Monday, October 20, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 13 | 33 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation OPPN IMPASSE | With no formal seat-sharing agreement yet, JMM and RLJP add to Mahagathbandhan chaos; BJP cheers ‘Friendly fire’ in Bihar battle Dheeraj Kumar Modi blitz from Oct 24 PATNA V aidhei Pagaria engages in menstrual health initiatives, challenging the taboos that persist in India. Turn to the Mumbai page to find out how. SEE CITY AQI spikes; 310 @ BKC M umbai’s air quality worsened post-monsoon, with BKC recording a 'very poor' AQI of 310 on Sunday. Navi Nagar, Colaba recorded 263; Kherwadi, Bandra East 225; Chembur 185 and Vile Parle West 173. Overall city AQI stood at 158. Rising temperatures, Diwali firecrackers, and resumed construction are blamed for the spike. BMC plans deep cleaning drives and stricter pollution control at construction sites. SEE CITY The Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan), Bihar’s principal Opposition bloc, appears headed for "friendly fights" in several seats, as its constituent parties have failed to finalise a seat-sharing agreement. The situation has been further complicated by announcements from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) on Sunday that they will contest the upcoming Assembly elections independently — drawing sharp criticism from the BJP. PM Narendra Modi will launch NDA’s Bihar poll campaign on October 24 with rallies in Samastipur and Begusarai. Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, as well as party's other star campaigners to hold over 50 rallies. SEE NATION The Mahagathbandhan, which includes the RJD, Congress, CPI, CPI(ML), and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), has yet to finalise or officially announce its seat-sharing formula. Congress has released two list of 53 candidates so far, but RJD has not formally named its candidates although it has filed nominations in nearly 60 seats. Amid the uncertainty, the JMM declared that it would field its own candidates in at least six constituencies — and possibly more. “The party has decided to contest the Bihar elections on its own. It will field candidates in six seats — Chakai, Dhamdaha, Katoria (ST), Manihari (ST), Jamui, and Pirpainti (SC),” JMM General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said, adding that the final number of seats could rise to ten. Agencies “Priceless” historic jewellery was stolen from the Louvre in Paris on Sunday after a highly professional robbery by men who used an angle grinder to break through glass and enter one of the museum’s most ornate rooms. The world’s most-visited museum was suddenly closed for the day after the break-in targeted pieces in two glass cases in its Apollon gallery, where the French crown jewels are held. According to a source close to the investigation, between 9.30 and 9.40 am, thieves reportedly arrived on scooters and used a freight elevator to access the room they were tar- Vinay Madhava Gowda BENGALURU geting, Le Monde reported. French interior minister Laurent Nunez described the stolen jewellery as "priceless" and said that "three or four" thieves focused on two displays in the museum's Apollo's Gallery, executing their broad daylight robbery in just seven minutes. The Karnataka High Court on Sunday directed the RSS, which was denied permission to hold flag march in minister Priyank Kharge's constituency Chitthapur, to make a fresh application to the Kalaburgi DC over holding the rally on November 2. Taking up the petition filed by RSS for emergency hearing, Justice MGS Kamal of the HC's Kalaburgi bench asked it to submit the copy of the same application to Chitthapur tahashildar as well as the police officers. Before adjourning the hearing to Oct 24, the court directed the state government to consider the RSS application. Earlier on Saturday evening, the tahashildar had cited 12 reasons to refuse permission for RSS flag march at Chitthapur. The reasons included, not specifying the number of people from outside Chitthapur participating in the march and the number of speakers, whether there would be usage of lathis on the occasion and so on. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Louvre looted: Jewels gone in 7 mins PARIS Apply afresh for K’taka flag march, HC tells RSS Govt, Ladakh leaders to hold talks on Oct 22 Agencies LEH Ladakh representatives have accepted the invitation from the Ministry of Home Affairs for a meeting with its subcommittee in Delhi on October 22, Leh Apex Body co-chairman Chering Dorje Lakruk said on Sunday. This has ended the months-long deadlock over talks with the Centre. Three representatives, one each of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), along with Ladakh MP Mohd Haneefa Jan and their lawyer, will take part in the talks on the demand of statehood and safeguards for the UT under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, he said. Earlier, LAB stayed away from talks, scheduled for October 6, following the killing of four protesters during violence in Leh on September 24. 4Contd on | nation