Tag: Jharkhand

ED arrests Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam’s secy and latter’s domestic help after ₹32 crore cash haul

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday, May 7, arrested Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam’s secretary Sanjiv Lal and the latter’s domestic help following the recovery ₹32 crore, officials told PTI. The duo have been taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following their overnight questioning.

On May 6, the ED had raided a 2BHK flat in Ranchi that is allegedly occupied by Lal’s domestic help Jehangir Alam, as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the state rural development department, they said.

The agency had seized ₹35.23 crore “unaccounted” cash and official documents during searches in the state as part of a money laundering investigation linked to the state rural development department.

An official document written by the ED to the state chief secretary and recommendatory transfer and posting letters were also found during the searches at the premises, the source said.

The ED has been probing the case since 2023 and has arrested a former chief engineer of the state rural development department. Videos and photos shared by the sources showed officials of the agency emptying wads of currency notes from large bags in a 2BHK flat located at Gadikhana Chowk in Ranchi.

As many as eight note-counting machines were deployed by the agency apart from bank staff to ascertain the exact amount of currency that was majorly in the ₹500 denomination. Personnel of central paramilitary forces stood guard at the building where the flat is located.

The searches are linked to a money laundering case against Veerendra Kumar Ram, posted as chief engineer in the Rural Works Department in Ranchi.

“Ram had generated proceeds of crime in the name of commission from contractors in lieu of allotment of tenders to them,” the agency had alleged in a statement issued in April 2023 after it attached the officer’s assets worth ₹39 crore.

“The proceeds of crime thus generated were used by Ram and his family members to live a very lavish lifestyle,” it said.

The money laundering case against Ram stems from a complaint of the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

With inputs fom PTI

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₹20 crore and counting… ED raids househelp of Jharkhand’s minister secretary

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, May 6, bought a note counting machine at the residence of household help of Sanjiv Lal, personal secretary to Jharkhand Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam in Ranchi. More than Rs 20 crore has been recovered and the counting is still in process.

#WATCH | Jharkhand: Counting of notes still underway at the residence of household help of Sanjiv Lal – PS to Jharkhand Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam in Ranchi where a large amount of cash has been recovered so far. More than Rs 20 crores has been counted so far.

The… pic.twitter.com/Mh3cs3BX6l

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2024

Videos and photos shared by the sources showed officials of the central probe agency taking out wads of currency notes from large bags in a room located in a building at Gadikhana Chowk. Some central force security personnel were also seen.

Alam told PTI, “I have no official information regarding this so far. I have been watching TV and it says the premises are linked to the official PS (private secretary) provided to me by the government,” he added.

The cash is largely in the denomination of Rs 500 and some jewellery has also been recovered, sources told PTI. Alam (70), is a Congress leader and he represents the Pakur seat in the Jharkhand assembly.

The ED is conducting raids at multiple locations in Ranchi in connection with a Veerendra Ram case.

The ED had arrested Virendra K. Ram, the chief engineer at the Jharkhand Rural Development Department, in February 2023 in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of some schemes.

“Veerendra Kumar Ram, posted as chief engineer in the Rural Works Department in Ranchi, had generated proceeds of crime in the name of commission from contractors in lieu of allotment of tenders to them,” the agency had alleged in a statement issued in April 2023 after it attached assets worth ₹39 crore of the officer.

“The proceeds of crime thus generated were used by Veerendra Kumar Ram and his family members to live a very lavish lifestyle,” it said.

The money laundering case against Ram stems from a complaint of the Jharkhand anti-corruption bureau (ACB).

With inputs from PTI

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Congress names candidates for three more Jharkhand LS seats

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Congress on Tuesday announced the names of candidates for three more Lok Sabha constituencies – Godda, Chatra and Dhanbad.

Legislator Deepika Pandey Singh, Krishna Nand Tripathi and Anupama Singh will contest the polls in Godda, Chatra and Dhanbad, respectively, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said.

It had announced the names of three candidates – Kalicharan Munda, Sukhdeo Bhagat and Jai Prakashbhai Patel on March 27 for Khunti (ST), Lohardaga (ST) and Hazaribagh constituencies, respectively.

Mahagama MLA Deepika Pandey Singh will contest against sitting BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, while Anupama Singh, the wife of Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal Singh, will fight BJP’s Baghmara legislator Dulu Mahto.

Deepika Pandey Singh said she was confident of defeating Dubey, whom the people will teach a lesson for his “arrogance”. Both of them have locked horns over a range of issues in the past.

In Dhanbad, the saffron party had dropped sitting MP Pashupati Nath Singh, who has represented the seat since 2009, and fielded Mahato, against whom about two dozen criminal cases are lodged.

Mahato, who joined the BJP in 2014, had become an MLA in 2009 on a ticket of Jharkhand Vikash Morcha (JVM) of former chief minister Babulal Marandi.

Tripathi will be contesting against BJP candidate Kalicharan Singh from the Chatra seat.

As per the seat-sharing pact of the JMM-led alliance in the state, the Congress would contest seven seats and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha five. The RJD and CPI(ML) would field candidates in one seat each.

Jharkhand will vote for its 14 Lok Sabha seats in four phases, starting May 13.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured 11 seats, while the AJSU Party, Congress, and JMM won one seat each in the state.

The BJP has already announced candidates for 13 seats and left Giridih for the AJSU Party.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lok Sabha polls: 92-year-old Khalil Ansari to make voting debut in Jharkhand

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Ninety-two-year-old physically challenged Khalil Ansari will exercise his right to cast vote for the time in the Lok Sabha elections after Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) directed Sahibganj district election officials on Friday to register his name in the electoral roll with immediate effect, an official said.

CEO K Ravi Kumar was in Sahibganj on Friday and made surprise inspections at polling booths in Mundro block of the district, around 450-km from Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi.

He also visited several villages and met senior citizens and physically challenged voters, according to an official release.

During his visit, he asked Ansari if he was a registered voter. “I never exercised my franchise as my name is not there in voter list,” Ansari told the CEO.

A resident of Badkhori village, Ansari is a resident of Rajmahal parliamentary constituency, which will go to polls on June 1.

Kumar directed the officials to enrol his name in the electoral roll with immediate effect. Ansari expressed his thanks to the CEO and said, “I will cast my vote for sure for the first time.”

The CEO also met other senior voters of the region and took stock of the minimum facilities and other arrangements available for senior citizens and physically challenged at the polling stations.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren withdraws from Supreme Court his plea against high court order

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday withdrew from the Supreme Court his plea challenging a high court order that refused to grant him permission to attend the Budget session of the Assembly. Soren had sought permission from the Jharkhand High Court to attend the Budget session that started on February 23 and came to an end on March 2. On February 28, the high court had dismissed his plea.

When his plea came up for hearing before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Viswanathan on Monday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Soren, said he be allowed to withdraw the plea as the Budget session came to an end on March 2. “I wish to withdraw this,” Sibal said, adding the question of law raised in the plea may be kept open. The apex court allowed him to withdraw the plea, and said the question of law is left open.

Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 31 in connection with a money laundering case. He is presently under judicial custody. A special court in Ranchi had on February 22 denied Soren permission to participate in the Assembly session.

The high court had earlier allowed Soren, the ruling JMM’s executive president, to participate in the trust vote in the Assembly on February 5. The allegations of money laundering against the JMM leader pertain to the alleged illegal possession of certain immovable assets and his purported links with members of the ‘land mafia’.

The investigation is linked to a “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand, according to the central probe agency. The ED has so far arrested several people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who served as the director of the state’s Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

The agency is probing the alleged “huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by manipulation of official records by showing dummy sellers and purchasers in the guise of forged/bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores”.

Also Read: Jharkhand political crisis: Hemant Soren alleges Raj Bhavan was instrumental in his arrest

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Jharkhand Lok Sabha elections 2024: Seats, schedule, BJP candidates and more

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Jharkhand, a tribal-dominated state, sends 14 parliamentarians to the Lok Sabha and it will go to polls in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.

No single party is said to have been able to establish a definite dominance in the state’s political landscape over the years. In the 2019 general elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 12 seats in the state, with 11 going to the BJP. It secured a vote share of 56%.

The Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) won a seat each despite their alliance getting a 34.58% vote share.

However, months after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the alliance of JMM, Congress and other parties won the Assembly elections in the state, highlighting the ever-changing political environment in the state.

During the 2024 elections, poverty, unemployment and infrastructure development are expected to be the major issues for the poll campaigning.

The BJP, which has dominated the last few Lok Sabha elections in the state, is planning to secure the maximum number of seats this time too and is contesting the polls in alliance with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU).

While the BJP will field its candidates on 13 seats, the AJSU party will keep the Giridih parliamentary constituency, which is currently represented by Chandra Prakash Choudhary.

The BJP-led NDA faces a two-way contest in Jharkhand against the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which also includes JMM, RJD and CPI(ML)L.

According to reports, the state has a total of over 2.54 crore voters, including 1.29 crore males, 1.24 crore females and 413 transgenders.

Jharkhand Lok Sabha elections: Voting dates

Voting for the 2024 general elections in Jharkhand will take place in the last four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1. In 2019, the state saw a total voter turnout of 66.80%.

Jharkhand Lok Sabha elections: Total seats

The state has 14 parliamentary constituencies, of which five are reserved for the SC candidates and one is for the ST candidates. The rest of the eight seats are unreserved.

Jharkhand Lok Sabha elections: BJP candidates

After a promising performance in the last few general elections, the BJP is looking forward to maintaining its stronghold in the state and collecting as many seats as possible.

Here’s a look at the candidates announced by the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections:

No.                  Lok Sabha constituencies                   BJP candidates
1                      Rajmahal (ST)                        Tala Marandi
2                      Dumka (ST)                            Sita Soren
3                      Godda                                     Nishikant Dubey
4                      Chatra                                     Kalicharan Singh
5                      Kodarma                                 Annapurna Devi
6                      Giridih
7                      Dhanbad                                  Dullu Mahto
8                      Ranchi                                     Sanjay Seth
9                      Jamshedpur                             Vidhyut Baran Mahato
10                    Singhbhum (ST)                     Geeta Koda
11                    Khunti (ST)                             Arjun Munda
12                    Lohardaga (ST)                       Samir Oraon
13                    Palamau (SC)                          Vishnu Dayal Ram
14                    Hazaribagh                              Manish Jaiswal

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Hazaribag to Dumka, key seats in Jharkhand

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The voting for the first of the seven phases of Lok Sabha elections 2024 will get underway on April 19. The polls will conclude on June 1 and results will be announced on June 4.

Jharkhand has 14 parliamentary constituencies where voting will take place in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1. Since its formation on November 15, 2000, the state has grappled with political uncertainty. In the last three general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as a dominant force in the state.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) emerged victorious across 12 seats, with the BJP winning 11. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress got one seat each.

In 2024, the BJP and its ally AJSU will take on the INDIA bloc, which includes Congress, JMM, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and others.

Here’s a look at the key seats in Jharkhand for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections:

1. Hazaribag

This high-profile urban constituency was once represented by former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha. In the last two general elections (2014 and 2019), his son Jayant Sinha registered victory from this seat on a BJP ticket. Last time, Jayant Sinha defeated Congress candidate Gopal Sahu by over 4.79 lakh votes. However, this time the two-time MP has been replaced by the BJP with its MLA Manish Jaiswal. This was done after the 60-year-old urged BJP national president JP Nadda on X to relieve him of his electoral duties to focus on “combating global climate change in Bharat and around the world.”

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The key Assembly segments under this Lok Sabha seat include Barhi (Congress), Barkagaon (Congress), Ramgarh (AJSU), Mandu (BJP), and Hazaribag (BJP). The constituency has 19.14 lakh voters, including 9.29 lakh females.

2. Rajmahal

Considered a JMM bastion, Rajmahal has been represented by party MP Vijay Kumar Hansdak in the last two general elections. In 2019, Hansdak defeated BJP candidate Hemlal Murmu by over 99,000 votes. The INDIA bloc is yet to announce its candidate for this seat for the 2024 polls.

The BJP has fielded former Jharkhand state president Tala Marandi, who earlier won the Borio Assembly seat on a BJP ticket in 2014. He later joined the AJSU party in 2019 after being denied a ticket by the saffron party. However, Marandi re-joined the BJP in 2022.

3. Singhbhum

Geeta Koda won this seat in the 2019 elections by defeating the rival BJP candidate Laxman Giluwa by over 72,000 votes. However, Jharkhand’s lone Congress MP and wife of former Chief Minister Madhu Koda recently joined the BJP. The saffron party has now fielded her from the Singhbhum seat. The INDIA bloc is yet to finalise its candidate for this seat.

4. Khunti

Since 1989, the BJP has maintained a stronghold in this constituency, except for the 2004 polls when Congress candidate Sushila Kerketta won from here. This time, the battle in Khunti is expected to be an interesting one as the BJP has again fielded Union Minister Arjun Munda, who won the seat in 2019 by a narrow margin of 1,445 votes, defeating Congress candidate Kali Charan Munda. The INDIA bloc is yet to announce its candidate. Khunti has 13.12 lakh voters, which includes 6.67 lakh females.

5. Dumka

The BJP has announced Sita Soren, a three-term MLA and elder daughter-in-law of JMM patriarch Shibu Soren, as its candidate from Dumka. Sita Soren joined the BJP on March 20 citing ‘isolation’ and ‘neglect’ by the party leadership since the demise of her husband Durga Soren in 2009.

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 Dumka has been a long-time bastion of Shibu Soren. However, in 2019, he was defeated by BJP’s sitting MP Sunil Soren by a margin of over 47,000 votes. This Lok Sabha constituency has 15.67 lakh voters, including 7.79 lakh females.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

What is integrated farming, the animal husbandry department’s initiative in Jharkhand

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Animal Husbandry Department in Jharkhand is training local farmers in integrated farming through various workshops. Through this unique initiative, the farmers will not only double their profits but also learn the art of growing multiple crops and engaging in other activities on the farm.

Manoj Kumar, a district official from the animal husbandry department, told Local 18 that the department is conducting workshops regularly. Integrated farming is a reliable method, and hence, farmers can double or even triple their profits through this. Even if one crop is damaged completely, the farmers will have more options or ways to earn money.

What is integrated farming?

Ashok Kumar, who is training the farmers, said that integrated farming provides farmers the opportunity to do 10 different things on the farm. This includes having a spot for cows, goats and chickens. This shall provide the farmers with an opportunity to make cheese, curd, milk and sell them.

He added that farmers can even consider millet, which requires less land and water. For the same, the government provides various benefits under several schemes.

Government schemes

The official further said that there are several schemes run by the animal husbandry department to benefit the farmers. Some of them include the bull pair distribution scheme, piggery development scheme and others. Under the schemes, the government also provides special machines to extract milk.

No loss scheme

Ashok further noted that integrated farming is very important in today’s era. He added that many a time when a crop gets ruined, the farmers go bankrupt and even fail to afford food. But, once you switch to integrated farming, it eliminates dependence on weather and other major factors that affect the produce.

Those who wish to avail training and information about integrated farming and other schemes can visit the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department located at Dhruva, Ranchi. It is situated exactly opposite to the Shalimar Market area.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

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NTPC gains on commercial operation of 660 MW thermal power plant in Jharkhand

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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State-owned NTPC gained over 2% on Monday, March 18, after the company declared the beginning of commercial operations of its second unit of 660 MW capacity at the North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Station (3×660 MW) in Jharkhand.

The commercial operations will begin from March 20, the central public sector undertaking (PSU) said in a stock exchange filing.

“Unit 2 (660 MW) of North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Project (3×660 MW) is declared on commercial operation with effect from 00:00 Hrs. of 20.03.2024,” NTPC said.

With this, standalone and group commercial capacity of NTPC will stand at 59,298 MW and 75,418 MW respectively.

The first unit of the 660 MW capacity project started commercial operations from March 1, 2023.

In NTPC’s third quarter earnings report last month, the company’s profit rose by more than 5% to ₹4,476 crore from ₹4,246 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.

The company reported a 36.8% surge in revenue at ₹41,410 crore in the December 2023 quarter, compared to ₹30,265 crore in the same period last year. However, the company’s margin remained unchanged compared to the previous year.

In January, the power giant entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tripura government for the development of renewable energy. In December 2023, NTPC initiated operations for the 10 MW Solapur solar PV project in Maharashtra.

NTPC is primarily involved in the generation and sale of electricity, both from conventional and renewable energy sources. The company has a significant presence in coal, gas, hydro, and renewable energy projects across India.

Shares of NTPC were trading 1.09% higher at ₹319.45 apiece on BSE at 10.36 am.

Also Read: SJVN gains nearly 5% after its renewable arm receives LoI for 200 MW solar project in Gujarat

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Polling for all 14 seats in Jharkhand to be held in four phases, check dates

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Saturday, March 16. The general elections will be held in seven phases across the country.

All the 543 Lok Sabha seats will go into polls between April 19 and June 1. The results will be announced on June 4. The ECI also announced the schedule for Assembly elections in four states –Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Jharkhand, which has 14 Lok Sabha seats, will go into polls in four phases. The elections in Jharkhand will begin on May 13 and conclude on June 1.

ALSO READ | Lok Sabha Election 2024 in West Bengal: Polling dates in each constituency and candidate list

Here’s is the detailed schedule for the Lok Sabha seats across the state of Jharkhand:

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow