Patna, Nov 13: As the counting of votes for the highly-anticipated Bihar Assembly elections will begin on November 14, the NDA on Thursday expressed full confidence that Nitish Kumar will once again become the Chief Minister for the 10th time. Opposition parties, however, also exuded optimism about forming the next government in the state.

BJP State President Dilip Jaiswal said, “The people of Bihar have given their mandate, and voters across the state participated with great enthusiasm. The development work carried out by the Bihar government, along with the trust people have in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will lead to the NDA forming the government once again with a massive majority. Abki Baar NDA Sarkar!”

He added, “There was no need for re-polling anywhere, and no incidents of violence were reported. This reflects the trust people have in the government. The voter turnout was also significantly higher, and polling was peaceful across the state. This clearly indicates that there will be an NDA government again.”

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said, “The people of Bihar no longer want Tejashwi Yadav, who faces several charges. He will continue to lose because the INDIA bloc has suffered under his leadership. The people of Bihar trust the NDA, and they want Nitish Kumar to take charge as Chief Minister for the 10th time.”

BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav also voiced confidence in the NDA’s victory.

“The result is already known to us even before counting. The NDA will form the government with a huge majority, and Nitish Kumar will once again become the Chief Minister,” he said.

LJP (Ram Vilas) MP Shambhavi Choudhary echoed similar sentiments, stating, “The Opposition will, of course, make claims — that’s part of politics. But these statements have no factual basis. The NDA is set to form the government once again with a full majority and complete strength. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will take the oath once more.”

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties have also expressed confidence in their chances.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput said, “We are waiting for the results, but we have no faith in the exit polls sponsored by the government or the BJP. We trust the people’s vote and are confident that the Mahagathbandhan will secure a large majority and form the government in Bihar. The NDA had also claimed it would sweep Uttar Pradesh, but the Mahagathbandhan performed strongly there. We are confident of a similar outcome in Bihar.”

RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari added, “Tomorrow, when the results are out, the people of Bihar will triumph. The Mahagathbandhan government is destined to be formed, just as the Sun rises in the East. The public has voted for change, and every vote will count. Tonight will be a long night for the NDA.”

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), counting of votes and the announcement of trends for the Bihar Assembly Elections will begin at 8 a.m, with the final results expected by the evening.

The second phase of polling concluded peacefully on Tuesday, recording a 68.79 per cent voter turnout, with data from around 2,000 polling booths still pending, according to Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal.

The Bihar Assembly Elections 2025, held in two phases on November 6 and 11, witnessed record voter participation. Most exit polls released on Tuesday predicted a decisive victory for the BJP-led NDA and a setback for the RJD and Congress-led Mahagathbandhan in the high-stakes contest.

Several polling agencies forecast a comfortable majority for the NDA, projecting it to easily cross the halfway mark of 122 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan was seen struggling to touch the 100-seat mark.

Out of seven major pollsters, most projected a clear majority for the BJP-led NDA, with three predicting its tally to cross 160 seats. For the Mahagathbandhan, most forecasts placed it in the double digits, with a few giving it a possible upper limit of around 100 seats.

As Bihar awaits the final results, political tension continues to mount, with both alliances — the NDA and the Mahagathbandhan claiming victory ahead of the decisive counting day.

Mumbai: The Borivali Police have arrested a 39-year-old Bengaluru-based businessman, identified as Rajat Jain, for allegedly cheating a Mumbai-based private company of Rs 36 lakh under the pretext of selling unlisted shares of the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Jain was taken into custody shortly after a complaint was lodged and later produced before the court.

According to the police, Jain had accepted Rs 95 lakh from the company for the purchase of unlisted NSE shares. While he returned Rs 59 lakh, he allegedly withheld and misappropriated the remaining Rs 36 lakh, leading to the registration of a cheating case.

Investigations revealed that the complainant, a Borivali-based stock market consultant, handled share transactions for the affected firm. In May 2025, the company had planned to acquire unlisted NSE shares when an acquaintance introduced the consultant to Rajat Jain. Posing as a genuine seller, Jain claimed ownership of ten such shares and offered to sell 5,000 units at Rs 1,900 per share, bringing the total value to Rs 95 lakh.

After a series of email confirmations, the company transferred Rs 94.95 lakh (after TDS deduction) to Jain’s bank account, along with transaction proof. However, Jain later denied receiving the funds and refused to transfer the shares. Despite being shown confirmation of the payment, he continued to dispute the transaction.

When the complainant travelled to Bengaluru to resolve the issue, Jain avoided meeting them. Later, he called them to a meeting at Hotel Radisson, where he finally admitted to the transaction and agreed to return the amount. He transferred Rs 54 lakh on the spot and assured payment of the remaining balance by June. On June 2, he paid an additional Rs 5 lakh, but thereafter stopped responding to calls and messages.

When the victims persisted, Jain allegedly threatened to file a false molestation case if they visited his home again and soon switched off his phone. Realising they had been duped, the complainant approached the Borivali Police, who registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust under relevant sections.

Jain was traced and arrested within hours. Police have launched a detailed probe to track the misappropriated funds and are checking if he has defrauded others using a similar modus operandi.

New Delhi, Nov 13: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Manoj Gaur, Managing Director of Jaypee Infratech Limited, in a money laundering case linked to the alleged siphoning of money paid by homebuyers for the construction of flats, according to sources on Thursday.

The Enforcement Directorate had in May carried out searches at 15 premises linked to Manoj Gaur’s flagship real estate development companies — Jaypee Infratech Ltd., and Jayprakash Associates Ltd, as well as their associated entities.

During the operation, officials seized hard cash to the tune of Rs 1.7 crore, along with financial records, digital data, and property documents registered in the names of promoters, their family members, and group companies.

The raids were carried out across Delhi, Mumbai, Noida, and Ghaziabad as part of an ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

IDBI Bank had first filed a petition against Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL) in the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Allahabad, after JIL defaulted on a payment of over Rs 526 crore. The NCLT initiated the insolvency process on August 9, 2017.

The insolvency case gained national attention due to over 21,000 homebuyers who had booked flats in JIL projects being left in the lurch as money had been diverted from construction projects, primarily in Wish Town, Noida.

The Supreme Court intervened to protect their interests, eventually leading to an amendment to the IBC that classified homebuyers as financial creditors, giving them a vote in the resolution process.

The case involved extensive legal proceedings, including disputes over transactions where JIL’s assets were mortgaged to secure the debts of its parent company, Jaiprakash Associates Limited (JAL).

After several rounds of bidding, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) approved a resolution plan submitted by the Suraksha Group in May 2024. Under this plan, Suraksha is to complete the unfinished projects and pay enhanced compensation to farmers as part of the land acquisition terms.