I will accept my defeat in these polls: Paswan

May 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Patna, May 16 (ANI): Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Chief and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who lost from Hajipur parliamentary constituency in Bihar, on Saturday, accepted his defeat.

Talking to reporters, Paswan said, “I am happy that the secular front will be forming the government and the NDA’s plans have failed.”

“We have done our job. Nobody in Hajipur can say that Paswan has not worked for the development of Hajipur,” he added.

Paswan accepted defeat to former Chief Minister Ram Sundar Das of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U). (ANI)

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Chidambaram loses in Sivaganga, seeks repoll

May 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Sivaganga, May 16 (ANI): Congress leader and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has lost the elections in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga parliamentary constituency to his All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) rival Raja Kannappan.

According to sources, a repoll has been ordered in the constituency.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha has won the Patna seat, beating his rival and television actor Shekhar Suman of Congress.

In Ghaziabad, BJP President Rajnath Singh has won, while Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad has managed to win only the Saran seat.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamta Banerjee has won the South Kolkata seat, beating her nearest rival Robin Deb of CPI-M.

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief and Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has lost against the Janata Dal-United’s (JD-U) Ram Sundar Das in Bihar’s Hajipur parliamentary constituency.

BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has won the Amritsar seat, beating O. P. Soni of the Congress.

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Jaya Prada has won the Rampur seat, while Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda beat his nearest rival Nafe Singh Rathi of INLD by over four lakh votes in the Rohtak constituency. (ANI)

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RJD-LJP alliance will be uprooted from Bihar: Nitish Kumar

April 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Patna, Apr 24 (ANI): Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal- United leader Nitish Kumar on Friday said the RJD-LJP alliance would be uprooted from Bihar after general elections.

“The RJD-LJP alliance would face a rout in the state in the general elections. There is a strong anti-Lalu and anti-Paswan wave blowing across Bihar, as people want to see a change in governance at the Centre. It is now clear that the LJP-RJD combine will be uprooted from Bihar after general elections,” Nitish Kumar told reporters here.

Kumar also said that Lok Janshakti Party’s chief Ram Vilas Paswan would lose the Hajipur parliamentary constituency this time.

“Just as the people of Hajipur selected Paswan in 1977 with record margin, 2009 will see him rejected with the same margin.

JD (U)’s Ram Sunder Das would definitely win this time. (ANI)

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Polling for second phase of Lok Sabha elections begins

April 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, April 23 (ANI): Polling for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections began today amid tight security.

In this phase, the election is being held in 141 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 13 states and Union Territories.

The states going to the polls in this phase include Andhra Pradesh (20 seats), Assam (11), Bihar (13), Goa (2), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Karnataka (17), Madhya Pradesh (13), Maharashtra (25), Orissa (11), Tripura (2), Uttar Pradesh (17) and Jharkhand (8).

The prominent leaders who are contesting include Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan from Hajipur in Bihar, LJP leader and noted film-maker Prakash Jha, former JD-U leader and now an Independent candidate from Muzaffarpur (Bihar) George Fernandes, NCP supremo and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader and Union Energy Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde from the newly carved Madha and Solapur (city) Lok Sabha constituencies respectively.

Other are Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, Swaraj from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath from Chhindwara constituency in Madhya Pradesh, Akhilesh Prasad Singh from Purvi Champaran in Bihar, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh from Vaishali in Bihar and Raghunath Jha from Valmikinagar in Bihar.

A total of 2,041 candidates, including 121 women, are in the fray.

Polling has already been completed in 124 seats in the first phase on April 16.

In the first phase, 58 to 62 per cent of 143 million voters exercised their right to vote.

The five phased polls will be held in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh while Bihar will have four-phased elections.

Maharashtra and West Bengal will witness three phased polls while Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Punjab will have elections in two phases.

Remaining 15 states and seven union territories will have one-day polling.

The counting of votes will take place on May 16.

The 543-member House will be constituted before June 2. (ANI)

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Now, Paswan holds Congress culpable in Babri demolition

April 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Patna, April 20 (IANS) Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan Monday defended his Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) colleague Lalu Prasad’s statement that both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress were responsible for the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid.

‘What wrong has he (Lalu Prasad) said,’ Paswan asked.

Taking a further dig at the Congress, which leads the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of which both Lalu Prasad and Paswan are key members, Paswan said about the political situation in his constituency Hajipur: ‘What is the Congress doing? When they know that they cannot garner even 2,000 votes in Hajipur, why did they put up a candidate against me? What strength are they trying to prove?’

The RJD and the LJP fell out with the Congress over the issue of seat sharing in Bihar — a miffed Congress went ahead to contest Bihar on its own while the RJD and the LJP tied up with the Samajwadi Party to form an electoral alliance for the 120 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Widening the gulf with the Congress, Lalu Prasad had said April 17 in Darbhanga in Bihar that the Congress was responsible for the demolition of the Babri mosque.

‘The Congress failed to protect the Babri Masjid as it did nothing to prevent it. Not only the BJP, the Congress is also equally responsible for the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.’

A large mob converged in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and destroyed the 16th century mosque Dec 6, 1992, claiming it was built at the very place where Lord Ram was born. The Narasimha Rao led-Congress government was then in power in New Delhi while Kalyan Singh presided over a BJP government in Lucknow.

While Congress wondered why Lalu Prasad had kept quiet about it so long, the BJP said the Congress, the RJD and the Samajwadi Party were playing politics on the Ayodhya issue to cater to a particular vote bank.
Indo Asian News Service

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After Lalu, Paswan slams Congress party

April 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Patna, Apr 19 (ANI): After RJD’s Lalu Prasad, it was Lok Janshakti Party’s Ram Vilas Paswan’s turn on Sunday to criticise Congress Party.

LJP chief and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has said that the Congress should not have flexed muscles by fielding a candidate against him in his parliamentary constituency in Hajipur.

“What is the Congress doing? When they know that they cannot garner even 2,000 votes in Hajipur then why did they put up a candidate against me? What strength are they trying to prove?” Paswan said.

The Congress has fielded Dasai Choudhary against Paswan.

Both Lalu Prasad of RJD and LJP’s Ram Vilas Paswan are ministers in Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.

Hajipur is scheduled to go to polls in the second phase of elections on April 23. (ANI)

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Paswan, family assets worth Rs 1.15cr

April 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

HAJIPUR (Bihar): Union minister and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan and his family members have movable and immovable assets worth Rs 1.15 crore.

In an affidavit declaring his assets before Returning Officer, Vaishali, Paswan, who filed his nomination for the Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday, declared that he has Rs 60.45 lakh including Rs 59.70 lakh in bank deposits.

He owns an ambassador car. Paswan owns 15 acre in Khagaria valued at Rs 15 lakh and a 2423 sq ft plot in the MLA Colony in Patna the value of which is Rs five lakh.

Paswan’s wife Reena has Rs 17.02 lakh, including Rs 16.52 lakh in bank deposits.

In addition to this, she has other property valued at Rs 4.5 lakh.

According to the affidavit, Paswan’s wife has a plot in New Delhi worth Rs five lakh, besides a petrol pump in Vasant Kunj. She also owns a Maruti Zen and Rs six lakh in jewellery gifted by her mother-in-law.

Paswan’s son Chirag has deposits totalling Rs 3.40 lakh in banks, the affidavit says.

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43 new trains introduced in Interim Railway Budget 2009-10

February 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Feb 13 (ANI): Railway Minister Lalu Prasad while presenting the Interim Railway Budget 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha today, announced the introduction of 43 new trains which include four Garib Raths.

These are:

- Bilaspur-Tirunelveli via Thiruvananthapuram Express (Weekly)

- Ranchi-Jaynagar Express (Tri-Weekly)

- Secunderabad-Manuguru Superfast (Daily)

- Mumbai-Karwar Superfast (Tri-weekly)

- Bhopal-Lucknow Junction Garib Rath Express (Weekly)

- Durg-Jaipur Express (Weekly)

- Chhatrapati Sahu terminal (Kolhapur)-Dhanbad Link Service via Parasnath (Weekly)

- Sengottai-Erode Passenger (Daily)

- Dibrugarh Town-Chandigarh Express (Weekly)

- Ajmer-Bhagalpur via Delhi Garib Rath Express (Bi-Weekly)

- Nizamuddin-Bangalore via Kacheguda Rajdhani Express (Tri-weekly)

- Barauni-Delhi Jan Sadharan Superfast (Bi-weekly)

- Mumbai-Varanasi Superfast (Daily)

- Mysore-Yesvantpur Express (Daily)

- Jamalpur-Gaya Passenger

- Korapur-Rourkela Express via Rayagada (Daily)

- Agra-Ajmer Superfast (Daily)

- Sitamarhi-Patna Link Service (Daily)

- Tiruchchirapalli-Madurai Express (Daily)

- Mumbai-Bikaner Superfast (Bi-weekly)

- Jaynagar-Ajmer Link Service (Bi-weekly)

- Agra-Lucknow Junction Shatabdi Express (Daily)

- Gandhidham-Kolkata Superfast (Weekly)

- New Delhi-Guwahati Rajdhani Express via Bhagalpur (Weekly)

- Mumbai-Tirunelveli Superfast via Thiruvananthapuram (Bi-weekly)

- Jammu Tawi-Darbhanga Garib Rath Express (Weekly)

- Saharsa-Delhi Express via Patna (Weekly)

- Gwalior-Bhopal Intercity Express via Guna (5 days a week)

- Coimbatore-Tuticorin Link Service (Daily)

- Howrah-Haridwar Superfast (5 days a week)

- Machhalipatnam-Mumbai Superfast (Bi-weekly)

- Varanasi-Jammu Tawi Superfast (Daily)

- Gorakhpur-Mumbai Superfast (Daily)

- Jhajha-Patna MEMU

- New Delhi-Palwal MEMU

- New Delhi-Guwahati Rajdhani Express via Muzaffarpur (Weekly)

- Veraval-Mumbai Link Service (Daily)

- Ranchi-Patna Jan Shatabdi (Daily)

- Jhansi-Chhindwara Superfast (Bi-weekly)

- Mumbai-Jodhpur Express (Weekly)

- Hajipur-Bagaha Link Service

- Howrah-Delhi Link Service via Azimganj-Bhagalpur (Weekly)

- Sitamarhi-Delhi Garib Rath Express via Patna (Weekly) (ANI)

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43 new trains introduced in Interim Railway Budget 2009-10

February 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Feb 13 (ANI): Railway Minister Lalu Prasad while presenting the Interim Railway Budget 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha today, announced the introduction of 43 new trains which include four Garib Raths.

These are:

- Bilaspur-Tirunelveli via Thiruvananthapuram Express (Weekly)

- Ranchi-Jaynagar Express (Tri-Weekly)

- Secunderabad-Manuguru Superfast (Daily)

- Mumbai-Karwar Superfast (Tri-weekly)

- Bhopal-Lucknow Junction Garib Rath Express (Weekly)

- Durg-Jaipur Express (Weekly)

- Chhatrapati Sahu terminal (Kolhapur)-Dhanbad Link Service via Parasnath (Weekly)

- Sengottai-Erode Passenger (Daily)

- Dibrugarh Town-Chandigarh Express (Weekly)

- Ajmer-Bhagalpur via Delhi Garib Rath Express (Bi-Weekly)

- Nizamuddin-Bangalore via Kacheguda Rajdhani Express (Tri-weekly)

- Barauni-Delhi Jan Sadharan Superfast (Bi-weekly)

- Mumbai-Varanasi Superfast (Daily)

- Mysore-Yesvantpur Express (Daily)

- Jamalpur-Gaya Passenger

- Korapur-Rourkela Express via Rayagada (Daily)

- Agra-Ajmer Superfast (Daily)

- Sitamarhi-Patna Link Service (Daily)

- Tiruchchirapalli-Madurai Express (Daily)

- Mumbai-Bikaner Superfast (Bi-weekly)

- Jaynagar-Ajmer Link Service (Bi-weekly)

- Agra-Lucknow Junction Shatabdi Express (Daily)

- Gandhidham-Kolkata Superfast (Weekly)

- New Delhi-Guwahati Rajdhani Express via Bhagalpur (Weekly)

- Mumbai-Tirunelveli Superfast via Thiruvananthapuram (Bi-weekly)

- Jammu Tawi-Darbhanga Garib Rath Express (Weekly)

- Saharsa-Delhi Express via Patna (Weekly)

- Gwalior-Bhopal Intercity Express via Guna (5 days a week)

- Coimbatore-Tuticorin Link Service (Daily)

- Howrah-Haridwar Superfast (5 days a week)

- Machhalipatnam-Mumbai Superfast (Bi-weekly)

- Varanasi-Jammu Tawi Superfast (Daily)

- Gorakhpur-Mumbai Superfast (Daily)

- Jhajha-Patna MEMU

- New Delhi-Palwal MEMU

- New Delhi-Guwahati Rajdhani Express via Muzaffarpur (Weekly)

- Veraval-Mumbai Link Service (Daily)

- Ranchi-Patna Jan Shatabdi (Daily)

- Jhansi-Chhindwara Superfast (Bi-weekly)

- Mumbai-Jodhpur Express (Weekly)

- Hajipur-Bagaha Link Service

- Howrah-Delhi Link Service via Azimganj-Bhagalpur (Weekly)

- Sitamarhi-Delhi Garib Rath Express via Patna (Weekly) (ANI)

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LJP begins finalizing candidates for LS elections in Bihar

January 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Jan.26 (ANI): Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which is one of the members of the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance, has started finalizing its seats that it plans to contest on during the upcoming General Elections in Bihar, in the absence of any concrete seat-sharing formula with other partners of the alliance in the State yet.
LJP President Ram Vilas Paswan has even identified candidates for about 20 of the total 40 Lok Sabha seats of the state, a senior LJP leader said.

The seats include Araria, Purnea, Supaul (earlier Saharsa), Khagadia, Hajipur, Jehanabad, Begusarai, Shivhar, Mujaffarpur, Samastipur, Ujiyarpur, Bettiah, Bagha, Motihari, Nawada, Gaya, Ara and Patliputra.

“Party leaders in the State are in favour of contesting the election alone. Moreover, no concrete proposal for seat sharing has come to us by either Congress or RJD till now,” Paswan said.

“With any concrete formulation for an UPA alliance yet to come in sight for Bihar, we have begun our preparations. People have already seen RJD’s Lalu Prasad and JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar and are now looking for a change,” a senior leader said.

It is worth mentioning that the LJP feels it holds great chance in the general elections in the wake of existing political scenario in the State.

“RJD’s mass base among Muslims and Yadavs has eroded, Congress is yet to recover while anti-incumbency would work against the ruling NDA there. All these factors make our party’s chances better this time,” he claimed.

LJP leaders, however, said Paswan’s popular image among SC voters may see the party in top gear this time in Bihar.

Party sources said LJP has decided to field former RJD leader Ranjan Yadav from Patliputra, where as Sarvesh Kumar, the son of former MP Rajesh Kumar killed by Naxals will contest from Gaya parliamentary seat.

LJP may drop the idea of contesting Bagha Lok Sabha seat, which has now turned into a general seat after delimitation. Last time, it was an SC seat and LJP had put up a candidate there.
Senior RJD leader Raghunath Jha, who had earlier contested from the Bettiah Lok Sabha seat, has now expressed his interest in entering the fray from Bagha, according to sources.

Another Schedule Cast seat of Araria, where LJP had a candidate in last Lok Sabha elections, has also been converted into a general seat.

A section of LJP party leaders are also favouring the idea of going into the election with a “respectable alliance” in which they could get “at least 16 seats”. (ANI)

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