Tag: Ranchi

Jharkhand assembly election: Congress takes a backseat in Ranchi, fields Ranchi, member against BJP.

Source – dailystockdish.com

The Congress has decided not to field its own candidate against the BJP from the much contentious seat of Ranchi in the upcoming assembly election in Jharkhand, scheduled to take place in five phases.

Instead, Congress‘s ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has been given the prestigious seat of Ranchi. JMM leader Mahua Maji will be contesting against BJP leader CP Singh.

Notably, BJP has won from Ranchi‘s seat for six consecutive times in state assembly elections.

According to reports, Congress has also faced opposition from its party workers over its decision of leaving the Ranchi seat.

In the 2014 Jharkhand assembly election, JMM had nominated Mahua Majhi only as its candidate from Ranchi constituency. She was defeated by BJP leader CP them Singh by a margin of 59,000 votes. In the 2014 assembly election, Congress candidate Surendra Singh had got only 7,935 votes from Ranchi seat, and he also lost his deposit.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress and Lalu Prasad Yadav‘s Rashtriya Janata Dal had recently announced a pre-poll alliance for the state with former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren as the alliance‘s CM face.

Congress has released four lists of a total of 27 candidates as of now for the upcoming assembly election in Jharkhand. The Congress will contest 31 seats out of 81 seats in the Jharkhand assembly.

The RJD will contest on seven seats, while the largest chunk of the alliance share has gone to the JMM, which will contest elections on 43 seats.

JMM finger at Ranchi MLA.

Source – telegraphindia.com

JMM, the main Opposition party in Jharkhand, on Monday demanded action against the BJP’s Ranchi MLA and urban development minister C.P. Singh for alleged violation of the model code of conduct, which the veteran of the saffron party denied as “baseless”.

Speaking to the media, JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya accused Singh of obstructing government officials from doing their work and trying to put forth a message that those who vote for the BJP would be allowed to get away with illegal deeds.

Bhattacharya also shared a copy of a letter signed by him that has been sent to the state chief electoral officer in this regard.

The letter says that when on November 30, a team of Ranchi Municipal Corporation was taking action against furniture shop owners who had encroached on public land in Chutia locality of the capital, Singh interfered and also tore up the fine receipts.

Asked to comment on the allegations, Singh told The Telegraph: “I had not gone to the spot and I didn’t obstruct anyone from doing any official work.” The minister claimed he was busy campaigning and couldn’t say much on someone levelling “baseless allegations” against him.

RMC officials also claimed ignorance of any such incident in Chutia on November 30.

RMC deputy municipal commissioner Shankar Yadav said he was personally present in Chutia on November 30 but no such incident had been reported by the team acting against the encroachers. “Had any incident taken place, an FIR would have been filed,” he added the RMC official. “Even during the weekly review meeting the same day, no RMC official mentioned any such incident.”

Law Student Abducted Near Ranchi’s VIP Zone, Raped at Gunpoint by 12 Men.

Source – news18.com

Ranchi: A 25-year-old law student was abducted and gang-raped by 12 men at gunpoint at a brick kiln near Ranchi’s high-security zone this week.

According to a report in Times of India, all 12 accused have confessed to the crime.

As per the FIR lodged by the victim at Kanke police station, the incident happened at around 5.30 pm on November 26 when she was with a friend at Sangrampur area in the city outskirts. Two motorcycle-borne men accosted them and abducted the victim at gunpoint after overpowering her friends, police said.

The spot is barely 4km from her law college campus and 10 km from the chief minister’s official residence. The locality also houses the residences of the DGP, chief justice of the Jharkhand high court and the leader of the opposition, the TOI report said.

The motorbike reportedly rain out of fuel at some distance when the two men called up friends and asked them to come with a car. They then drove to the brick kiln and took turns to rape the woman.

The victim managed to reach the police station the next morning and lodged an FIR, following which police arrested the 12 accused after conducting raids.

“They were booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code, SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Arms Act. A car, a motorcycle, a pistol, eight mobile phones and the cellphone snatched from the victim have been seized from the possession of the accused,” a police statement added. ​

Gang-rape ‘by invitation’ on Ring Road near capital.

Source – telegraphindia.com

A 25-year-old student, who was out walking with her male friend on Ring Road on the capital’s outskirts on Tuesday around 5.30pm, was dragged to a deserted spot by two youths and raped by the duo and 10 more of their friends, all young men between the ages of 18 and 30.

All the 12 accused have been arrested from Sangrampur under Kanke police station area, close to the site of the assault on the city outskirts, in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

The men have confessed to their crime, Ranchi rural superintendent of police (SP) Rishav Kumar Jha said on Thursday.

Faces covered, the accused — Sunil Munda, Kuldeep Oraon, Sunil Oraon, Sandip Tirkey, Ajay Munda, Rajan Oraon, Naveen Oraon, Aman Oraon, Basant Kachap, Ravi Oroan, Rohit Oraon and Rishi Oraon — were produced before the media on Thursday.

The police also recovered a car and bike they allegedly used in the crime, one 7.62mm pistol with two rounds of ammunition, a country-made firearm of .315mm bore with one round of ammunition, and eight mobile phones from the men.

The woman, in her statement to the police on Wednesday, a day after the assault, said she had been talking to her friend on Ring Road when two youths first accosted them and started heckling her.

Then, they overpowered the woman’s friend and dragged her to a deserted brick kiln. At the same time, they called up their friends, inviting them to rape her.

Ten youths soon reached there and all the 12 raped her in turns, rural SP Jha quoted the woman as saying.

The senior policeman said the woman’s medical test had been done on Thursday and the result confirmed rape.

The survivor was stable, he added. “Let us not sensationalise the case,” Jha said.

The police parried questions on the sequence of events after the gang-rape, including how the woman and her friend were later freed from the clutches of the rapists.

Ranchi rural SP Jha said that none of the 12 accused had any prior criminal record. “They are all engaged in menial jobs.”

On how such a crime occurred near the state capital at a time police patrolling had increased in the wake of Assembly elections, rural SP Jha said: “It was only a coincidence that the police were not present where this assault took place.”

Expressing her shock at the incident, chairperson of the state commission for women Kalyani Sharan told The Telegraph: “More effort is needed to change the attitudes of men towards women.”

A teacher of Ranchi’s Sarla Birla School, Sujata Prakash, said it was unfortunate that women did not feel safe on roads even in and near the state capital.

“I am a teacher and work regular hours, commute by school bus. But I can sympathise with the women who work late and have to travel alone in and around Ranchi,” Prakash said.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Releases Poll Manifesto, Promises Reservation.

Source – ndtv.com

RANCHI: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has promised 67 per cent reservation to STs, OBCs and SCs, and government jobs to local people if it forms the government in the state after Assembly elections.

The JMM, the main opposition party in Jharkhand, which has formed an alliance with the Congress and the RJD, said it would provide 28 per cent reservation to Scheduled Tribes, 27 per cent to Other Backward Classes and 12 per cent to Scheduled Castes.

Releasing the party’s manifesto for the polls on Tuesday, JMM president Shibu Soren and his son Hemant said that if the party came to power, 75 per cent of jobs in the private sector would be reserved for locals.

“Within two years of formation of the government, all vacancies in different government departments will be filled up with the youths of Jharkhand under the Local Policy,” the manifesto promised.

Unemployed graduates and post-graduates would be given an allowance of Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 7,000 respectively every month, it said.

Of the 81 seats in the state, the JMM is contesting in 43 while the Congress and the RJD are fighting in 31 and seven seats respectively.

The manifesto said, tenders of up to Rs. 25 crore would be reserved for the natives of Jharkhand only and “Bhoomi Adhikar Kanoon” (Right to Land Act) would be introduced to give land to landless people.

Land lying vacant for five years would be taken back and returned to the original owners, the manifesto said. “Within three months of government formation, the government will recommend to the Centre to incorporate Ho (a tribal language) in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution,” it said.

Banks for women would be set up in the state to provide loan up to Rs. 50,000 without any guarantor, the manifesto said.

An amount of Rs. 2,000 would be given to women from poor families towards kitchen expenses. For farmers, Kisan Bank would be set up, minimum support price (MSP) for agriculture produce and fruits would be earmarked, it said adding that the MSP for paddy would be between Rs. 2,300 and Rs. 2,700.

If the JMM formed a government, the manifesto said, it would not acquire agriculture land for private companies. The man-days under MG-NREGA would be increased to 150 days in a year, the manifesto said.

The Sachar Committee recommendations would be implemented for the benefit of the minorities, it said, adding Madarsa Boards and Urdu Academy would be set up.

Criticising the poll promises, Jharkhand unit’s BJP president Laxman Gilua said: “The JMM, Congress and the RJD are in alliance, yet they have different manifestos. Why did not they have a common manifesto?”

The five-phase elections in the state will be held between November 30 and December 20 and counting will take place on December 23.

Jharkhand polls: Apex trade body fields candidate from Ranchi.

Source – newindianexpress.com

RANCHI: Amidst political ripples, former Federation of Jharkhand Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) president Pawan Sharma filed his nomination from the Ranchi Assembly seat on Monday.

Though FJCCI officials denied any role in Sharma’s candidature, the decision was said to be taken during a state-level meeting of the apex trade body on Monday to field its candidate from Ranchi and Godda to give a befitting reply to the state government’s alleged apathy towards its cause.

The FJCCI had put up at least eight hoardings in Ranchi in August this year with a slogan ‘Vyaparion Ki Marmik Pukar, Ab To Sudh Lo Sarkar’ to highlight their plight, which they claimed was due to government’s apathy and polices. 

Sharma was accompanied by hundreds of traders, including several former FJCCI presidents and working committee members while filing his nomination. 

In a press release, the FJCCI said it is entitled to field candidates in elections as it is not a registered political party.

Sharma, however, claimed to have the support of traders along with the common man of Ranchi. 

“Looking at state government’s apathy towards the common people, I had to take this decision and have the full support of the business community as well as the common people of Ranchi,” said Sharma. 

MS Dhoni seen giving batting tips to his friend at Ranchi stadium.

Source – crictracker.com

MS Dhoni’s records as the captain in Tests are being broken at will by his successor Virat Kohli. The latter has already overtaken him as the most successful India captain in the long format by winning the 28th match. And now, Virat Kohli has eclipsed Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s record of leading India to the most number of consecutive Test matches — six.

With India thrashing Bangladesh by an innings and 46 runs in Kolkata on Sunday, Kohli has now led India to seven back-to-back wins in Tests, one more than Dhoni’s record made in 2013 against Australia and the West Indies.

However, Dhoni is little touched by losing one more record. The 38-year-old continues to have extended break from international cricket and recently, the ace wicketkeeper was seen sharing batting tips with a friend at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) Stadium in Ranchi, his home town.

Wearing a gray-colored shirt and lower and a blue cap, Dhoni was seen giving the tips of hitting the ball by stepping out to his friend. He was also demonstrating the bat lift. His official fans’ club posted the video on Twitter on Saturday.

MS Dhoni hasn’t played international cricket since World Cup

Although he has been away from Team India’s international assignments since the semi-final of the ICC World Cup against New Zealand at Old Trafford that the Men in Blue lost closely, Dhoni has been in the discussions. He hasn’t yet called it quits from international cricket unlike many had thought and it has left the selectors, team management and fans guessing about his next plan.

Dhoni has not made himself available for a number of series since the World Cup (against the West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh) and with the selectors not bringing him back for the upcoming home series against the Caribbeans, Dhoni will not be seen in international cricket in 2019 again.

The focus is now whether he makes it to the 2020 T20 World Cup to be held in Australia as India are yet to settle on his successors. The man led India to two World Cup wins in 2007 (T20Is) and 2011 (ODIs).

Ranchi diary: MS Dhoni opens practice pitches at home ground.

source – newindianexpress.com

Former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently inaugurated 11 newly-laid practice pitches at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Stadium in Ranchi, his home ground. The pitches would enable up and coming cricketers from the state to hone their skills. After the inauguration event, Dhoni was seen having a hit along with local players. Dhoni had advised the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) to prepare different kinds of pitches so that the players have adequate exposure playing on different kinds of surfaces.

EC to roll out booth app for Assembly polls

To ensure transparency, clarity and convenience in the voting process, the Election Commission (EC) will, for the first time in its history of conducting elections in the country, introduce the booth application for the Jharkhand Assembly elections. The app, to be used in 15 Assembly constituencies, would enable voters to avail timely information on when is the right or convenient time to cast their votes in their designated booths. By giving them all necessary information, the app will not only help voters reach their booths on time but will also save the poll panel the hassle of having to reach out to them in a bid to draw them to the polling stations. The first phase of the Jharkhand polls is due on November 30.

26-yr-old rapper a rage on YouTube

‘Mera Shehar Ranchi’, a rap song on the capital city, has unleashed a storm on social media, especially YouTube. The catchy lyrics and peppy beats of the number, written, composed and performed by 26-year-old Dhanbad youth Sourav Suman, have already found favour with thousands of Ranchi natives settled across the globe. Dedicated to the city, the song touches on everything that the city is known for or has to offer to visitors. In just three weeks since being released, the rap number has garnered around 3.67 lakh views and 32,000 likes on YouTube.

New chief justice takes oath

Justice Ravi Ranjan, the new chief justice of Jharkhand High Court, was administered the oath of office by Governor Draupadi Murmu at Raj Bhavan on Sunday. The post had been lying vacant for several months after his predecessor Justice Aniruddha Bose was elevated to the Supreme Court earlier this year. Chief Minister Raghubar Das, top judges and advocates of the high court, as well as senior government officials, were among the dignitaries attending the swearing-in event. The 13th chief justice of the Jharkhand high court, Ranjan was formerly a judge in Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Number of transgender voters witnesses 10 fold rise in Ranchi.

Source – dailypioneer.com

The population of transgender voters has increased by more than 10 times in Ranchi since the last Vidhan Sabha elections of 2014.

The total number of third gender voters in 2014 was merely 7, whereas in 2019 as of on November 21, the total number of transgender voters registered in the electoral roll is 73.

“There has been a significant increase in the number of transgender voters since the 2014 Vidhan Sabha elections. This is primarily because of the various programmes launched for promotion of inclusive voting,” said District Election Officer cum Deputy Commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray. After the judgment of the Supreme Court of India in NALSA versus Union of India in 2014, it has been established that a person by their own right can determine their gender and no medical or psychological tests will be required for the same.  Various sensitization drives across different levels and government officials have been conducted in Ranchi, to ensure that government offices are aware of such right — and assure ease and respectfulness to all persons applying for official change in their name or gender. The district administration has also launched special drives right down to the booth level officer to include the names of transgender voters in the electoral roll. 

Activities under SVEEP (Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation) are also being conducted in specific areas with high transgender registrations for voter awareness and electoral participation. “The events are being organised in areas where the booths have maximum enrollment of transgender voters. All posters for voter awareness programmes also have icons encouraging them to come out and cast their vote for inclusive voting.

This is being done to make everyone feel a part of the whole process and no one is left behind. The aim is to give a message that voting is for all regardless of the socio –economic background one belongs to,” said an official.

At polling stations in areas with high transgender registrations, the administration is trying to sensitize the polling personnel as well. Special confidence building measures are also being taken including safe voting process.

The administration is also ensuring that the voters are not discriminated at the polling booths and no untoward incidents take place.

As per the statistics, the total number of voters registered in Ranchi are 22,83,482 which includes 11,76,245 male and 11,07,164 female voters. The total voters registered for the 2014 Vidhan Sabha elections were 19,11,227 which included 10,45,910 male and 8,65,310 female voters.

Spl court issues production warrant againt Lalu in defamation case.

Source – in.news.yahoo.com

A special court here has issued a production warrant against RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who is lodged in a jail in Ranchi, in connection with a defamation case.

Special MP/MLA court judge Kumar Abhinav on Monday issued the production warrant against Prasad in the case filed by Uday Kant Mishra, a member of Bihar State Disaster Management Authority, for making objectionable comments against him.

The court asked the authorities of Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi to produce Prasad before it on December 2, 2019, which is the next date of hearing in the case, Mishra’s counsel V S Dubey told PTI.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo is in the high security jail following his conviction in several fodder scam cases.

The court on Monday issued fresh production warrant against Prasad as he could not be produced before it via video conferencing, Dubey said.

The authorities of Birsa Munda jail had earlier told the court that Prasad could be produced before it through video conferencing as his health condition was not good.

Prasad and his son Tejashwi had mentioned Mishra’s name in reference to the Srijan scam publicly during a rally at Bhagalpur in 2017.

The multi-crore Srijan scam is related to fraudulent transfer of government money into the account of a Bhagalpur-based NGO and the CBI is investigating it. Srijan is a registered society for women in small income-generating activities.

They had also alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar regularly visited Mishra’s house whenever he came to Bhagalpur even though he had the facility to stay at the circuit house, Dubey said in his complaint.

Terming the utterances of the father-son duo as defamatory, Mishra had first sent legal notices against them demanding unconditional apology for their objectionable comments, Dubey said.

Later, Mishra proceeded against Prasad and decided not to move ahead against Tejashwi in the case.