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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Uniform Civil Code will be implemented in West Bengal within six months of the BJP coming to power in the state, and the BJP will make a "son of Bengal" the chief minister. At a press conference after unveiling the BJP's Assembly poll manifesto -- 'Sankalp Patra' -- he accused the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC of practising appeasement politics, and sought to counter TMC's allegation that the BJP would interfere with the food habits of Bengalis. "The recommendation for the Uniform Civil Code is not of the BJP. It is of the Constituent Assembly," Shah said, defending the push for the uniform civil law and claimed that it remained unimplemented for decades because of "appeasement politics". "It was due to appeasement politics that the UCC was not implemented for so long. In whichever states we have formed governments, we have implemented them, and we will do it in Bengal too," he said. The BJP, in its manifesto, has promised to implement the
The BJP on Friday promised a hardline stand on infiltration, Rs 3,000 monthly assistance for every woman and unemployed youth and setting up the Seventh Pay Commission for state employees within 45 days of assuming power in West Bengal following the Assembly polls. Unveiling its 'Sankalp Patra' for the West Bengal assembly poll, Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the document as a roadmap for creating a 'Sonar Bangla'. He launched a blistering attack on the incumbent Mamata Banerjee government, alleging that the last 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule had been a "nightmare" for the people of the state. "The BJP Sankalp Patra will guide farmers, youth and women, giving them a new direction. It will offer renewed hope to every citizen who takes pride in Bengal's culture and will serve as a roadmap for the creation of Sonar Bangla," Shah said. Seeking to make infiltration and border security a central election issue, Shah said a BJP government in the state would adopt a policy o
The high-stakes elections to the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on Thursday, with most seats slated to witness a direct contest between the BJP-led NDA and the opposition coalition helmed by the Congress. The BJP is eyeing a third straight term in power in these elections, while the Congress is looking to wrest the state, from where it was ousted in 2016. A total of 722 candidates, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi, and AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, are in the fray. Polling will be held from 7 am to 5 pm across 31,490 polling stations in 35 districts. A total of 2.50 crore people, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender, are eligible to vote. Among political parties, the Congress has fielded the highest number of candidates at 99, followed by the BJP with 90. The AIUDF has 30 candidates, while NDA constituent
West Bengal's 2026 assembly elections will be fought on an electoral map radically redrawn by the SIR, which has wiped out over 90.83 lakh names from the rolls, upending the arithmetic in scores of constituencies and throwing both the TMC's citadels and the BJP's expansion zones into fresh uncertainty. The state's electorate has shrunk from 7.66 crore to 6.77 crore, forcing the TMC and the BJP to fight the two-phase elections later this month on terrain very different from the one on which Mamata Banerjee stormed back to power in 2021. The deepest cuts have come in the districts that have long determined who rules Bengal -- the minority-heavy belts and the southern zone that have underpinned the TMC since 2011, and the Matua-refugee pockets of North 24 Parganas, Nadia and parts of north Bengal that powered the BJP's rise after 2019. Yet the political fallout is not uniform. The TMC's once-formidable cushions in south Bengal appear thinner, while the BJP remains entrenched in north .
The BJP on Tuesday demanded an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for his alleged remarks on the people of Gujarat and some other states, saying that the comment was "shameless, demeaning and utterly despicable." Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to clarify whether they agreed with Kharge's statement. At an election rally in Kerala's Idukki district on Sunday, Kharge had said the people of the state were "educated and clever" and cannot be misled, unlike those who were "illiterate" in Gujarat and some other places. "Do they agree with this statement? If Rahul Gandhi has any sense, he should distance himself from this remark, condemn it, and demand an apology," Prasad said. The former Union minister further said Kharge "does not deserve to remain Congress president" for making such comments, and questioned if he had "abandoned
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday flagged the Uniform Civil Code and 'One Nation, One Election' as two of the unfinished agendas of the BJP, and said serious and positive discussions are taking place on them. Addressing virtually an event on the BJP's foundation day, Modi also targeted the Congress and said BJP workers endured many hardships like Emergency and also oppression under the grand old party. He said many BJP workers have even sacrificed their lives as was witnessed in states like West Bengal and Kerala, "where violence has been turned into a political culture". "Our mission is still ongoing. On Uniform Civil Code and 'One Nation, One Election', serious discussions are taking place in the country and we are moving in positive directions on them," he said. 'One Nation, One Election' system proposes to hold polls for assembly and Lok Sabha simultaneously. The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) seeks to create same set of laws for everyone regarding marriage, adoption etc. acros
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that while his government has carried out Operation Sindoor on terror camps in Pakistan, the Congress keeps on "singing to the tune of" the neighbouring country. On the development front, he alleged that the Congress had always taken a myopic view on the matter, while the BJP works towards ensuring long-term development of the nation. "The party always took short-term measures so that they could indulge in corruption. But the BJP looks far ahead while taking decisions for all-around development of all sections of society," Modi said. Addressing an election rally here in Assam's Barpeta district, the prime minister said the Congress has "always sung to Pakistan's tune". "This Pakistan connection compromises with the nation's security, and we can never allow that," he said. He also accused the Congress of neglecting the army by refusing to implement 'One Rank, One Pension'. But the BJP ensured that those who protect the nation get justice,
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday alleged that the CPI(M)-led front has struck a "deal" with the BJP for April 9 Assembly polls in Kerala. She also accused the ruling LDF of "compromising" on ideology, accountability, and responsibility in order to remain in power for 10 years. The Wayanad MP was addressing a corner meeting in Peravoor in this northern district as part of the campaign for the Assembly polls. The LDF chose to make a deal with the BJP, who "harasses" the minorities, especially the Christian community and their nuns, she claimed. Despite the massive theft in Sabarimala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose not to utter a single word against it, Vadra alleged, and pointed it out as evidence for the deal. When anyone raises a voice against the PM, they are faced with CBI, ED or income tax cases. There is no such single case against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, she claimed. She further charged that a sense of arrogance had crept into the LDF ...
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday claimed the Congress has concocted the charge that his wife has multiple passports and owns properties in Dubai, using false information from a Pakistani social media group. He also alleged that Pakistan was trying to influence the outcome of the Assam elections. At a press conference here, a day after Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Gaurav Gogoi sought to know whether his wife or family owns property in Dubai, has companies in the USA, or has placed their assets in shell companies, Sarma said these charges have been made to influence the poll results, which is "punishable under the law". The BJP leader also alleged that the documents the Congress used to make the allegations against his wife were sourced from a social media group "Pakistanis in Ajman", and her photo was morphed on a lost passport of a person from that country. "I am concerned that they took the help of Pakistan. This is not a simple fraud case but a crime against
Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Monday hoisted the party flag at the BJP Kerala State Committee office here to mark the party's 47th Foundation Day. The programme, held at Mararji Bhavan, was attended by party workers and leaders. Shah, who is on a visit to the state as part of the election campaign, arrived in the capital on Sunday. He addressed a public meeting in the Kattakkada constituency. He is scheduled to hold a roadshow later in the day in the Harippad constituency in Alappuzha. Elections to 140 Assembly seats in Kerala will be held on April 9.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the CBI to register a preliminary enquiry within two weeks into the award of contracts for public works in Arunachal Pradesh to firms allegedly owned by family members of Chief Minister Pema Khandu. A bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath said the enquiry and consequential investigation, if any, shall cover the award and execution of public works, contracts and work orders in the state for the period from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2025. The bench directed the CBI to file a status report before it in the matter within 16 weeks. "The CBI shall register a PE (preliminary enquiry) within two weeks from the date of the judgement and will proceed in accordance with law," Justice Nath said while pronouncing the order. The detailed order is awaited. The top court had on February 17 reserved its order in the matter. During the hearing in the matter, the apex court was told that government contracts and work orders worth around Rs 1,270 crore were .