BSP to contest Bihar assembly polls alone, Mayawati finalises party programmes
Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday said her party will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections on its own and has finalised a roadmap for its organisational programmes after two days of high-level review meetings.
In a post on X, Mayawati said, "Discussions were held with senior office-bearers on the selection of candidates and overall preparedness for the polls due in the next few months."
She said that programmes such as party yatras and public meetings, scheduled to begin early next month, will be conducted under her direct supervision.
Special responsibility for these initiatives has been given to Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP) national coordinator Akash Anand, Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Gautam and the party’s Bihar unit.
"The state has been divided into three zones, with senior leaders assigned separate charge of each," she added.
Mayawati had on March 2 expelled her nephew, Akash Anand, from all party posts but after he issued a public apology, she took him back in April and a month later appointed him as the party's chief national coordinator.
The BSP chief said party functionaries were instructed to rectify shortcomings and work with full dedication to deliver better results in Bihar.
Citing the party's preparations in Bihar along with the rapidly changing political conditions and electoral equations in the state, BSP leaders assured the party chief in the meeting that it would bring better results in the upcoming elections.
Mayawati also reviewed party-building efforts in Odisha and Telangana, where organisational committees have been formed -- down to the polling booth level -- on the Uttar Pradesh model.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
