Palghar, Maharashtra: The Palghar district administration has announced full preparedness for the upcoming municipal council and nagar panchayat elections scheduled for December 2, with counting on December 3. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force across all four election areas Palghar, Dahanu, Jawhar, and Wada where polling will take place.

District Collector and Election Officer Dr. Indurani Jakhar confirmed that all necessary arrangements have been made, including the deployment of flying squads to monitor potential violations of the code of conduct.
Ward-wise voter lists are set to be released today, November 7, and polling preparations have begun in earnest.

Elections will be held for directly elected chairperson posts in all four local bodies.

The Palghar Municipal Council seat has been reserved for Backward Class citizens.

Dahanu is reserved for the general category.

Jawhar and Wada are reserved for women (general category) candidates.

According to official figures: Palghar Municipal Council: 55,727 voters will elect 30 members, Dahanu Municipal Council: 38,693 voters will elect 27 members, Jawhar: 9,347 voters will elect 20 members, Wada Nagar Panchayat: 12,893 voters will elect 17 members.

A total of 55 wards across the four civic bodies will go to polls, with 125 polling booths to be established.

The State Election Commission (SEC) has implemented measures to prevent duplicate voting. Voters with duplicate entries will have two asterisks () marked against their names and will be permitted to vote only once.

The administration is also ensuring that voters from villages adjacent to municipal areas are not mistakenly included again in future Zilla Parishad elections.

Addressing concerns raised by political parties over alleged voter list discrepancies, Dr. Jakhar clarified that most issues were the result of data-entry or technical errors.

“These discrepancies will be rectified only after SEC approval through a supplementary list. The total voter count remains unchanged, and all verified data are accurate,” she stated.

To ensure free and fair elections, flying squads have been deployed under the supervision of election officers.

The SEC has directed webcasting and CCTV surveillance at select polling stations, while grievance redressal cells have been set up in each municipal area to address voter complaints.

The district administration has confirmed an adequate supply of EVMs, control units, ballot units, and memory cards to ensure the smooth conduct of polling and counting.

Patna, Nov 7: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday tore into the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and warned the people of the return of “jungle raj”, if Lalu Yadav’s party-led Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) returns to power in the state.

Amit Shah, addressing a poll rally in Bhagalpur’s Pirpainti, said that the “jungle raj” era of RJD may have been relegated to the margins for years now, but it was raring for a comeback in a new form and shape and warned people not to fall for “lofty and populist” promises of the Mahagathbandhan.

“Your one vote will strengthen them and will add to their efforts to bring back jungle raj,” HM Shah said, slamming the RJD-Cong combine.

He also called out the “tainted” record of Mahagathbandhan leaders (Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav) and claimed that their guardians were eager to get their wards seated in positions of power.

“They engage in corruption; we engage in development. Lalu ji wants to make his son the Chief Minister and Sonia ji wants to make her son the Prime Minister,” he said.

“But listen to my words with your ears wide open, neither Rahul will become the Prime Minister nor Tejashwi will be able to become the Chief Minister. Because Modi ji is in Delhi and Nitish Kumar ji is in Bihar,” he added.

The Home Minister also drew a contrast between the ‘jungle raj’ of the RJD era and the ‘sushashan’ under the Nitish government, listing several schemes and programmes launched by the double-engine government to empower the poor and farming class.

“We have established the Makahana Board. Along with power plants, the Barauni plant has been revived, and some sugar mills have also been revived,” he said.

He also reiterated the Centre’s pledge to set up sugar mills in the areas of the state with adequate water levels.

“People of Bhagalpur, wherever there is water, the Modi government will start the work of operating 25 new sugar mills,” he said.

Ahmedabad/New Delhi, Nov 7: The 2,400 MW Bhagalpur Power Project, being developed by the Adani Group with an outlay of Rs 30,000 crore, marks a turning point in Bihar’s economic story — bridging its energy gap, reviving industry, and creating opportunities for its 13.5 crore citizens.

For the first time in decades, the state is witnessing a wave of serious private investment.

The plain fact is that for over half a century, Bihar has remained on the margins of India’s industrial story. Despite its demographic strength and strategic location, the state has struggled to attract private investment or build a sustainable industrial base.

The data tell a sobering truth: Bihar’s per capita GDP stands at barely $776, while its per capita power consumption — 317 kilowatt hours (kWh) — is the lowest among major Indian states.

In contrast, Gujarat consumes over 1,980 kWh per capita and has a GDP per capita of $3,917.

This is not a mere coincidence. Power and prosperity move together. Where there is reliable electricity, industries grow, jobs are created, and incomes rise.

Where there isn’t, human potential migrates — literally. Bihar today supplies nearly 34 million workers to other states; its youth are forced to seek livelihoods elsewhere because industry within the state has no power to thrive.

It is against this backdrop that the Bhagalpur (Pirpainti) Power Project, being developed by the Adani Group with an investment commitment of Rs 30,000 crore, takes on historic significance. It is not just a project — it is Bihar’s opportunity to plug into India’s growth grid and finally claim its share of industrial progress.

Bihar has seen little private industrial activity in half a century. In the past five years alone, it has recorded virtually no new large-scale projects. The state’s dependence on agriculture remains high — nearly 50 per cent of its working population is engaged in farming, forestry, or fishing, while only 5.7 per cent are employed in manufacturing.

The 2,400 MW Bhagalpur Power Project, originally conceived by the Bihar State Power Generation Company Ltd (BSPGCL) in 2012, was revived by the government in 2024 through a transparent e-bidding process after earlier attempts failed.

Four credible bidders — Adani Power, Torrent Power, Lalitpur Power Generation, and JSW Energy — participated. Adani Power emerged as the lowest bidder at Rs 6.075 per kWh, a tariff lower than comparable bids in Madhya Pradesh (Rs 6.22–Rs 6.30 per kWh).

Notably, no land transfer was involved. The land, acquired over a decade ago for the project, remains fully owned by the Bihar government, leased at a nominal rent under the Bihar Industrial Investment Promotion Policy 2025. After the project term, it reverts automatically to the state.

In an era where investor confidence depends on transparency and governance, the Bhagalpur model stands out as a template for responsible investment — balancing public ownership with private efficiency.

Bihar’s electricity demand has grown sharply in recent years, but supply has not kept pace. The state’s installed generation capacity of about 6,000 MW lags behind its peak demand of 8,908 MW (FY25), forcing it to import power from the national grid.

According to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the demand is projected to almost double to 17,097 MW by FY35. Without new generation projects, the state risks widening its energy deficit — limiting industrial expansion, weakening job creation, and constraining overall growth.

The Bhagalpur project can help fill this critical gap. By adding 2,400 MW to Bihar’s grid, it will supply nearly one-fourth of the state’s projected additional power needs over the next decade, according to people close to the development.

Moreover, infrastructure investments of this magnitude generate vast employment. As housing and infrastructure expert V. Suresh notes, every Rs 1 crore invested in infrastructure creates 200–250 man-years of employment across 70 trades.

By that metric, the Bhagalpur project alone could create millions of man-days of work — offering Bihar’s unskilled and semi-skilled workers local opportunities in construction, logistics, operations, and allied services.

According to people in the know, a reliable power supply will also open the door to downstream industries, expansion of manufacturing zones, and the development of logistics and transport corridors—unlocking Bihar’s potential in food processing, textiles, engineering, and MSMEs.

Bihar’s challenge has never been its people — it has been its power. The Bhagalpur project signals a crucial shift in the state’s development trajectory: from subsidy-driven survival to investment-led growth. It embodies what Bihar needs most — confidence from credible investors, infrastructure that scales, and energy that empowers.

For too long, Bihar’s youth have left home to light up other states’ factories and cities. The Bhagalpur project could finally begin to reverse that flow — bringing power, purpose, and prosperity back to where they belong.