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The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which entered the Bihar election as the principal challenger to the ruling NDA, is heading toward one of its poorest performances in two decades. Despite contesting 143 seats, the Tejashwi Yadav–led party is currently ahead in only 32 constituencies — a dramatic fall from its position as the single largest party in the 2020 Assembly polls.

If the trends continue, this will mark RJD’s second-worst performance in a Bihar Assembly election. In 2005, when Nitish Kumar first swept to power riding a strong NDA wave, the RJD slipped to 55 seats amid heavy anti-incumbency against the Rabri Devi government. The party’s worst performance came in 2010, when it managed to win only 22 seats.

Two decades later, after multiple realignments and breakups, the Nitish Kumar–BJP combine appears to be cruising toward another decisive victory. The NDA is currently leading in 191 of the 243 Assembly seats, leaving the Mahagathbandhan far behind.

If these trends hold, Tejashwi Yadav could find himself presiding over the steepest electoral setback in the party’s history. The 36-year-old, who inherited the RJD’s leadership mantle from his father and party founder Lalu Prasad Yadav, had hoped for a strong resurgence this time.

Interestingly, despite trailing in many constituencies, the RJD continues to have the highest vote share among all contesting parties — indicating strong pockets of support but a failure to convert close contests into victories.

Several rounds of counting still remain, and the final picture may shift. However, as it stands, the RJD is staring at a significant rout, while the NDA looks firmly on course to form the next government in Bihar.

Mangaluru: A 58-year-old woman from the city was duped of ₹1.8 crore after cyber criminals impersonating Mumbai Police officers trapped her in a high-pressure ‘digital arrest’ scam.

According to the complaint filed at the CEN Crime Police Station, the ordeal began on October 24 when she received a call around 2.45 pm from an unknown number. The caller claimed to be from the Colaba Police Station, Mumbai, and falsely accused her of involvement in a money-laundering and human-trafficking case, alleging that she had received commissions and was now a suspect.

Frightened by the serious accusations, the victim was instructed to join a video call to “cooperate with the investigation.” During the call, she was asked to write a letter and send it to the caller via WhatsApp, further deepening the illusion of an official inquiry.

Over the next interactions, two individuals—introducing themselves as police officers Vinod Rathod and Rajesh Mishra—continued questioning her through WhatsApp video calls. They demanded her personal details, bank information, and account balances, convincing her that her accounts needed to be “verified”.

On the following day, the scammers directed her to transfer money for “inspection” and assured that the funds would be returned after verification. They also warned her against sharing any details with anyone, threatening severe legal action if she disobeyed.

Terrified and believing she was under investigation, the woman transferred a total of ₹1.8 crore in multiple instalments via RTGS to several bank accounts between October 28 and November 11.

Realising she had been duped, she reported the matter, and a case has now been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station, which has launched an investigation.

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has again made provocative remarks suggesting that Muslims in the state becoming more prosperous could signal the “surrender of the Assamese people” — a statement widely criticised as divisive and communal.

Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting, Sarma claimed that alongside demographic changes, Assam was witnessing an “economic shift,” with Muslims allegedly becoming wealthier. He further implied that this shift represented the beginning of “the Assamese people’s surrender.”

Citing data from 2001 to 2011, Sarma said the Hindu population growth rate was falling while the Muslim population continued to rise. “In every block of Assam, the growth of the Hindu population is coming down and the Muslim population is increasing,” he said.

The chief minister went on to link the issue to property ownership, asserting that land sales from Hindus to Muslims were disproportionately high. “We are seeing that the sale of land from Hindus to Muslims is very high, while the vice versa is less,” Sarma said, adding that such transactions are now scrutinised under a directive issued last year requiring government permission.

While claiming that his government has “no problem” with Assamese or indigenous Muslims, Sarma continued to frame economic mobility among Muslims as a threat to Assamese identity. “So far, we were thinking that only the numbers have risen, but now we see that even the wealth pattern has changed,” he said.

Critics say Sarma’s repeated references to religion in matters of demography and economy reflect a deliberate attempt to polarise communities and deepen mistrust. His comments equating Muslim prosperity with “surrender” of the Assamese people, they argue, expose the communal undercurrent in the state’s political discourse.

The chief minister said he would hold another press conference soon to “elaborate” on the matter.