Sikh pilgrims arriving from Punjab being welcomed by Patna DM Kumar Ravi on Wednesday.

Patna: The first batch of Sikh devotees to take part in the Prakash Utsav arrived at Patna Saheb railway station on Wednesday where they were greeted by Patna District Magistrate (DM) Kumar Ravi and other state officials.

Nitish Kumar holding Lok Samvad in Patna on Monday.

Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, talking to reporters following his weekly 'Lok Samvad' at his residence on Monday, said that he was confident Narendra Modi would be re-elected as the Prime Minister of India for a second term though it was up to the voters who had the ultimate power to choose a leader.

Mahagathbandhan leaders in Patna on Monday.

Patna: After four years of singing songs of Narendra Modi calling him from the 'most honest and hard-working politician' to a 'man with the vision', Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leader Upendra Kushwaha wasted no time in adopting the anti-BJP lingo when on Monday he said that the 10% reservation to the economically-challenged forward caste people offered by the NDA government could be yet another 'jumla' (baloney) by the Prime Minister.

Jitan Ram Manjhi at Ranchi Jail on Saturday.

Patna: With 2019 Lok Sabha elections almost around the corner, politicians part of the Grand Alliance in Bihar jockeying for more seats for their parties are stepping up on their effort to impress Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav who, despite being behind bars, holds the ultimate power in deciding who gets to contest the election and who doesn't.

UP Tourism Minister Rita Bahuguna in Patna on Saturday.

Patna: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Tourism Minister and emissary Rita Bahuguna on Friday officially invited Bihar Governor Lalji Tandon, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and other NDA leaders to attend the 2019 Kumbha Mela to be held in Prayagraj, formerly known as Allahabad, that opens on January 19.

BJP MP from Patna Saheb Shatrughan Sinha (file photo).

Patna: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha is not a happy camper after the Central government failed to renew his Z-security status that lapsed around May or June of last year forcing the Patna Saheb MP to go through the same security checks at airports as any ordinary traveler.

New Patna SSP Garima Malik taking guard of honor salute on Friday.

Patna: With Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj having been promoted to the post of DIG (Munger range) after serving Patna for many years, his successor Garima Malik, a 2006 Bihar cadre IPS officer, took charge as the new Patna SSP in the presence of top Bihar brass at the police headquarters on Friday.

Police investigating the crime scene following the stabbing murder of a woman on Friday.

Patna: Authorities are investigating the murder of a 40-something woman after she was brutally stabbed to death in broad daylight on Danapur-Khagaul Road under Rupaspur police station in Patna on Friday morning.

Shakuni Chowdhary with BJP leaders in Patna on Friday.

Patna: Former MP and legislator Shakuni Chowdhary who publicly announced his retirement from active politics in 2015 following his loss in the state elections to a JD-U candidate, appears to be slowly creeping back into active politics by hobnobbing with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Friday indicating he was open to the idea of joining the saffron party if the BJP was willing to accept him.

People celebrating New Year in various parks in Patna on Tuesday.

Patna: Despite temperature fluctuating between 3 to 8° Celsius depending on the time of the day, people in Patna came out of their homes to celebrate the New Year's Day on Tuesday and filled all public parks and other open areas including various Ganga ghats to welcome 2019 in the company of their loved ones.

Outgoing SSP Manu Maharaj and his replacement Garima Malik.

Patna: The Nitish administration, on the first day of the year, ordered large-scale transfer of nearly two dozen IPS officers in the run up of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, a move considered by political analysts as routine and normal.

Police resort to lathi charge outside Mahavir Temple in Patna on Tuesday.

Patna: Things got really out of hand on new year morning when crowd outside Mahavir Temple in Patna, while waiting in a long line to enter the temple, went out of control causing pandemonium in the area as police rushed to keep situation from getting worse that could have ended in serious tragedy.