From Bihar To Gujarat: First-Timers Flock To Ayodhya After Top Court Verdict.

Source – ndtv.com

AYODHYA: Wearing a yellow kurta with “Jai Shri Ram” prints and sporting a prominent “tilak” on his forehead, teenager Shivam Kumar travelled all the way from Bihar’s Rohtas district to Ayodhya, carrying a sack full of bricks to deposit at a Ram temple workshop in the holy town.

“I was just too anxious to come to Ayodhya, and so I, along with two other friends, decided to head to “Ram ki Nagari” and contribute my bit for the temple,” he said.

Shivam Kumar, 16, joined lakhs of people in the holy town who had converged in Ayodhya for “Kartik Purnima” holy dip on Tuesday. A native of Dehri-on-Sone town in Rohtas, he is pursuing his graduation in science stream.

“This is my first visit to Ayodhya. I had never thought that I will be coming here so soon,” he told PTI, as he carefully laid out red bricks on old stacks of bricks brought by devotees over the years to the sprawling premises of a Ram temple workshop being run by Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas since 1990 at Karsewakpuram.

VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma said the number of devotees visiting the workshop has spiked since the Supreme Court judgement on November 9.

“On Saturday night, a lot of people visited the workshop and the number has only multiplied over the next few days. Normally, about 1,000 people visit the workshop everyday. The number has now risen to nearly 5,000. The Karsewakpuram workshop has become a big tourist attraction,” he told PTI.

Since the historic judgement of the top court that paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque in the Hindu holy town, a large number of devotees have been flocking to Ayodhya, several among them making their maiden visit to the city.

From far-off Gujarat to neighbouring cities in Uttar Pradesh, the list of first-timers goes on. 

K P Yadav, 20, who came from Moradabad, was seen taking selfies against the backdrop of the ”Ramshila” wall put up by the VHP from the bricks which earlier had laid near the Ramjanmabhoomi site, donated by Indians at home and abroad.

From Pratapgarh, Gaurav Uma Vaish, 16, and Janhvi Uma Vaish, 14, visited Ayodhya for the first time, accompanied by their parents. They were both wearing marigold garlands after visiting the Hanuman Garhi temple.

Rakesh Kumar, their father, said the family visited Ayodhya for the Kartik Purnima holy dip but the visit became “all the more special” as the Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the construction of a temple for Ram Lallah.

Most devotees first pay obeisance at Ramjanmabhoomi and then visit Karsewakpuram to see the temple model and carved stones. Many who had earlier visited Ayodhya but not Karsewakpuram also made a beeline for the workshop.

Other first-time visitors came from Ambedkar Nagar, Gonda and Gorakhpur, among other cities, besides a large group of women devotees from Gujarat, most saying they planned the trip after the top court verdict.

Lucknow resident Anjali Singh, 26, who works in a private company, was thrilled to be in Ayodhya for the first time. She was accompanied by her mother, a regular visitor, who also served as Singh”s guide, taking the daughter to well-known places like Hanuman Garhi temple, Kanak Bhawan, besides taking a holy dip in Saryu and attending the evening “aarti”.

“The city definitely has more to it than what is usually portrayed through the media. I am delighted to see this “Ram ki Nagari” but I am aware of the tragic past this city is trying to put behind after what happened in 1992, even though I was not born then. Ayodhya now must not let its social fabric be torn again,” she said.

Rakesh Kumar from Bihar, sharing the excitement of his journey, said, “We three could not get a reserved train ticket on such a short notice, so we booked a general ticket and had to face hardships, but it is nothing compared to the joy we are feeling right now.”

A VHP member, he claimed he is also part of the Bajrang Dal”s unit in his home state, added that security personnel “did not allow them to ferry bricks” on several occasions, but somehow the trio managed to bring the “10 bricks to its rightful destination – Karsewakpuram”.

Since 1990 artisans and craftsmen have fashioned out magnificently carved stones and pillars, with the assumption that one day they will be used to build a temple for Ram Lallah.

As per the Nyas’s plan, the temple, once built, will be 268 ft long, 140 ft wide and 128 ft high, from the ground to the apex point (Shikhar) and a total of 212 pillars will be used, according to 79-year-old Annu Bhai Sompura, in-charge of the workshop.

“At night, the carved stones and the pillar dazzle and it feels beautiful. Many are getting drawn by the illumination of the stones too. We plan to keep them for a few more days, as people continue to stream in, including first-timers and regular visitors,” the VHP spokesperson said.

IBPS Clerk 2019 PET Admit Card Released; Check Details Here.

Source – thequint.com

The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) has released the admit card for the IBPS Clerk Pre-Exam Training on its official website at www.ibps.in. Eligible candidates who had opted to give the IBPS Clerk Pre-Exam Training exam can now download the admit card from the official website.

IBPS Pre-Examination Training is a type of training where candidates are acquainted with the exam pattern, common mistakes, tips for time management and best practices to perform best tricks for the students who belong to Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Caste, minorities, ex-servicemen and person with disabilities.

The examination for IPBS will be held in the month of December as stated by the IBPS.

After the examination is held they will release the result of the shortlisted candidates who will proceed to the next level which is the IBPS Mains examination for the participating banks.

The training provided to the candidates will be free of cost but the expenses that will incur while taking the training like travelling, boarding, lodging will have to be endured by the candidates themselves.

The various centre for the Pre-Exam Training includes Agartala, Agra, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad (Maharashtra), Balasore, Behrampur (Ganjam), Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Dhanbad, Gorakhpur, Gulbarga, Guwahati, Hubli, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Karnal, Kavaratti, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Muzaffarpur, Mysore, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji (Goa), Patiala, Patna, Port Blair, Pune, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Sambalpur, Shimla, Shillong, Siliguri, Thiruchirapalli, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Vadodara, Varanasi, Vijaywada and Vishakhapatnam.

UPSC Civil Services Mains results 2019: Date and Time.

Source – indianexpress.com

UPSC Civil Services Mains results 2019: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will announce the results for the Civil Services (Mains) examinations in December. “The results of the Civil Service Mains examinations will be released by December 20, 2019. The candidates can check the result through the website- upsc.gov.in,” a UPSC official mentioned.

The Mains examination was conducted from September 20 to 29, 2019. Those who clear the Mains will appear for the interview round. The interview will carry 275 marks with no minimum qualifying marks.

UPSC Civil Services Mains results 2019 declared: How to check

Step 1: Visit the website- upsc.gov.in

Step 2: Click on the ‘UPSC Mains result link 2019

Step 3: A pdf file with name and roll number of the selected candidates will appear on the screen

Step 4: Download it, and take a print out for further reference.

The cut-off marks and answer keys of screening test held through CS (P) Examination, 2019 will be uploaded on the Commission’s website, upsc.gov.in or upsconline.nic.in only after the entire process of the Civil Services Examination, 2019 is over, that is, after the declaration of the final result.

The recruitment examination is conducted annually in three stages named as preliminary, mains and interview to select candidates for administrative positions in different All-India Services and central civil services including IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, and IRTS.

UPSC NDA 1 Marksheet 2019 Released @upsconline.nic.in, Check Download Link.

Source – jagranjosh.com

UPSC NDA 1 Marksheet 2019: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the marksheet for National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination (I), 2019. Candidates, who have qualified in NDA 1 and also candidates who have not qualified, can view their marks through UPSC Official website www.upsconline.nic.in.

UPSC NDA 1 Marksheet Direct Link is given below.  Candidates can also download their UPSC marksheet by providing their login ID and Password through the prescribed link on or before 14 December 2019.

UPSC has released the marksheet for NDA 1 2019 for which candidates have to provide their roll number/registration number, date of birth, post applied and captcha for verification.

Earlier, UPSC had released cut-off for UPSC NDA 1 2019 Exam. A total of 447candidates have been qualified for admission to Army, Navy and Air Force Wings of the National Defence Academy for the 143th Course and for the 105th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) commencing from 01 January 2020. Marks secured by last recommended candidate at final stage are 704 out of 1800 (900 for Written Test and 900 for SSC Interview).

UPSC NDA 1 recruitment is being done to fill up 392 vacancies out of which 208 vacancies are in Army, 42 in Navy, 92 in Air Force and 50 in Naval Academy.

UPSC NDA 1 notification was released on 09 January 2019, and the NDA exam was held on 21 April 2019.

Shikhar Dhawan fails again but Delhi beat Jharkhand by 9 runs in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20.

Source – indiatoday.in

Shikhar Dhawan failed yet again but Nitish Rana and Himmat Singh slammed half-centuries to help Delhi beat Jharkhand by nine runs in a Group E match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament here on Friday.

Sent into bat, Delhi rode on Rana (66 off 42 balls) and Himmat’s (51 not out off 22 balls) innings to post a challenging 176 for five and then restricted Jharkhand to 167 for six to pocket the vital win.

India opener Dhawan once again flopped, making just nine runs before being dismissed LBW by Utkarsh Singh. The left-hander was out for a duck against Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.

Besides Rana and Himmat, opener Hiten Dalal made a run-a-ball 38.

For Jharkhand off-spinner Utkarsh (2/24) scalped two wickets.

Chasing the target, Jharkhand had a bad start as they lost skipper Ishan Kishan (6) and Anand Singh (13) early.

Virat Singh (32), Saurabh Tiwary (24) and Kumar Deobrat (33) kept Jharkhand in the hunt.

Towards the end Utkarsh (49 not out off 25 balls) used his long handle to good effect but it was not enough to take Jharkhand home.

Medium pacers Simarjeet Singh (3/21) and Pranshu Vijayran (2/22) were the key wicket takers for Delhi.

The win helped Delhi move to the fourth spot in Group E with 16 points from six games, while Jharkhand is atop the standings with 18 points from as many matches.

Meanwhile in other matches of Group E, Jammu and Kashmir beat Nagaland by eight wickets, while Gujarat and Saurashtra defeated Odisha and Sikkim by six wickets each respectively.

Why Jharkhand election is a headache for Modi-Shah.

Source – indiatoday.in

Jharkhand goes to the polls in five phases between November 30 and December 20 for 81 assembly seats. The BJP faces a stiff challenge to retain Jharkhand in order to wrest the trend of losing states in the past one year.

In November 2018, the BJP boasted of having chief ministers in 16 states. Now, the party is in power in 12. The loss of four states happened on both sides of the 2019 Lok Sabha election in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi pulled off a spectacular victory for the BJP.

The challenge looks particularly daunting in Jharkhand in view of the assembly election results in Maharashtra and Haryana, and subsequent trouble with allies. The less than expected performance and bitter experience with its allies in Maharashtra and Haryana is believed to be weighing heavily in the minds of BJP leadership headed by Modi-Shah.

In Jharkhand, the BJP has not yet sealed a seat-sharing arrangement with its existing ally — the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU). The LJP, its ally in Bihar, too wanted to join hands with it but has now decided to contest the election on its own.

On the other hand, the Opposition parties – the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress and the RJD – have inked a seat-sharing formula after returning from the verge of collapse. On paper, the Opposition alliance looks formidable in Jharkhand.

In the run-up to the Jharkhand assembly elections, the BJP has suffered setbacks with leaders, including chief whip Radhakrishna Kishore, switching sides to the AJSU and complicating matters. State elections have emerged as a new headache for the BJP.

STATE ELECTIONS ARE BJP’S NEW WORRY

In state elections, where PM Modi is not a direct factor, the BJP has struggled. Many believed that the triple loss in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was a mere blip or the call of democracy-to change governments in elections. But the recent elections in Maharashtra and Haryana reinforce the critics’ assertion that the BJP is on a sticky ground in states where PM Modi’s personal appeal is not a moving factor.

The BJP barely scraped through in Haryana piggybacking on fledgling Jannayak Janata Party of Dushyant Chautala, who emerged as the kingmaker. The BJP’s claim of providing good governance for five years failed to find enough echo from the people and the party fell short of majority.

In Maharashtra, the BJP leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah got foxed by rather underestimated politician Uddhav Thackeray, who is most-likely to be the next chief minister in the state.

The BJP contested Maharashtra election in alliance with the Shiv Sena, which changed track after election results left BJP short of majority, though the coalition got a clear mandate to form government. Now, the BJP is likely to sit in Opposition and its rivals, the Congress and the NCP, to share power with the Shiv Sena.

MAHARASHTRA-HARAYANA HANGOVER IN JHARKHAND

There is apprehension in the BJP camp that Jharkhand may follow the trend seen in Haryana or Maharashtra. The BJP leadership has been in dilemma whether it should go solo in the election or concede more seats (than it wants) to its ally/ies in Jharkhand.

In 2014, the BJP contested Jharkhand Assembly election in alliance with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU). They got 43 of 81 assembly seats defeating the grand-alliance of the Congress, the RJD, the JDU and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Now, the BJP-AJSU alliance is almost over. The BJP has been announcing its nominees without clarifying if it will continue its alliance with the AJSU, which is the oldest ally of the party in the state. The two parties have never contested separately since the formation of Jharkhand in 2000.

The AJSU and the LJP of Ram Vilas Paswan (the party is now led by his son Chirag Paswan), however had expressed willingness to contest Jharkhand election in alliance with the BJP. But the LJP last week announced it will go alone. The AJSU is also apparently forced to chart the same path. Both are constituents of the BJP-led NDA.

It seems the post-election politics of Maharashtra and Haryana is hovering over Jharkhand election, making it difficult for the BJP leadership of Modi-Shah to take a decision about pre-poll alliance.

In Haryana, it went alone and fell short of majority. In Maharashtra, it allied with the Shiv Sena but the Shiv Sena dumped it after election results were announced.

The BJP, therefore, finds itself in a catch-22 situation in Jharkhand. It is not sure about forming alliance but it is not looking confident either to win majority on its own. In 2014 assembly election too, it wasn’t able to cross the half-way mark on its own.

FOR MODI VERSUS FOR BJP?

There is more to worry for the BJP. In its 2014 state election victory, the BJP had polled fewer votes than it secured in the Lok Sabha, when Narendra Modi was seeking his first term as the prime minister. The BJP won 12 of 14 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 polling 40 per cent votes in the state.

In 2014 Jharkhand election, BJP’s vote share was only 31 per cent. With ally AJSU, the total vote share was less than 35 per cent – a dip of over 5 per cent in mere five months.

In 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Modi wave saw the BJP-led coalition garner over 55 per cent votes with the BJP winning 11 seats and the AJSU one. At stake was the second term for PM Modi against a belligerent “chowkidar chor hai” campaign by Rahul Gandhi of the Congress.

In both Haryana and Maharashtra elections, however, the BJP’s vote share dipped significantly compared to its performance in the Lok Sabha election. The BJP, even PM Modi himself, could not convince voters that a vote for state government would be a vote for PM Modi.

Going into the assembly polls in Jaharkhand, the party has set a target of winning 65 of the 81 seats but it fears a repeat of what happened in Maharashtra or Haryana.

India vs South Africa: Why BCCI President-elect Sourav Ganguly will miss Ranchi Test.

Source –

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President-elect Sourav Ganguly was keen to go and spend time with the Indian players as they gear up to play the third and final Test against South Africa in Ranchi from October 19, but he had to cancel the plan as he will have to be present for the inauguration for this edition of the Indian Super League in Kerala on October 20.

“Wanted to go to Ranchi, but won’t get time as I have to inaugurate this edition of the Indian Super League as I’m now the face of ISL and shot for them. So, I will be attending the opening ceremony in Kerala,” Ganguly said.

Even though the Test is to be played from October 19 till October 23, Ganguly will be heading to Mumbai from Kochi as he will officially take over as the new BCCI chief at the board headquarter on October 23.

While Ganguly has stepped down from his position as mentor of Delhi Capitals, he is set to continue shooting for the reality show Dadagiri and will also be doing endorsements.

“I will continue doing only (Bengali TV show) Dadagiri and endorsements, rest all stopped. Commentary, article writing and IPL, I’ll stop doing all this now. I’ve already quit Delhi Capitals and conveyed it to them. It’s a huge responsibility and the first task would be to form various committees by calling Apex Council meeting,” he pointed.

On his committee with ISL team ATK, Ganguly said that he hasn’t spoken to them in recent times and will do so soon.