New Delhi, Nov 14: BJP’s IT cell Chief Amit Malviya on Friday took a sharp dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as early trends from the Bihar Assembly elections indicated a disastrous performance for the grand old party and its allies.

Reacting to the numbers, Malviya posted on X, “Rahul Gandhi! Another election, another defeat! If there were awards for electoral consistency, he’d sweep them all. At this rate, even setbacks must be wondering how he finds them so reliably.”

He further said that Rahul Gandhi has accumulated 95 defeats for his party.

“While many will call him a 9-to-5 blame-game politician, Rahul Gandhi has now accumulated 95 electoral defeats in two decades, five short of a century. Is the attack on India’s institutions a diversionary tactic by the silver-spoon scion? Malviya questioned.

He also posted graphics of state elections showing when and where the Congress party lost elections after Rahul Gandhi entered electoral politics.

According to the Election Commission, the Congress — which contested 60 seats — was leading in only four constituencies. The broader Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD, VIP, and Left parties, was also staring at what appears to be one of its worst electoral outcomes in the state.

Out of Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats, the NDA is headed for a landslide victory, with the BJP leading on 89 seats and its ally JD(U) ahead on 79 at around 1 p.m..

The Congress party’s poor showing has led to criticism from within the party. Senior party leader and former Governor Nikhil Kumar openly questioned the party’s poll preparedness, organisational structure, and candidate selection.

“This reflects the weakness of our organisation,” he said, adding that a political party’s success relies heavily on its organisational machinery. “If the organisation is weak and cannot function effectively, the overall outcome suffers.”

Kumar argued that inadequate groundwork and flawed strategy further damaged the party’s prospects. He said that while the candidates fielded were capable, “even better candidates could have been chosen,” stressing the need for the organisation to work “strategically and intelligently” with a strong presence in every constituency.

He also highlighted internal coordination lapses and a lack of inclusivity in decision-making. According to him, several deserving candidates were ignored in favour of “incompetent” ones — a move that, he suggested, severely undermined the party’s competitiveness in crucial seats.

Mumbai, November 14: Residents living around the demolished Elphinstone Road bridge gathered on Thursday evening to raise an alarm over persistent vibrations caused by construction work for the Sewri–Worli Elevated Corridor, warning that the tremors could compromise the safety of their already fragile buildings.

As reported by Hindustan Times, around 50 residents assembled near the construction zone, where the over 100-year-old British era bridge once stood, alleging that demolition and preparatory work have triggered constant shaking in nearby homes and chawls.

Many of the structures around the site are decades old, and residents say the vibrations have intensified since the bridge’s approach ramps were pulled down.

“Since the bridge’s demolition began, we have been experiencing vibrations in our buildings. Such constant vibrations will weaken the structural stability of the buildings along the construction site,” said Munaf Patel, a resident of Haji Noorani Chawl. The chawl is among the structures that could be removed to make space for one of the pillars of the upcoming corridor.

Residents said the neighbourhood comprises largely ageing and dilapidated buildings that are already vulnerable to pressure. Ongoing heavy work, they fear, is increasing the likelihood of structural damage or a serious mishap. “We fear the vibrations are having a serious impact on our buildings.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has demolished the approach ramps on both sides of the old bridge and is now clearing the debris. Once the debris is removed, the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC) will bring in heavy cranes to dismantle the remaining section above the railway tracks.

Full scale piling work for the double-decker corridor is still pending, adding to residents’ concerns about the more intensive construction activity yet to come.

The MMRDA had initially proposed the demolition of 19 buildings with rehabilitation for affected families and businesses. A revised design has significantly narrowed the impact zone to two structures, but locals say this has not reduced the vibrations or their anxiety.

Following the protest, residents said they plan to meet MMRDA officials on Friday to seek a solution or at least clarity on safety measures. MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee did not respond to calls or messages.

New Delhi, Nov 14: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will not grant any virtual appearance to Reliance ADAG Group Chairman Anil D. Ambani after the latter sought it in response to a summons sent by the investigative agency to appear before it for questioning in a money laundering case, according to sources on Friday.

Anil Ambani skipped the ED summons to appear for the second round of questioning at the agency’s Delhi headquarters on Friday (November 14).

As per ED sources, no virtual appearance will be given to Anil Ambani, as requested. The regulator, however, has received an email from him regarding his availability via virtual means.

Anil Ambani, in a media statement, said that he is “willing to offer to appear by virtual means”, adding that he will “fully cooperate with ED on all matters”.

The statement claimed that “ED summons to Anil D. Ambani relate to a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) inquiry and not to any matter under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)”.

The summons concerns a 2010 domestic EPC contract for the Jaipur–Reengus (JR) Toll Road and concerns issues associated with a road contractor, with no foreign exchange component, it said.

“Anil D. Ambani is not a member of the Board of Reliance Infrastructure. He served the company for about fifteen years, from April 2007 to March 2022, only as a non-executive director, and was never involved in the day-to-day management of the company,” it added.

The ED had summoned Anil Ambani again on November 14 for questioning in the money laundering case against the conglomerate. He faced a gruelling, around nine-hour interrogation regarding an alleged Rs 17,000-crore loan fraud case at ED headquarters in August.

The financial probe agency had earlier attached 42 properties worth over Rs 3,083 crore in the bank fraud cases of Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCOM), Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd., and Reliance Home Finance Ltd.