Patna, Oct 21: As Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar gears up to begin his Assembly election campaign on Tuesday, leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have expressed confidence that the alliance will once again form the government in the state, while also criticising the Mahagathbandhan for its internal discord.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to address two major election rallies in Muzaffarpur on the same day, beginning his campaign from the Minapur Assembly constituency. The first rally will be held at the playground of Minapur High School, where he will address the public and highlight the achievements of his government.

Speaking to media, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is the unanimous leader of the NDA and under whose leadership the elections are being held, has continuously inspected various development projects throughout 2025, monitored their progress, and laid foundations for new works. Now, he will appeal directly to the people in open grounds, showcasing how we have brought development to every section of society.”

Taking a swipe at the Mahagathbandhan, he said, “Their leaders are stuck in internal conflicts. Instead of leading, they are entangled in family matters. Some are roaming around taking their grandmother’s name, while others bring along their father and mother. This is not politics; it has become their family affair.”

BJP State President Dilip Kumar Jaiswal also expressed confidence in the NDA’s prospects. Speaking to media, he said, “The first phase of the election campaign begins today, and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is inaugurating it. Following this, on October 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tribute to the late Karpoori Thakur, honouring him as a people’s leader, which will mark the formal beginning of the NDA’s campaign. While Tejashwi and Rahul Gandhi are busy claiming the title of ‘Janayak’, the public has understood that the return of ‘jungle raj’ must be stopped. The NDA will form the government once again.”

Referring to RJD’s ticket distribution, Jaiswal added, “Our Home Minister Amit Shah rightly said in Saran that the RJD began distributing tickets from Shahabuddin’s family. That itself shows where their focus lies. Their arbitrary ticket distribution proves that the RJD wants to bring back ‘jungle raj’, but the people of Bihar have seen through them. The NDA will form the government with a decisive majority.”

Commenting on the elections, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who is currently in Bihar, also expressed confidence of winning the polls.

Speaking to media, he said, “The Prime Minister is our supreme leader, the leader of the NDA, and wherever elections take place, his programs are underway. Bihar is eagerly awaiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit. Preparations are in full swing, and the NDA is moving steadily toward victory.”

Kolkata, Oct 21: Even after six days of interrogation, the police duirng their investigation have found discrepancies in the statements of the Durgapur gang-rape victim’s male friend and five arrested youths from the local village.

The police are trying to find some missing links in this gang-rape case, said officials.

Police investigation revealed that the medical student was in a relationship with her classmate cum male friend. They had gone out on that fateful night outside the campus of the private medical college and hospital in Durgapur.

First it was said that they had gone out to buy dinner. However, investigation revealed that they were found in a compromising position in a forested area outside the campus by three of the five arrested accused youths.

As the accused demanded money from the two, the male friend was allowed to leave the area to get money. It is at that time that one of the accused raped the medical student while two others watched. Later, two more youths turned up at the scene of crime. The mobile phone of the medical student was snatched. The male friend arrived with money and the two of them were let go, said police sources.

According to investigators, from the first day, the medical student’s male friend Wasif Ali misguided the police. As a result, the police were confused during the course of investigation. The investigators are comparing the statements of the victim, the male friend and five youths from the village. However, there are still several discrepancies in their statements.

All the arrested will be produced in a court on Wednesday as their police custody ends. The police said they will seek an extension of their custody for further interrogation and investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, the medical student was discharged from the hospital last Friday. However, she is not staying in the college hostel, but in a rented house in Durgapur under police surveillance. The student is accompanied by her mother. Policemen have also been posted outside the house for her security.

On October 10, the second-year medical student from Odisha was allegedly gang-raped by five persons in a forested area outside a private medical college and hospital in West Burdwan district’s Durgapur. Based on the complaint lodged by the victim, the police earlier arrested all the five accused persons in the case. The police said that only one person was involved in physical sexual assault to the medical student.

Later, the police arrested the male friend of the victim. The male friend was arrested after investigators found inconsistencies in his response during interrogation. He is also presently in police custody.

The victim’s father, meanwhile, demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident to punish the culprits quickly.

New Delhi, Oct 21: India legend Ravi Shastri and Australian great Ricky Ponting have shared their thoughts on whether they think the Indian batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain on track to feature at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027 and said “only time will tell” whether the duo will still be around.

Rohit and Kohli, who have retired from Tests and T20Is within the last 18 months, and the 50-over cricket remains the only format they feature. The veteran duo played their first international fixture since the ICC Champions Trophy at the start of March when they contributed modest returns with the bat against Australia in Perth on Sunday.

When you come back from a long layoff, you are obviously going to be rusty,” Shastri said on The ICC Review.

“It’s not easy for any overseas team to land in Australia, say, two days prior to a game in Perth and adjust to those conditions straight away, especially when you have that extra bounce and against quality fast bowlers.

“But I think only time will tell. They’ll go to Adelaide, they have some time off to get into the nets, get their minds sorted and get back into action,”

“So I’m in no hurry to judge, but it’s when you come back at that age, after some time, it’s about how much you’re enjoying the sport and how much hunger is there and passion is left in you to play the game.

“So if you tick the boxes in two out of those three, especially the enjoyment part of it, then you can give them both time because they’ve got class, they’ve got experience and a little bit of time will sort things out. But I’d rather wait than jump and judge immediately,” he said.

Ponting echoed the sentiments of Shastri and believes Kohli in particular will be targeting some short-term goals during the Australian tour that will help him decide whether to keep playing on.

“The one thing I don’t like hearing from anyone is that ‘I’ve achieved everything in the game’ because I think you still have to have some really short-term goals and not just be hanging on to try and get through to the 2027 World Cup,” Ponting said.

“Virat’s always been a highly motivated person. And I’d like to think that he’s probably sat down and even just given himself some goals and things that he can achieve in this series here in Australia and not be just waiting and killing time for that next World Cup to come around.

“What we know with both of those guys, at their absolute best, yes, of course they’re in India’s best team. But can they find their best between now and when that World Cup rocks around?

“And that’s only an answer that, like Ravi said, that we’ll find out in a short period of time. They will get some really good batting wickets coming up over the next few weeks here in Australia. There’s not many places that are better to go and bat in a one-day game than Adelaide Oval, which is coming up in a couple of days,” he said.

Ponting thinks it will only be a matter of time before Rohit and Kohli are among the runs again and that could come as soon as the next ODI against Australia in Adelaide.

“Finding your rhythm and tempo is the biggest thing. When you’ve had a break, just getting back used to the rhythm and the tempo of the 50-over game again, it takes a little bit of time for anybody,” Ponting said.

“I’d expect to see both those guys bounce back into it pretty quickly. As I said, Adelaide is a great place to bat and a great place to play cricket. But it won’t be easy for the fact that they are facing some of the best white-ball bowlers that have ever played the game. So, the challenge is definitely there.

“But I say it all the time, you don’t write off champion players ever. And these two guys have been two of the best, and while I’m on record saying I think Virat’s the best 50-over player I’ve ever seen, you don’t write them off.

“They’ll find a way to contribute and win games for their team, and if they do that, then they’ll most likely be in that World Cup team in 2027,” he added.