help the deprived.

Hailing Prabhakar’s joining his party, Sangma said that he would help the NPP increase its footprint in Jharkhand and other states and thus “all would together help achieve the late Sangma’s dream”.

Prabhakar said that he does not have any personal grievance with the BJP but it needs to do some soul-searching in his state. Extolling the leadership of Modi and Amit Shah, he said that under them, “the nation was progressing on all fronts, but in Jharkhand, the aspirations of the people were being constantly snuffed. I dedicated all I had for the creation of Jharkhand (as a separate state) and will continue to fight all my life for its development. I have full faith that I will get the assistance and guidance of NPP leaders in this endeavour…”.

Despite Being Politically Powerful & Affluent, How a Backward Community in Jharkhand Figured on Poll Planks.

Source – news18.com

Patna/Ranchi: Ahead of the crucial five-phase Jharkhand assembly elections, all the major political parties and combinations made last-minute promises to garner the votes of the other backward castes (OBCs), especially the Kudmi-Mahato caste, and the Scheduled Tribes.

The Congress promised in its manifesto 27% reservation for the OBCs from the existing 14%, jobs to at least one person per household and a separate Sarna code (religious code) for the tribal population of Jharkhand if voted to power.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah at one of its election rallies also announced to form a commission for reservation to the backward caste youth and dole out jobs to them. Shah said that the BJP government would provide an opportunity to the OBCs, which have been neglected during 70 years of Congress rule in the country.

Simultaneously, the main opposition Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led by Sibu Soren has pledged to provide 67% reservation to OBCs, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes besides government jobs to the local people if it came to power in the state. The JMM also promised an allowance of Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000 per month to unemployed graduates and post-graduates besides reserving 75% jobs in the private sector for the local youth.

The Congress strategy in promising increase in reservation for the OBCs appears to be an attempt to snatch the OBC quota plank from the BJP and its disgruntled ally — the All Jharkhand Student Union (AJSU) Party, which has been championing the demand of the Kudmi-Mahato caste for its inclusion in the list of the Scheduled Tribes. The Kudmi-Mahatos constitute around 25 per cent of the total population of Jharkhand.

The higher OBC quota politics is also an attempt to blunt the demand of inclusion of the Kudmi-Mahato in the Scheduled Tribe list as it would require an amendment in Parliament. This attempt, at the same time, has the risk of alienating the substantial tribal population in Jharkhand.

But the offer will certainly have its bearing in the Chotanagpur region, which has substantial population of the Kudmi-Mahato caste. The Congress and others hope to rope in the support of the politically powerful and financially affluent Kudmi-Mahato caste.

The AJSU led by Sudesh Mahato had laboured under the BJP and been rendered redundant under the saffron shadow. But this time, it is trying to firm up its roots by deciding to field candidates against its BJP from 27 assembly seats and hopes to reap dividends from its core vote bank of the Kudmi-Mahato caste. In the 2014 polls, the BJP had won 37 seats in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly and it crossed the majority mark only with the help of five seats won by AJSU.

The Kudmi-Mahato caste of Jharkhand is ethnically and culturally different from the Kurmi caste of Bihar. They observe totems and taboos akin to Munda, Ho, Kharia, Oraon and Santhals. A central government notification of 1913 and notification of the then Bihar-Orissa government of 1931 suggest that Kudmis were part of the Scheduled Tribes. In the 1931 census, the Kudmis of Chotanagpur were included in the list of primitive tribes and it was a part of ST till September 5, 1950. The reason behind the omission of the caste from the list is not yet known.

Scholars like Dr Ram Dayal Munda, Dr Nirmal Minz, N E Horo, Sanjay Basu Mallick and Santosh Rana have observed that Kudmis of Jharkhand should be accorded the status of STs.

At the Adivasi Kudmi Convention held at Purulia on December 27, 1988, N E Horo in a written message stated that Kudmi community should be included into the ST list since they belonged to the ethnic group and remained part of it till 1931.

JMM patriarch Sibu Soren favoured inclusion of the Kudmi-Mahato into the list of Scheduled Tribes observing that they were a sub-caste of Santhals and branched out of the same clan. The then AICC general secretary Ram Ratan Ram had opined that the Kudmi-Mahatos were the tribesmen and promised to raise the issue with the then Prime Minister.

The Totemic Kudmi tribes are highly concentrated in Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Santhal Pargana and Chotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Bonai in Orrisa and Purillia, Bankura and Midnapore, Burdan, Malda, Murshidabad and West Dinajpur in West Bengal. They have been traditionally settled in a well-defined territory bounded by four rivers Damodar, Kanshabati, Subarnarekha and Baitarni, which has been a part of lower Jharkhand.

The BJP is tactically playing safe on this issue although the then BJP government led by chief minister Arjun Munda had recommended to the Centre to provide tribal status to the Kudmi-Mahatos and Ghatwars in 2004.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) too is in support of the demand and supported increase in the OBC quota and inclusion of Kudmi-Mahato in the ST list.

Jharkhand will vote in five phases, with the first one on November 30 and the last on December 20. Results will be declared on December 23.

Jharkhand election: 62% turnout, sporadic violence mark first phase of voting.

Source – indiatoday.in

The first phase of the Jharkhand assembly election was held peacefully with no major untoward incident even though voting was held in 13 assembly constituencies that are severely hit by Maoist activities. However, a few incidents of sporadic violence were reported.

The first phase of Jharkhand assembly election will decide fate of 189 candidates, including 15 women nominees, will be decided in the first phase of the polling in Chatra, Gumla, Bishunpur, Lohardaga, Manika, Latehar, Panki, Daltonganj, Bishrampur, Chhatarpur, Hussainabad, Garhwa and Bhawanathpur.

The Bhawanathpur constituency has the maximum of 28 contestants, while Chatra has the lowest with nine.
An estimated 62.87 per cent votes were cast on Saturday when voting ended at 3pm. This time, the assembly election in Jharkhand is being held in five phases.

Polling officials said the polling percentage is likely to increase as voters who entered the polling stations by 3 pm were allowed to exercise their franchise.

A total of 37,83,055 electorate, including 18,01,356 women and five third-gender voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase of polling across six districts, which began at 7 am on Saturday.

BOMB BLAST

Additional Director General of Police Murari Lal Meena said Naxalites exploded a bomb near a culvert in the forests of Gumla district, but there was no casualty or damage.

“The explosion occurred near the culvert in the forests between Banalat and Biranpur villages under Bishunpur assembly constituency of the district,” Meena said.

He, however, said “peaceful” polling was held in all 13 assembly constituencies.

POLL-DAY CLASH

Palamau Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer Shantanu Agrahari said a minor clash broke out between two groups near Kosiyara polling station in Daltonganj assembly constituency.

The agitators broke the window panes of a police vehicle after Congress candidate KN Tripathi allegedly tried to enter the polling booth with arms, he said, adding, the situation was quickly brought under control.

Police have seized a pistol and three cartridges, which were allegedly in Tripathi’s possession, Agrahari said. The EC officials said women and youth were among the early voters in the first of the five-phase elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly.

Palamau Divisional Commissioner Manoj Kumar Jha said the timing of voting has been fixed between 7 am and 3 pm as several polling stations are in remote areas, and also due to the shorter days in winter.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Key candidates in the fray in today’s poll are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee and state Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi from Bishrampur and state Congress president Rameshwar Oraon from the Lohardaga seat.

Oraon is taking on the former state Congress chief Sukhdeo Bhagat after the latter joined the BJP recently.

Former BJP chief whip Radhakrishna Kishore, who was denied ticket from Chhatarpur, is contesting on an All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) party ticket from the same seat.

The BJP, which is seeking a second straight win under the leadership of Chief Minister Raghubar Das, is contesting in 12 seats in the first phase while it is supporting

Independent candidate Vinod Singh from Hussainabad. The AJSU party is contesting on its own. Challenging the BJP is the opposition alliance of the

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

While the Congress is contesting in six seats in the first phase, the JMM is fighting in four and the RJD in three constituencies in the first phase.

The other parties contesting the elections are Babulal Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), Janata Dal (United) and the Left parties.

The rest of the four phases for the 81-member assembly will be held on December 7, 12, 16 and 20.
Counting is scheduled on December 23.

‘Maharashtra’s side effect could be visible in Bihar soon’: Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.

Source – hindustantimes.com

After a brief lull, speculations of ruling JD(U) realigning with the opposition’s RJD led alliance came into focus once again on Saturday when senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh asserted that both RJD-JD(U) were in talks for a new alliance. He claimed the ‘side effect’ of the recent Maharashtra political crisis would be visible in Bihar politics soon.

“There could be a political upheaval in Bihar soon. Internal talks are going on between RJD and JD (U) for a reunion and there are no objections from both sides,” Singh said.

“The side effect of Maharashtra’s politics where the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress came together will be visible in Bihar also,” he said, hinting that the RJD-JD (U) and Congress could come together once again. JD (U) is a senior partner in the BJP-led NDA in Bihar.

But Singh’s statement of RJD-JD(U) realignment, an experiment that both parties did in 2015, did not find traction within his own party with leader of the opposition Tejaswi Prasad Yadav, summarily, rejecting Singh’s assertion.

“There is no question of RJD having any truck with the JD (U) once again. It is not possible anymore,” Tejaswi said, in a press conference organized to show solidarity of the grand alliance partners towards RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha who has been on a fast onto death over education issues. Kushwaha later withdrew his fast.

JD (U) senior leader and minister Sanjay Jha also trashed Singh’s prophecy of a RJD-JD (U) alliance in the run up to the 2020 assembly polls, saying the JD (U) being a strong partner in the NDA would contest assembly polls with the BJP and LJP. “Like in 2010 assembly polls, the NDA in Bihar will win 206 seats,” he said.

However, Raghuvansh’s statement today just days after Jagdanand Singh took over as RJD state president has given credence to the ongoing speculations that all is not well within the NDA and chances of a political realignment in the state in the run up to the assembly was possible.

It is a different matter that Singh was pulled up by his own party a few months back for advocating that JD (U) and RJD should come together to strengthen the secular front in Bihar in a bid to oust the BJP from power. Singh had also said that RJD should align with JD(U) as it may prove beneficial for the RJD to salvage lost ground after its dismal performance in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“Raghuvansh Singh is a senior leader but what he is talking about has nothing to do with the JD (U). The NDA is intact. But what will happen in politics is never predictable,” said Ram Lakhan, a senior JD (U) leader and former minister.

Jawan in Patna shoots wife, sister-in-law in moving car.

Source – indiatoday.in

An Indian Army jawan shot his wife and sister-in-law to death in a moving car before killing himself on Sunday.

The incident happened at Ranitlab police station area of Bikramganj, Patna in Bihar.

The jawan — Vishnu Sharma — was travelling with his wife, son and sister-in-law in a car from Garhani Bhojpur to Patna. The reason behind the incident is not clear yet but it is reported that the jawan also tried to kill his son.

Vishnu’s son was in the front seat alongside the driver of their car. The jawan and his wife along with his sister-in-law were sitting in the rear seat. The driver, who was Vishnu’s uncle, said there was no tiff that had happened before the fatal shooting incident. Jawan’s uncle said that Vishnu first shot down his sister-in-law and then his wife. Jawan’s uncle said that he stopped the car upon listening the loud gunshot. The jawan wanted to kill the kid but his uncle saved the little one.

The jawan was suffering from dengue for the past one month and was coming to Patna for his treatment. It was then when he shot down his wife and his sister-in-law in the moving car before killing himself.

The jawan was on a leave for the past one and a half months. He took the leave to attend the wedding of his sister-in-law. On November 22, his sister-in-law got married. But on Sunday, she died after the jawan shot her down.

It is reported that dengue had affected his mental health. He was paranoid of somebody killing him all the time and for all these reasons he was often brought to Patna for treatment.

The police are investigating into the matter.

IBPS PO Main 2019 exam analysis: Difficult exam, says expert, Data Interpretation & Analysis section hardest.

Source – indiatoday.in

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection conducted the IBPS PO 2019 main exam for recruiting Probationary Officer on November 30. Being one of the most competitive banking exams in the country, it sees more than 8 lakh candidates apply every year. This time, around 7.5 Lakh candidates appeared for the IBPS PO/MT exam.

IBPS PO main 2019: What is the recruitment for?

There are 4336 vacancies across different states. The prelims exam was held on 12th and 19th October 2019. The final interviews will be conducted in January/February 2020.

IBPS PO mains pattern

The IBPS PO exam had four sectionsReasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude, English Language, Data Interpretation & Analysis and General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness along with Descriptive Test (English Language) and Letter and Essay Writing.

Candidates were given 3 hours and 30 minutes to attempt a total of 155 questions.

IBPS PO exam analysis shows difficult paper

The overall difficulty level of the IBPS PO exam was difficult. The Data Interpretation & Analysis section was the hardest, while Reasoning Ability and Computer Aptitude was moderate to difficult.

The English Language section was moderate to difficult whereas General/ Economy/ Banking Awareness section was moderate.

IBPS PO Main 2019 section-wise analysis

Candidates got 60 minutes for this section. Total number of questions were 45 and the weightage of this section was 60 marks.

The time allotted for this section was 40 minutes. Total number of questions were 35 and the weightage of this section was 40 marks.

Candidates had 45 minutes to solve 35 questions in this section. The total weightage of this section was 60 marks.

IBPS PO Mains: General/Economy/Banking Awareness

This section had to be completed in 35 minutes. Candidates had 40 questions to solve. The weightage of this sections was 40 marks. Current affairs questions were from past three months.

There were a few questions from banking and static awareness. The overall difficulty level was moderate.

IBPS PO 2019: Letter writing section

For writing a letter, candidates had to choose from one of the following three options:

Formal: Letter to a bank regarding the refund of extra EMI deducted

Formal: Letter to a government organisation regarding providing better facilities to old age people

Informal: Letter to a cousin telling about the benefits of taking a part-time job at a college

IBPS PO Mains 2019: Essay writing section

For essay writing, candidates had to choose from one of the below four options:

Pros and cons of a four-day working week policy

Impact of social media on society

Ethical banking

FDI in the manufacturing sector

Good attempt to crack the IBPS PO Mains exam

You should aim to attempt 74+ questions to crack the exam.

BPSC Judicial Service results 2019 declared, steps to check marks, cut-off.

Source – indianexpress.com

BPSC results: Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has declared the 30th Bihar Judicial Service exam results. Candidates who appeared for the examination can check their results from the official website-http://www.bpsc.bih.nic.in

Siya Shruti has secured the top position which is followed by Shashank Sheakhar and Gaurav who have secured the second and third position, respectively. The BPSC Judicial Service exam was conducted in three phases-preliminary written exam, main written exam and interview – the result so declared is the final one. The names of the selected candidates have been released in the form of a PDF.

BPSC Judicial Service results 2019: Steps to check

Step 1: Visit the official website-http://www.bpsc.bih.nic.in

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the link that says, ‘Final results and cut off marks for Bihar Judicial service Competitive Exam’

Step 3: A PDF will the names of selected students will open on the screen.

Step 4: Check the results and download for future reference.

Along with the results, the cut-off marks have also been released on the official website. The final selection of the candidates has been done on the basis of the main written exam and interview.

Marks of all the candidates who appeared for the written examination will be available on the official website soon under the heading ‘Marksheet.’ Candidates will be able to check their marks using their roll number and date of birth.

Siya Shruti Tops Bihar Judicial Service Exam.

Source – ndtv.com

New Delhi: The final result of the 30th Bihar Judicial Service exam has been declared. The result comes a year after the preliminary exam, first selection level, was held. Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) had conducted the recruitment in three phases-preliminary written exam, main written exam and interview.

Siya Shruti has topped the exam. Shashank Sheakhar and Gaurav have secured the second and third position, respectively.

Siya Shruti is the first woman to have topped the Bihar Judicial Service exam since 2009. As per reports, she is a student of the Patna University and shares the top 10 list with Sanam Hayat, another student from the university who has secured 9th rank in the exam. Siya Shruti is a first year law student.

Since 2009, only 4 Judicial service exams have been conducted in Bihar.

The merit list is available on the official website of the Bihar Public Service Commission at bpsc.bih.nic.in.

Law graduates in the age group of 22-35 years are eligible to take the exam.

Meanwhile, in Rajasthan a 21 year old law graduate has topped the state judicial service exam. With this extraordinary feat, the topper Mayank Pratap Singh, has become the youngest person to be a civil judge in the country. Of the total number of candidates who have been declared successful in the Rajasthan Judicial Service exam, more than 50% are female candidates. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had congratulated the toppers.