National News
Bihar Mahagathbandhan echo in Oppn’s UP seat-sharing debates?
New Delhi, Sep 30: As Uttar Pradesh gears up for Assembly election early next year, the emerging dispute between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) over seat-sharing somewhat resembles the tensions that surfaced within Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan during the 2025 state poll.
In both cases, the Congress chose to seek a larger role, while a stronger regional ally appeared resisting to concede its space.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress-SP partnership produced impressive results in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, giving the INDIA bloc a significant boost and reducing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dominance in the state.
Perhaps encouraged by that performance, Congress leaders have been pushing for an early seat-sharing arrangement where they reportedly want a “respectable” number for themselves.
That number, as per indications, could be “anything above 150 seats” in the 403-member strong uttar pradesh Assembly where other alliance partners would also seek “respectable” allocations.
The SP is believed to be more comfortable with an allocation of up to some 80 seats to its principal partner in the alliance.
The disagreement has already triggered public sparring between leaders of the two parties with reports of leaders on both sides exchanging barbs over respective political stature, organisational strength, and electoral contributions.
But the sparring politicians have mostly admitted that a final call will be taken by the “Central leadership” — implying Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav.
The situation overall bears certain similarities to Bihar, where Congress entered the 2025 Assembly election-negotiations buoyed by a perceived momentum generated by Rahul Gandhi’s new political outreach.
Congress leaders sought to convert what they considered renewed visibility into greater bargaining power within the Mahagathbandhan.
Yet, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav remained unwilling to accommodate all of Congress’ demands.
Congress had continued to press for around 70 seats, the same number it contested in the 2020 Assembly election.
Tejashwi Yadav reportedly reiterated that electoral performance would be a more important criterion than aspiration.
The RJD leadership pointed to Congress’ poor strike rate in 2020, when it won only 19 of the 70 seats it contested, and used that argument to justify limiting Congress’ ambitions.
Friction grew, as did speculations about widening differences.
At one stage, Tejashwi Yadav even declared that the RJD was prepared to contest all 243 Assembly seats, a move widely interpreted as pressure tactics directed at the Congress.
Despite Rahul Gandhi exhibiting more involvement in Bihar politics, the final terms of seat-sharing were implied as to be dictated primarily by the regional heavyweight.
Eventually, the Congress reconciled itself to a marginally lesser allocation of 61 seats, but Tejashwi portrayed a dominant position within the alliance structure.
In the final result, the Congress won only six seats, 13 less than in 2020 polls, while the Opposition challenge was crushed under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) juggernaut.
The Bihar experience also offered the Opposition alliance another lesson in the dangers of excluding smaller partners while larger constituents battle over numbers.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), an important ally of Congress and RJD in neighbouring Jharkhand, spent months seeking meaningful accommodation within Bihar’s Mahagathbandhan framework.
JMM leaders alleged that assurances were not honoured and accused the Mahagathbandhan leadership of failing to respect its interests.
The tensions escalated to the point where JMM openly threatened to chart its own course.
The party announced plans to contest independently and publicly accused alliance partners of betrayal and marginalisation.
Though it did not, but the episode led to the Opposition alliance winning one and losing the other among the two seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Bihar.
Among the four other seats that the JMM intended to contest, the RJD won one while the rest went to NDA constituents.
At the same time, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) repeatedly sought entry into the Mahagathbandhan.
AIMIM leaders wrote to the RJD leadership, and publicly expressed willingness to join the Opposition bloc and even offered to contest a limited number of seats.
However, those overtures were reportedly ignored, as claimed by AIMIM leaders who complained that despite approaching Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav for a tie-up, the proposal was not accepted.
The AIMIM formed a separate alliance and contested 28 out of the 79 the third bloc contested, and won five seats in a repeat of its 2020 state poll performance.
But overall, in a stunning show, the NDA broke into the Muslim-dominated Assembly constituencies in Bihar, traditionally seen as the Opposition’s strongholds, securing some 16 of these seats.
About 32 Bihar seats are Muslim-dominated, most of which lie in districts along the Nepal border, called the Seemanchal region that largely witnessed increased turnout in 2025 state polls.
Whether the Congress and SP can avoid repeating the Bihar story in Uttar Pradesh may ultimately determine not only the Opposition’s prospects against the ruling BJP in India’s most politically consequential state, but its political future as well.
Crime
CISF seizes foreign currency worth Rs 1.13 crore at Kolkata airport

Alert personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) detected foreign currency worth approximately Rs 1.14 crore concealed in the hand baggage of two passengers bound for Bangkok at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.
The detection took place around 10:20 a.m. on October 19 during routine security screening at the International Terminal Security Hold Area. A CISF screener noticed suspicious images in the X-ray scans of the hand baggage carried by the two passengers scheduled to travel to Bangkok on Bhutan Airlines flight B3700. The bags were subsequently referred for physical examination.
During the inspection, CISF personnel recovered USD 1,19,900, equivalent to approximately Rs 1,13,64,002, concealed inside false bottoms of the two bags. The foreign currency had been wrapped in newspaper in an apparent attempt to conceal it from security personnel.
Of the total amount recovered, USD 74,900 was found in the hand baggage of one passenger, while USD 45,000 was recovered from the other passenger’s bag.
Following the prescribed formalities, both passengers, along with the seized currency, were handed over to the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs for further investigation and necessary legal action.
On October 20, the passenger from whose baggage USD 74,900 was recovered was taken by AIU/Customs officials to the District and Sessions Court for further legal proceedings following the investigation and seizure. The second passenger was released by Customs after the issuance of a detention receipt for the USD 45,000 recovered from the passenger’s baggage.
CISF in a release reiterated its commitment to maintaining aviation security through effective screening procedures, alert surveillance and professional conduct by its personnel. According to officials, the detection stresses the importance of coordinated action between airport security personnel and Customs authorities in addressing suspected financial and currency-related violations.
Crime
Gujarat: Man held after 0.77 grams of mephedrone found in ‘porter’ delivery parcel

A 27-year-old businessman was arrested by Naroda police after 0.77 grams of suspected mephedrone, valued at Rs 1,540, was found in a parcel being delivered through the Porter application near Nana Chiloda Circle in Ahmedabad, police said on Wednesday.
The case came to light after police received a control-room message about a suspicious parcel that had arrived for delivery through the application.
The substance was examined preliminarily by a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officer in the presence of panch witnesses and was found to be mephedrone, a synthetic drug.
Police seized the substance and initially registered an offence against three unidentified mobile phone holders under Sections 8(c), 22(a) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
During the investigation, they traced and arrested the man suspected of ordering the consignment through the parcel.
The accused was identified as Priyang Sanghvi (27). He is a businessman who lives in Aram Park Flats in the Sabarmati area of the city. He is originally from Shirodi village in Rajasthan’s Sirohi district.
According to the police, the suspected method involved using a mobile phone number belonging to a witness to log in to the Porter application.
Drug consignments were allegedly packed separately in zipper bags and sent through the delivery service. An intermediary was allegedly used to distribute the drugs to different customers for sale.
The police said the arrest followed instructions from senior officers to curb the illegal sale and transportation of narcotic substances and detect offences related to them.
“The operation was conducted by Naroda police personnel under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector B M Katariya,” officials said.
The police seized 0.77 grams of mephedrone, valued at Rs 1,540. The investigation concerns the alleged use of a parcel delivery application to transport the substance and its subsequent distribution through an intermediary.
Crime
Bihar: 75-year-old man stabbed to death; woman and her son injured

A 75-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death, while a woman and her 25-year-old son were injured in a violent clash between neighbours at Rohda Kala village under Barharia police station limits in Bihar’s Siwan district on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Rama Nandan Prasad, son of the late Garib Bhagat.
The injured were identified as Baby Devi, 44, and her son Kishan Kumar, 25.
The injured were taken to the Barharia Community Health Centre for treatment. While Kishan received primary medical care, Baby Devi was referred to Siwan Sadar Hospital due to her critical condition.
According to Kishan Kumar, his grandfather was sitting outside the house drinking tea while his mother was cooking, and he was asleep.
Hearing a commotion, he went outside and found his grandfather lying in a pool of blood.
He then heard his mother crying from inside the house and rushed in, where he allegedly saw neighbours attacking her with knives. When he tried to intervene, he was also injured in the attack.
Kishan claimed that he had no prior dispute with the neighbours and said the reason for the attack was unclear.
With the help of residents, two alleged assailants were apprehended and handed over to the police.
After receiving information, the Barharia police reached the village and launched an investigation.
A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was also called to collect evidence from the scene.
The police have set up a camp in the village amid tension following the incident.
Barharia Station House Officer Chhotan Kumar said a patrolling officer was initially sent to the spot, after which he reached the village to investigate the incident.
He said an FIR has been registered against the named accused based on Kishan Kumar’s statement.
The two detained suspects are being questioned, while the motive behind the incident remains unclear.
Police said further action would be taken based on the investigation.
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