I/II. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/elections/bihar-elections-2015/news/Mob-violence-at-Ajay-Devgns-poll-meeting/articleshow/49335754.cms?
Mob violence at Ajay Devgn's [JP] poll meeting PTI | Oct 13, 2015, 02.27 PM IST [Video: Ruckus at BJP rally in Bihar Sharif] BiHAR SHARIF: Around 12 people, including some policemen, were injured as police resorted to lathicharge to quell a stone-pelting crowd which grew restive due to late arrival of Bollywood actor star Ajay Devgn at a poll rally here. Superintendent of police Vivekanand Kumar said, a big crowd had gathered at the ground which became unmanageable with no sign of the actor who finally came around 1pm instead of the scheduled 10:30am. As the crowd vented ire by throwing chairs and stones on policemen, police resorted to lathicharge and at least a dozen people, including some policemen, were injured in the ensuing melee, he said. The actor, who was supposed to address the meeting for BJP candidate Sunil Kumar, finally waved at the crowd from the helicopter and did not land, the SP said. Earlier, unruly scenes were witnessed at the programme of Ajay Devgn at Lakhisarai and Khagaria as well. Bihar Sharif is the headquarters of Nalanda district which is the native place of chief minister Nitish Kumar. BJP has fielded Sunil Kumar from the seat after he quit JD(U) and joined the saffron party. ANI ✔ @ANI_news Ruckus at BJP's rally in Bihar Sharif, Nalanda after Ajay Devgan failed to attend the event; lathi charge by police pic.twitter.com/Kl4ufTRdYl ANI ✔ @ANI_news Ruckus at BJP's rally in Bihar Sharif, Nalanda after Ajay Devgan failed to attend the event; lathi charge by police pic.twitter.com/m829dtPkNE 2:14 PM - 13 Oct 2015 [Photos] ANI ✔ @ANI_news Ruckus at BJP's rally in Bihar Sharif, Nalanda after Ajay Devgan failed to attend the event; lathi charge by police 2:12 PM - 13 Oct 2015 84 84 Retweets 17 17 favorites II. http://www.firstpost.com/politics/wait-till-its-over-in-a-five-setter-game-phase-i-of-bihar-polling-offers-no-clue-to-the-winner-2466502.html Wait till it's over: 57% turnout in Phase I of Bihar polling but it offers no clue to the winner by Sandipan Sharma Oct 13, 2015 13:22 IST While driving past Patna's Gandhi Maidan, its crowded Ashok Rajpath and single-screen cinemas showing salaciously titled Bhojpuri films like Saiyyan Toofani featuring unmentionable songs, you come across an unexpected sight: a tennis club in the middle of a bustling crowd and a polluted market. Patna once boasted of several lush-green tennis courts in the government secretariat. But some years ago, they were pulled down for renovation. Since then, tennis is limited to the courts near Gandhi Maidan. Yet, the ongoing election in the state is full of tennis imagery and references to its scoring pattern. "This is a five-setter that won't end till the last point is scored," says Bihar Congress spokesperson Chandan Yadav. The five-phase schedule of the Bihar election has inspired the tennis analogy. In addition, the two rivals — NDA and Grand Alliance —are confident of winning two sets each. The outcome of the match depends on the fifth and final set. Voters wait in queues to cast their votes at a polling station in Begusarai on Monday during the first phase of Bihar assembly elections. PTIVoters wait in queues to cast their votes at a polling station in Begusarai on Monday during the first phase of Bihar assembly elections. PTI Phase I ended on Monday morning with voting for 49 constituencies. Most of the seats that went to polls in this round are considered bastions of the Nitish Kumar-led alliance because of their social composition — more rural seats, domination of Muslims and Yadavs. In 2010, the BJP-JD(U) combine had won 29 of these seats. The vote percentage of 57 percent in the first phase was significantly higher than the 51 percent polling in 2010. It was higher also than the polling in these segments in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. So, who is winning the first set? "We will sweep the elections, RJD will win all the 19 seats it is contesting," Lalu Prasad Yadav said with characteristic optimism. The NDA said it will win 36 out of the 49 seats in this phase. Till a few years ago, a higher turnout was seen as a sign of anti-incumbency. But the Delhi election, and before that the trend in Gujarat, turned this logic on its head when the ruling party gained from the increased turnout. So, it is difficult to say if the 7% extra voters in the booths were inspired by change or status-quo. The BJP would have had reasons to worry had the turnout been low. Bihar's fields are lush-green at the moment because of near-harvest crops; farmers tending to them are reluctant to leave them unattended. A low turnout would have indicated that committed voters from the minority community and Yadavs had voted while others had stayed back in the fields. But that doesn't seem to have happened. For the grand alliance, the major worry was that the cadres of the JD (U), RJD and Congress may not work together because of their differences. But, there was no sign of friction within the various components of the alliance in the first round. Recent elections have shown that whenever the numbers at poll booths go up, it is mainly because of the enthusiasm of first-time voters and youth. In Bihar, around 30 percent of the total electorate is from the 18-30 age group. Obviously, they have participated in large numbers. So, those selling development as the theme of the election have reasons to be optimistic. The BJP had a lead of around 5% over its rivals in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. But its vote share came down from 45.3% to 37.3 per cent in by-elections just a few months later. In contrast, the vote share of the alliance went up from 40.3 to 44.9 per cent. Many experts have pointed out that the BJP vote share has fallen consistently after May 2014. Others have argued that the BJP peaked in May 2014 and would find it difficult to touch the Lok Sabha highs again. But, the number crunchers ignore a crucial factor: Jitan Ram Manjhi. Since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the subsequent by-elections, Manjhi has defected to the NDA. If he has brought his Mahadalit vote bank with him, the NDA would regain lost ground. If not; it could be game, set and match Nitish Kumar. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
