Why was Amit Shah's absence from NDA meeting not questioned: Kushwaha
Patna, June 8: RLSP chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha, who had skipped the NDA meeting and dinner here on Thursday night, on Friday sought to justify his absence, saying no one was asking why BJP President Amit Shah wasn't present.
The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief is also unlikely to attend Iftar party to be hosted by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), here on Friday evening.
"Amit Shah also did not attend the NDA meeting-cum-dinner party here but nobody is asking why he failed to be there," he said, expressing surprise over why some people are giving so much importance to his absence at the event.
It was the first such event after the NDA came to power in Bihar in July 2017 after the ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) broke ties with poll partners Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress to return to the BJP-led grouping.
Chief Minister and JD-U chief Nitish Kumar, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan and senior BJP leaders were present and the RLSP chief was the only one who stayed away.
Kushwaha, who arrived here from Delhi, however claimed that there was no discontent within the NDA in the state.
"I am not unhappy or angry as speculated. NDA is united and there is no dispute," he said.
Ahead of the NDA meeting, RLSP leader Nagmani said Kushwaha should be the Chief Ministerial candidate of the NDA for the 2020 state Assembly polls, as Nitish Kumar "is not the only Chief Ministerial candidate" and Kushwaha was "also Chief Ministerial material".
His statement came amid the JD-U's bid to put up Nitish Kumar as an undisputed leader of the coalition in Bihar.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
