Monday, October 13, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 7 | 27 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Breast Cancer Awareness Day GAMES NATION Mamata Banerjee asks female hostel students not to go out at night, draws oppn ire NDA’S SEAT PLAN FOR BIHAR OUT Dheeraj Kumar PATNA rrol Corda turns empathy into impact, giving street kids safety, education, and hope. Turn to the Mumbai page to find out how. SEE CITY Canada min to meet EAM Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand arrived in Delhi on Sunday. On Monday, she will meet her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar to for discussions on boosting bilateral trade, energy and security ties. She will also hold talks with meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. The ruling NDA on Sunday announced its seat-sharing deal, with BJP and JD(U) getting 101 seats each, while Union minister Chirag Paswan's LJP(RV) will contest 29 in the elections to the 243member assembly. In a post on X as the meeting of BJP's Central Election Committee, which also includes PM Narendra Modi, started, Union minister and the party's Bihar poll incharge Dharmendra Pradhan said Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led HAM(S) and Upendra Kushwaha-led RLM will field their candidates on six seats each. Manjhi accepted the decision of the “high command” , but asserted that NDA may face repurcussions for “undervaluing” his party. The deal followed extensive deliberations in New Delhi and Patna involving senior NDA leaders as well as interactions with LJP, RLM, and HAM leadership. Paswan, who had initially demanded 40 seats, agreed to the reduced share of 29. It will be the first time that BJP and JD(U) will contest equal number of seats since Cinema Varun Dhawan reportedly exits No Entry 2 sequel Valentin Vacherot beats cousin Rinderknech to clinch the Shanghai Masters title OFF THE BLOCKS | 101 seats each for JD(U) and BJP, Chirag corners 29, Manjhi sulks E International Day For Disaster Risk Reduction INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation BATTLELINES DRAWN INDIA TUSSLE NDA FORMULA 101 101 JD(U) BJP 29 6 LJP(RV) RLM The Opposition bloc is yet to announce its seat-sharing pact although political circles indicate that RJD may contest 138 seats, Congress 52, Left parties 35, VIP 15, RLJP 2 and JMM 1 6 HAM(S) PK DASH Poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party has released its first list of 51 candidates for the 243-member assembly OTHER PLAYERS Kejriwal-led AAP has announced its first list of 11 candidates AIMIM, headed by Asaduddin Owaisi, to contest 100 seats; 32 candidates named 2005. In the October-November 2005 assembly polls, JD(U) contested 139 and BJP 102. In the 2010 assembly election, JD(U) contested 141 seats while BJP 102. In 2015, JD(U) contested assembly polls with RJD and its allies. In the 2020 assembly polls, JD(U) contested 115 seats and BJP 110. With BJP and JD(U) agreeing to contest polls on equal numbers this time, both parties want to give a clear message to the electorate that there is no dispute over issues like who is the big brother in the alliance in Bihar. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation Edit Making sense of stock mkt in view of a high growth rate Af, Pak escalate border clashes Both sides claim they have inflicted heavy casualties on rival forces Agencies ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR Other means if talks fail: Muttaqi Agencies At least 23 Pakistani soldiers and over 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed in intense overnight clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the Pakistani Army said on Sunday, as tensions escalated between the two neighbours amid mutual accusations of cross-border aggression. The statement came amid Pakistan's seizure of 19 Afghan military posts and "terrorist hideouts" in response to what it termed "unprovoked" attacks by Afghan forces in the border areas, while Kabul claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 others injured during the retaliatory operations. Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesperson of Afghanistan's Taliban government, demanded that Pakistan hand over key ISIS-K terrorists hiding on its soil or expel them, warning that "these actions will have severe and undesirable consequences" if Islamabad fails to act. He said the Afghan oper- Single-teacher schools: 1 lakh Agencies Agencies NEW DELHI Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday expressed Kabul’s desire to resolve ongoing tensions with Islamabad through peaceful means, but 4Contd on | Nation ation was halted following requests from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. As Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement calling for "self-restraint" to avoid further escalation, Pakistan said it preferred constructive diplomacy and dialogue over violence and belligerence. firm message to Pakistan. He stated that Afghanistan remains united in the face of any "external invasion" and would not tolerate violations of its sovereignty. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation "We will not tolerate the treacherous use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan," the army said in a statement, noting that "serious provocation" came during Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's ongoing visit to India. 4Contd on | Nation STORM OVER OP BLUE STAR SHIMLA/NEW DELHI NEW DELHI Over 33 lakh students in India are enrolled in over 1 lakh single-teacher schools, with Andhra Pradesh recording the highest number of such institutions and UP leading with the most number of student enrolments in them. As per education ministry data, there were 1,04,125 schools run by a single teacher each. issued a stern warning that Afghanistan is prepared to defend itself if diplomacy fails. Speaking from New Delhi during his six-day visit to India, Muttaqi — who abruptly cancelled a scheduled trip to Agra — sent a Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has triggered a political controversy with his remarks that the 1984 Operation Blue Star in Amritsar’s Golden Temple was a mistake for which the then PM Indira Gandhi "paid with her life". Congress sources said on Sunday that the top leadership was "very upset" with Chidambaram’s comments and felt that senior leaders like the Rajya Sabha MP should be There was a way to retrieve and capture all militants but Operation Blue Star was the wrong way and I agree that Mrs (Indira) Gandhi paid with her life for the mistake P Chidambaram Former Union home minister careful before making public statements that create embarrassment for the party. The party was left red-faced as BJP hit out at it saying history must record the truth that it was not a national necessity but a "political misadventure" by Indira Gandhi. Chidambaram made the remarks during a book launch in Himachal Pradesh's Kasauli on Saturday. 4Contd on | Nation Exclusively Marketed By Unique homes, uniquely for you. Standalone Villa in Khandala, Maharashtra For Sale To schedule a viewing, contact: Simone Jaggi | +91 92899 68298 Juhi Singh | +91 92899 68297 Scan to enquire *Render as per concept design. INTERNATIONAL REALTY INTERNATIONAL REALTY INTERNATIONAL REALTY 26,100 Sales Associates | 1,100 Offices | 84 Countries & Territories India Sotheby's International Realty is tradename of Realpro Realty Solutions Pvt. Ltd. | No representations and warranties are made with respect to the completeness or accuracy of information concerning the property's size, amenities, facilities etc., which are published herein in good faith. 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