National
Bihar polls: BJP likely to fight 170 seats, offer 73 to allies
New Delhi: The BJP has decided to contest 170 seats in the Bihar assembly polls — a major chunk in the 243-member house — leaving 73 seats for its three allies — LJP, HAM and RLSP, sources here said on Thursday.
A maximum of 40 seats was likely to go to Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, followed by 20 seats to Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, and 13 seats to former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), according to informed sources.
Sources said the offer has not gone down well with Kushwaha and Manjhi, though they have publicly refrained from conveying their unhappiness.
Union minister Ananth Kumar, who is election in-charge of Bihar, held meetings with Kushwaha and Manjhi separately at his official residence here on Thursday and discussed the seat-sharing formula.
The meetings were also attended by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s general secretary in-charge of Bihar Bhupendra Yadav.
According to sources, the BJP has decided a broad formula in which each party will have 6-7 assembly seats in its share for every parliamentary constituency in its kitty.
However, this was opposed by Manjhi as his party has no parliament member, and pitched for seats as per numbers in the present assembly.
Manjhi has 13 MLAs whereas Paswan has no members in the assembly.
As per the formula, the BJP, which has 22 MPs in Bihar, was likely to get around 170 seats.
Paswan’s LJP with six MPs was likely to get around 40 seats and Kushwaha’s RLSP with three MPs was likely to get around 20 seats.
The BJP has offered 13 seats to Manjhi as his party has 13 MLAs.
Sources said Kushwaha and Manjhi on Thursday got irked with the number of seats offered to them. However, they avoided to air their views in public.
Meanwhile, the RLSP authorised BJP president Amit Shah to take a final call on seat sharing.
“A letter has been written to Amit Shah that he should decide the seat sharing at the earliest. We hope that the BJP would do justice to the seat sharing, keeping all the parties in view. We will accept the decision taken by the BJP,” Kushwaha said, soon after meeting Ananth Kumar.
“Whenever such talks take place, it takes time,” he added.
Manjhi also reposed confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah.
“Whatever decision the prime minister and the BJP president take, it will be okay with us. We have decided that whatever is in favour of Bihar and the NDA, that route will be taken,” said Manjhi.
Ananth Kumar said the decision over seat sharing between the BJP and its allies would be taken in the next 2-3 days.
“We are holding talks with our allies. The seat sharing will be very respectable. We will contest the elections together and will win it,” he said.
According to sources, the seat sharing announcement will be made in Patna after convening a meeting of the NDA leaders in a day or two.
Polls to the 243-member Bihar assembly will be held in five phases starting on October 12 and ending on November 5. Counting of votes will take place on November 8.
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.