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RJD releases list of 58 for phase I Bihar poll

     Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal today released the first list of its candidates for the Bihar assembly elections and thus made it clear that it is ready for friendly fight with Congress in many constituencies. Out of the 64 assembly seats going for polls in the first phase, RJD has announced the name of its candidates for 58 seats. The ruling party has left just one seat for the Congress. Now, Congress and RJD would face each other in the bitter battle of ballots at 16 places. RJD has left the Kahalgaon assembly seat for the Congress, from where the outgoing speaker Sadanand Singh is the Congress candidate. Addressing a press conference after releasing the list, the RJD chief, Lalu Prasad said, "My party had put up 58 candidates sparing a solitary Kahalgaon seat for the Congress, Dumraon, Gaya and Dhoraiya for the CPI and Buxar and Hisua for CPI-M". However, Prasad said that his party is ready to contest 16 other seats, excepting Kahalgaon, where the Congress had already declared its candidates. The man who is ruling over the state for the past fifteen years, made it clear that his party would contest nearly 220 seats and would support the Congress, Left and independents candidates of its choice. He said, "My party would not field its candidates in 11 other seats held by the Congress and two each by the CPI and CPI-M in the last assembly poll".

MAMC rape case: Both convicts get lifer (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: A Delhi Court today sentenced both the convicts in the MAMC student gangrape case to life imprisonment. The additional sessions judge, Chander Shekhar pronounced the life sentence to prime accused Rahul and co-accused Amit, both of whom were convicted in the MAMC rape case. The pleas of the defence Counsel Ajay Digpaul for minimum imprisonment to the two went in vain. Ajay pleaded that the two should be given minimum sentence - 10 years rigorous imprisonment, taking into account the age of the students and their clean past. On the other hand, prosecution counsel Alka Goel pleaded for maximum punishment for the accused as a deterrent for future offenders and also as the victim had suffered social stigma and psychiatric disorder due to trauma. Rahul and Amit were convicted for raping the MAMC student at knifepoint on the terrace of the `Khooni Darwaza` Monument here two years ago. On November 15, 2002, a 4th year female student of MAMC, was raped in front of her college in broad daylight. The girl was pulled by three young men inside "Khooni Darwaza", a monument just in front of MAMC in the heart of the capital. However, two of the three boys, aged 13 and 14, stood at the entrance of the monument while their third friend allegedly held a knife to the student's throat and raped her. After the rape, all the three fled from the spot. The raped girl managed to come out of the Khooni Darwaza with the help of a policeman, who took her to the hospital. The only clue was that the name Rahul was tattooed on the rapist's hand. A huge number of young men were interrogated and finally on November 22, 2002, the police managed to lay their hands on the person alleged to have committed the crime.

Former BPCC President joins RJD (Go To Top)

     Patna: A day after senior Congress leader Ramashray Prasad Singh joined the Lok Jan Shakti party, former President of the Bihar unit of the party Sarfaraz Ahmed deserted Congress to join RJD today. Once again the reason for the resignation is being said as infighting in the party over the distribution of tickets. Sarfaraz has been a very old war-horse for Congress in Bihar. His resignation is due to further mar the electoral prospects of the party in the state. Meanwhile, RJD has nominated former Bihar Pradesh Congress committee president Sarfaraz Ahmed as its candidate from Gande in Giridih district. Ramashray Prasad Singh resigned from the party when the state party president, Ram Jatan Sinha refused to contest from Warisaliganj in Nawada district and instead, against the wishes of the party high command, decided to run from Makhdumpur in Patna district. Ramashray was slated to run for the assembly from Makhdumpur. Meanwhile, another Congress leader Awadhesh Kumar Singh resigned from the party recently after failing to obtain ticket from Gaya mufassil. He has decided to contest the Assembly elections as an independent candidate.