Will retire from politics if Nitish Kumar wins more than 25 seats in Bihar: Prashant Kishor
Patna: Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has made a bold statement in the lead-up to the upcoming Bihar elections, vowing to retire from politics if Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party secures more than 25 seats.
Kishor, who is now leading the Jan Suraaj party, spoke to Deccan Herald about his predictions for the election and his party's strategy. According to him, this will be the final term for Nitish Kumar as Bihar's Chief Minister. “This is the last term of Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister. He is ‘tired and retired,’” Kishor asserted, pointing to Kumar’s ongoing health concerns. He further predicted, “Mark my words, he is not going to win more than 25 seats this year.”
When pressed about his harsh assessment of a leader who has been in power since 2005, Kishor raised the stakes. “If he wins more than 25 seats, I will retire from politics,” he declared.
Kishor, who has been critical of both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, emphasised that his party would not enter into any alliances. “We cannot join hands with those who grab land in the name of providing jobs, nor with those who have been looting Bihar,” he said.
The Jan Suraaj leader also responded to allegations regarding his funding. “We are very transparent on this issue. I earn through my consultancy. In the last three years, I have earned Rs 241 crore, out of which I have paid around Rs 31 crore as GST and Rs 20 crore as income tax. All these facts and figures are available on the website of the I-T department. Of the remaining amount I had, I donated Rs 98 crore to my party, which is making a poll debut in this Assembly election,” he shared.
Addressing concerns about his party’s ability to take on the well-established machinery of the NDA and the Mahagatbandhan, Kishor promised a surprise. “Voters of Bihar are politically very mature, and they keep their cards close to their chest until the very last moment,” he remarked.
The 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly is slated to go to polls in late October or early November.
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Two people killed as poultry vehicle rams into parked truck in Belagavi
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Two people were killed, and another was severely injured after a goods vehicle transporting poultry birds allegedly rammed into a stationary truck on a national highway in Belagavi in the early hours of Tuesday, police said.
The deceased have been identified as Wasim (28) and Mubarak (22), both natives of Shivamogga district, they said.
The driver of the vehicle, Basavaraj Eerappa Hanchinamani (37), suffered critical injuries and has been admitted to a hospital, police said.
According to police, the accident occurred when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, allegedly due to drowsiness, and crashed into a truck parked along the highway.
The goods vehicle was en route from Kolhapur to Sorab in Shivamogga district, carrying poultry. Several chickens were also killed in the impact, a senior police officer said.
Police personnel from the Hirebagewadi Police Station visited the spot and conducted an inspection.
Injured people and the bodies of the deceased were shifted to a hospital, police added.
