POLITICS

Tickets distributed by RJD but were then taken back?

RJD’s ticket distribution for the 2025 Bihar Assembly election sparked a major controversy after party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav distributed tickets and party symbols to several candidates from his Patna residence, only to abruptly recall them later that night. The dramatic reversal occurred just hours after his son, Tejashwi Yadav, returned from Delhi and flagged concerns over the hasty distribution. Tejashwi reportedly told Lalu that issuing tickets publicly, before seat-sharing agreements within the INDIA bloc were finalized, could create friction among alliance partners and undermine coalition discipline.

The episode unfolded amid highly visible confusion, with crowds of hopefuls gathering outside Rabri Devi’s bungalow—some emerging briefly as apparent nominees before receiving phone calls telling them to return their party symbols due to “technical issues”. This turbulence was compounded by mounting legal pressures on the Yadav family, with criminal charges in the IRCTC land-for-hotels scam being framed against Lalu, Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav just days before the poll campaign intensified. The ticket reversal reflects both internal coordination challenges in the RJD and the wider impact of ongoing court cases on the party’s election strategy
 
SIR likely to roll out in phases

The Election Commission is likely to roll out pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list in phases beginning with a group of states, including those where assembly polls are due next year, officials said. The ECI may announce the SIR schedule after the Bihar assembly polls are over. The primary aim of the SIR is to weed out foreign illegal migrants by checking their place of birth.