- 23 hours ago
The top focus of this episode of Newstrack is on the escalating seat-sharing tussle in Bihar, with both the NDA and Mahagathbandhan alliances facing internal crises ahead of the election nomination deadline.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:01It is make or break in Bihar now.
00:10Clock sticking for both NDA and Maha Gatbandhan.
00:20Allies at loggerheads within NDA.
00:30J.U. snubs Chirag, Khushwaha rushes to Delhi.
00:42Congress R.J.D. still to seal the deal on seats.
00:51Who blinks first in Bihar power play?
00:54That is our top focus at NewsTrack.
00:59Hello and welcome. Good evening.
01:00You're watching NewsTrack here on India Today.
01:02I'm Akshita Nantikopal and over the next 30 minutes,
01:04we'll get you all the big headlines coming in from the state of Bihar.
01:09Any time now, all through the day we've heard,
01:11any time now, the Maha Gatbandhan seat share deal will be out.
01:14It's 10 p.m., still not out yet.
01:17And we'll have to wait and watch to see what's really playing out in the Maha Gatbandhan.
01:21Will they get their act together because the clock is ticking.
01:24We'll get you all the details of what have been the big issues really
01:27in coming up with a seat share formula.
01:30I'm Akshita Nantikopal here at the Headlines Fest.
01:36Supreme Court allows green crackers in Delhi.
01:39Green crackers to be sold only by certified companies.
01:43Delhi to have a cracker of a Diwali this year, literally.
01:47Two days to go for nomination deadline.
01:59Maha Gatbandhan inches towards seat sharing deals.
02:01Sources say Congress likely to get 61 to 63 seats.
02:06Haryana IPS Puran's family allows post-mortem after court issued notice to slain officer's wife.
02:17Meanwhile, Jhat Kap Panchayit demands justice for ASI Sandeep Latersh, who also died by suicide.
02:24Male friend of Bengal rape survivor arrested.
02:31He was a classmate of the victim, accompanied her to forest area and allegedly sexually assaulted the medical student.
02:37Statement of survivor recorded in court.
02:39And India is all set to host the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030.
02:49The Commonwealth Board recommends Ahmedabad as the host city for the Games in 2030.
02:53Let's begin with the latest updates coming in on the Maha Gatbandhan seat sharing mess that's currently playing out.
03:11The final round of talks is underway.
03:14It's kicked off at Tejasui's residence.
03:17Congress leaders have reached Tejasui Yadav's residence and a meeting is underway
03:21to once and for all finalize the seat sharing formula.
03:25And this has to be done at any cost because time is running out.
03:30What exactly is the formula?
03:31We'll talk about that in just a bit.
03:33But let me first get you a detailed report of what's been happening in the last 24 hours.
03:39Time is running out for all of the parties in Bihar to come out with a seat sharing deal.
03:44The NDA has been cleared their seat sharing deal.
03:47But there are grumbling allies making quick trips to Delhi to seek a solution.
03:52On the other hand, as I told you, the Grand Alliance is yet to iron out the seat share disagreements
03:57between Congress and the RGD.
04:17Less than 48 hours to go for the first phase nomination deadline and the drama over seat share
04:28arithmetic in both ruling and opposition alliances continues.
04:33In the direct battle of alliances, while the ruling NDA has clinched their seat share formula,
04:39grievances and bickering over seats are still on.
04:41Trouble is brewing within the NDA as RLM leader Rupendra Khushwaha has expressed displeasure
04:48over the Mahua seat being allotted to Chirag Paswan's LGP.
04:52He met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi for 45 minutes.
04:58BJP's chief negotiator in Bihar, Union Minister Nikanand Rai, was also present.
05:04Before the meeting, Khushwaha indicated that all is not well in NDA.
05:09But post-meeting, things seemed to improve.
05:11Khushwaha is not the only thorn in the side of the NDA.
05:40The JDU has released its first list for 57 candidates, while it has given away party symbols
05:47to over 70 candidates.
05:50Their first list clearly shows them asserting control over all four seats claimed by Chirag
05:56Paswan's party.
05:57Nitish Kumar has fielded Ratnesh Sada from Son Barsa, Vidya Sagar Nishad to contest from Morwa,
06:04Dhumal Singh from Ekma and Koshal Kishore from Rajkir.
06:10On Tuesday, BJP unveiled its first list of 71 candidates and it gave tickets to both deputy
06:16chief ministers.
06:17Samrat Chaudhary from Tarapur and Vichay Sina from Lakhi Sarai.
06:23Our number is also strong.
06:25On the other hand, Mahagat Bandhan is yet to formally disclose its seat share formula.
06:44Suspense and tussle over seat share between Congress and RGD is yet to be ironed out.
06:51Sources reveal that the grand old party wants more than 60 seats, while RGD doesn't want
06:58to relinquish more than 58.
06:59The formula proposed by Congress, as per sources, goes somewhat like this.
07:07135 seats for RGD, 61 for Congress.
07:11The rest 40 seats are to go to left parties and they are expected to accommodate VIP in
07:17this quota.
07:20CPIML released its list of 18 candidates on Tuesday and promptly withdrew as the Grand
07:26Alliance formula is yet to be revealed.
07:28The hit reportedly is over final negotiations on the seats of Jale, Bahadur Ganj, Kargeher,
07:37Banyapur, Saharsa, Bayasi and Motihaari.
07:40The party has been final.
07:49The party has been final.
07:50The party has been final.
07:55On Wednesday, Tejasfi Yadav filed his nomination from Raghupur in the presence of both his
08:23parents. RGD hopes that Congress comes on board in going ahead with Tejasfi as the CM
08:29face in the final campaign as other allies have. But the delay in clarity of the Grand
08:35Alliance strategy mounts pressure as clock ticks closer to deadline. Bureau Report, India
08:42Today.
08:45Okay, let's bring in Rohit Singh, who's been tracking all the latest updates to tell you
08:50what's really happening in Patna. He's joining us live from Patna. We've got Moshmi Singh
08:54also joining us live from Patna to tell you about what's really playing out right now in
08:59the Mahakad Bamban camp. There is a meeting that's currently underway at Tejasfi Yadav's
09:03residence. And Rohit, I'll begin with you on those updates right now. Are we expecting
09:09a deal anytime now? Because I've been hearing that all day, Rohit.
09:11Well, there is a meeting which has begun at Tejasfi Yadav's residence where Congress state
09:22president is present there, Rajesh Ram, along with him the state in charge. Alaa Varu is
09:28there, Shaqeel Ahmed is there. So these are the three main players from the Congress side
09:35who are right now in discussions with Tejasfi Yadav at his residence. And tonight, I think
09:40it's the last few hours left before a final deal is sealed for the Bahagat Bandhan. Because
09:48already we have seen that several candidates of the RJD have already received symbols. Many
09:54have even filed their nominations like Tejasfi Yadav today, filed his nomination from Raghapur
09:58constituency. So it's only the Congress, it seems, that who is lagging behind and who is
10:04behind and who has just started distributing symbols without even a seed sharing deal being
10:11sealed. So I think just two days left for the first phase of nominations to get over, which
10:18is like 17th of October. This is the last few moments if it's a make or break situation for
10:25the Congress. Whether they want to be with the Bahagat Bandhan or not, they have to decide
10:31now. And for that, discussions right now going on with Tejasfi Yadav in Patna. Back to you.
10:38Okay. So maybe we'll see an announcement in the next few hours. But it is a battle right
10:43now for the Bahagat Bandhan to ensure they get their act together, especially because time
10:47is running out. So in this particular case, maybe late into the night, we're expecting an
10:52announcement. Moshmi, before I come across to you, I just want to break down for our viewers why
10:56we've seen this delay in actually announcing a seed sharing deal. A couple of hurdles that
11:00have really come up in talks. And we break that down for our viewers. First, the fact
11:05that the Congress has been pushing for a lot postseason the RGD is willing to give them.
11:09Now, sources suggest that the Congress wants somewhere between 60 to 65. RGD is willing to
11:14give them 52 to 55. We're hearing that finally, ultimately, it could settle somewhere between
11:2160 to 63, in which case the Congress should be happy with that number. The other issue
11:26is, of course, that there's no consensus on the CM phase. The Congress reportedly has
11:30refused at this point to outrightly and publicly back Tejasfi Yadav as the Chief Minister.
11:36There's a big question mark over Deputy CM as well, because that's something that
11:39VIP Mukesh Sani has been trying to bargain hard for. And that is an other challenge.
11:45VIP seeking 20 seats. It's a very, very big ask. And so that's something that there's
11:50been quite a bit of pushback over with the RGD making it clear that there's no way they
11:55will give 20 seats. Additionally, the Deputy Chief Minister post is not something that the
12:01RGD trusts Mukesh Sani with. So standoff continues. We understand over 12 key seats as well.
12:08The other question that comes up is whether there's been a problem in the leadership. Tejasfi
12:12and Rahul Gandhi get along fairly well. They've shown that, of course, in the run-up also in
12:17many campaigns. But do they have the kind of chemistry that Lalu, Sonia have had previously?
12:22Well, we'll know maybe in the coming few hours if we see a deal being finalized or not.
12:27But let me bring in Moshmi Singh on this. Moshmi, what's happening really within the Congress?
12:32Are they playing hardball with the RGD as far as seats go? Are they going to be getting what they want?
12:37Moshmi, you're on mute.
12:46I'm sorry, Akshita. I'm saying that, you know, lots of questions that you just, you put out there.
12:54But, you know, Mr. Ramvila's past one was known as the political weather scientist. I'll risk my guess at the tally that the Congress is going to get, Akshita.
13:04And it was always about above the 60-figure mark. The Congress could settle between 61 and 63.
13:1361 is what Tejasfi would want to give, but 63 is what they're bargaining for.
13:17So between 61 and 63 is the tally. And that answers that question. And the second thing is that, you know, really Tejasfi and Rahul's equation, as far as that is concerned, Rahul Gandhi has clearly steered away from the micromanagement.
13:32Anything to do with seat sharing. He took a tour abroad. He wasn't there throughout the major bit of it. And when it came to him, when the Bihar team met him, he said strike a hard bargain to his Congress team.
13:46And without meeting Tejasfi in person, he had a telephonic conversation. So he steered away from that. He has a great chemistry with Lalu Prasad Yadav as well.
13:57He's called him his guru and he's been with Tejasfi in the same jeep. So the chemistry not withstanding, the LOP Rahul Gandhi or the leader Rahul Gandhi has steered away from the slugfest.
14:09Thirdly, this deal is going to hold on. I think that the Congress is matured enough. There is a sense in the leadership, even in the CEC, that the alliance is happening.
14:21It's just about the two, three seats. And now they're ready to blink because, as you said, that the time is running out.
14:27So it is a hard bargain that the Congress is trying to strike. Tejasfi understands it.
14:32And the last question is about the VIP. The VIP had demanded the skies. Tejasfi has got them down to 15 or 16. They wanted 18.
14:43One of the major leaders of the VIP said, we are going to get 18. But later, I heard that RGD was giving them 15 or 16.
14:52So that's going to happen in everything in this Kayamat ki Raat, which we can call it Akshata today.
14:59Interesting. What's really going to be playing out in the next few hours. But Moshmi, thanks for those details.
15:04Rahul, I request you to stay with me because I also want to focus on what's happening with the NDA.
15:08We've got a news break coming in.
15:10We have the NDA with a mega show of strength tomorrow as a number of key nominations will be filed.
15:22We understand that there will be NDA chief ministers, BJP chief ministers particularly, who will be present in Bihar.
15:29For the likes of, for example, deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary filing his nomination, you'll have the Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishuddhi Usai present for that.
15:39Similarly, you'll have Nitish Kumar who will be present.
15:42The Bihar chief minister will be visiting two to three constituencies to attend the nomination of several of his ministers.
15:51You'll also have UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath present for BJP's Ram Kripal Yadav's nomination filing.
15:57Yogi Adityanath is going to be there also for a detailed campaign.
16:01So, big show of strength.
16:03The Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister, Pawan Kalyan, will be in Patna to attend the nomination of the BJP candidate there.
16:09So, the BJP going all out.
16:11And I'll bring in Piyush Mishra who tracks the BJP for us on this.
16:14Piyush, from across the country now, you're going to have chief ministers, deputy chief ministers, big faces of the BJP all coming together and the NDA all coming together in Bihar.
16:27Well, certainly, and this after dust which has now settled in NDA.
16:35Why?
16:35Because Upendra Kushwa, who was not happy, you know, since late last night, Akshada is now seems to be very happy.
16:42He has met with homeless Tramit Shah.
16:43And what we're now learning from our sources is that he has been given few assurances by the top leadership of a Bharata in the party.
16:51And after that, now he's happy.
16:52And it seems like dust has settled in NDA.
16:55And all is now well.
16:56We still remember the words which he uttered late last night when he said that all is not well in NDA.
17:02Now it seems that all is well.
17:04And after that, there will be a mega show of strength at the part of NDA.
17:08Various nominations have to be filed by because the 17th October is the last day of filing nomination.
17:13And before that, all candidates for the first phase of voting will have to file their nomination.
17:18And tomorrow, not only Chief Minister Yogi Atanath and Chief Minister of Chathya's Guard, he will also be there.
17:24There are a few leaders from down south, they will be taking part in nominations.
17:28Tomorrow, Deputy Chief Minister Sarmak Chaudhary is going to file nominations.
17:33So, multiple nominations we will see in which top leadership from NDA, they will be participating.
17:39Interestingly, from tomorrow itself, Netish Kumar is going to begin campaigning for JGU.
17:45And there are three to four political campaignings which we are told that he is going to address.
17:52And he is also going to take part in a few nominations.
17:54This is also taking place, Akshita, after the first list which has been released by JGU.
18:00So, it seems like now, as of now, all is well.
18:04It remains to be seen what happens in the coming few days.
18:06Though, Jitana Manji has now come out with a new theory.
18:11He is now saying that, I am going to give symbol to my party leaders at a few seats of, you know,
18:18LGBT's Chirak Pass fund.
18:20So, this can also, in coming days, create some sort of confusion.
18:24But, as of now, NDA is now focusing on showing a mega show of strength and reaching out to the electorates of Bihar.
18:29There are a few rumblings, however, within the NDA.
18:31Thanks, Piyush, for that update.
18:33I'll bring in Rohit on what's played out as far as Kushwaha goes.
18:37Was clearly unhappy and so flew down to Delhi.
18:42Met with Home Minister Amit Shaba.
18:43Why does Kushwaha matter to the BJP?
18:46Why is he a crucial part of the NDA?
18:49Because, and let's break this down for you.
18:51He's the voice of Bihar's Kushwaha cast, which represents about 4.21% of, really, the arithmetic in Bihar.
18:59He's also key, therefore, to the OBC outreach.
19:02Kushwaha cast is an OBC and it's part of the NDA strategy in booing the OBCs,
19:07especially when you're squaring off against the M-Y factor.
19:11He's a swing leader in caste-driven politics and that's crucial in Bihar.
19:16So, the NDA, the BJP knows full well that even a 2-3% vote shift can change an election,
19:24can swing seats and that's why they've been going all out to ensure that Kushwaha is happy with what he gets.
19:31A couple of seats there that are considered to be strongholds is Magad and Shahbad.
19:37The idea is, and the NDA's strategy as far as the caste arithmetic goes,
19:41is to consolidate a non-Yadav OBC vote for which Kushwaha plays an important role.
19:48I want to bring in Rohit Singh for more details on this.
19:50Rohit, you know, all is well in the NDA.
19:53It's the picture that's constantly being painted.
19:55But you do hear of a few rumblings here and there,
19:58whether it's from Kushwaha, whether it's from Jitin Ram Manji
20:01or the JDO, for that matter, taking on Chirag Paswan.
20:05Has all of those issues been ironed out?
20:07Amit Shah also intervened.
20:08Well, see, all is well seems to be prevailing in the NDA,
20:17but Upendu Kushwaha is not happy.
20:19And his visit to Delhi today also turns out to be a futile exercise.
20:24His meeting with Amit Shah also doesn't seem to have helped the cause
20:31because Mahua, Assembly seat, is what Upendu Kushwaha was wanting desperately,
20:38which had gone into the kitty of Chirag Paswan's LJP.
20:42And despite, I think, his meeting with Amit Shah in the evening,
20:46a short while back, we see that Chirag Paswan has now handed over
20:52the symbol of Mahua Assembly constituency to his party leader Sanjay Singh.
20:58And a short while back, his name was declared from Mahua
21:01and he has also, Sanjay Singh has also got the party symbol.
21:05So, Mahua, the seat, the bone of contention,
21:09the seat which desperately Upendu Kushwaha wanted,
21:11is now out of question because Chirag has already fielded his candidate there.
21:18Now remains to be seen what is next that Upendu Kushwaha is going to do
21:22because remember, six seats is what he has got.
21:25But till now, Upendu Kushwaha has not released any list of candidates
21:30for these six seats.
21:32Back to you.
21:33Alright, so we'll see what plays out.
21:35Six seats is what Kushwaha has been given.
21:37He's unhappy.
21:38And not just him, even Jitin Ram Manji has spoken out.
21:42They're particularly pointing fingers at the fact that Chirag Paswan's party
21:45has been given a much higher number of 29.
21:48So, we'll have to see how really the NDA addresses that particular issue.
21:52Thanks very much, Rohit, for getting us those details.
21:54A whole lot of twists and turns emerging from Bihar.
21:58But like I said, at this point, all eyes are on the Mahagad Bantan
22:01and whether they will be able to get their act in order
22:07and be able to come out with their seat-sharing deal.
22:10It could be well into the night, but you can trust us here on India Today
22:13to get you those live updates.
22:16Before I, in fact, get you more on Bihar,
22:19let's move on for the moment and talk about what's happening in Bengal,
22:22where we've been tracking the Durgapur rape case very, very closely.
22:27The cops have confirmed that this is not a case of gang rape,
22:30but a case of rape.
22:32And the prime accused, remember, a handful of people were taken into custody,
22:35but now the Bengal police maintain that it is the survivor's friend
22:39who is the main accused, who accompanied her from her hostel.
22:44And in the survivor's statement, she's gone ahead and named him.
22:48All the details in our next report.
22:50West Bengal police has ruled out gang rape of MBBS student in Durgapur case.
23:00The sleuths claim only one man sexually assaulted the medical student.
23:05The prime accused in this case is Wasif Ali,
23:09a friend and a classmate of the survivor.
23:13Accused Wasif Ali was produced in court on Wednesday
23:16and he has been sent in police custody for seven days for further interrogation.
23:21Till now, as per the technical and scientific evidences collected
23:28and the statement of the victim girl,
23:33we have found that physical sexual assault has been committed by one of the accused person.
23:43And what is the involvement of all these five are being investigated?
23:54So far, six arrests have been made in this case.
23:59But Wasif Ali has been identified as the prime accused.
24:03The survivor is still recuperating in the hospital.
24:06BJP alleged that the probe in this case was delayed
24:35under pressure as protest politics continues in Bengal.
24:40Bureau Report, India Today.
24:46With that report, I'm wrapping up this edition of NewsTrack.
24:49Thanks very much for tuning in.
Recommended
4:59
|
Up next
6:03
23:34
Be the first to comment