Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday exuded confidence that the BJP will win the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal, and "drive out every single infiltrator" from the state, which was among the ones "worst affected by demographic change".
Shah made the remark in Araria district of Bihar, where he launched projects worth Rs 175 crore of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and dedicated to the nation a couple of new border outposts.
"It is the top priority of the BJP government to drive out every single infiltrator from the country, who are not just a threat to national security, but also feed on welfare benefits meant for people, thereby diluting the impact schemes run by the government could make," he said.
"Infiltration on a large scale also results in encroachments in bordering areas. We are committed to demolishing these. Infiltration also poses the threat of demographic change, which can wreak havoc with the culture, and even geography, of a region," Shah said.
The Narendra

Amit Shah, Home Minister

Shah made the remark in Araria district of Bihar, where he launched projects worth Rs 175 crore of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and dedicated to the nation a couple of new border outposts

Press Trust of India

As West Bengal awaits publication of the final voter list on February 28 after the SIR, the state has been witness to an unusual spectacle over the past few months, with senior leaders and elected representatives from rival parties appearing at hearings to defend their names in the electoral rolls.
For a brief interlude before the 2026 assembly polls, the SIR emerged as an unlikely political leveller, feel observers.
Modest Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing rooms across the state turned into unlikely arenas of convergence during the past two months.
From TMC MP and actor Dev to ministers Shashi Panja and Tajmul Hossain, MLA and former IPS officer Humayun Kabir to party leader Debangshu Bhattacharya and MLA Nandita Chowdhury, SIR notices travelled without regard for party colours.
The BJP list was no different. Former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta attended a hearing over a spelling discrepancy, while BJP MLAs Swapan Majumdar and Ashis Kumar Biswas were also summoned.
The Le

Vote, Voter, Voting, Bihar Election, Election

From TMC MP and actor Dev to ministers Shashi Panja and Tajmul Hossain, MLA Humayun Kabir to party leader Debangshu Bhattacharya, SIR notices travelled without regard for party colours

SC permits deployment of additional judges to speed up Bengal's voter roll revision and allows the Election Commission to publish the final rolls on February 28 as verification continues

ECI, election commission of india, election commission

Business Standard

Mukul Roy, the backroom strategist once hailed as the 'Chanakya of West Bengal politics', died early on Monday after prolonged illness, ending a career which saw him both engineer and embody defections.
One of the founding members of the TMC, his passing ends one of the most layered political journeys of post-Left West Bengal.
Roy, who was born in Kanchrapara in North 24 Parganas district in 1954, began his political career with the Youth Congress in the 1980s. When Mamata Banerjee broke away from the Congress to form the Trinamool Congress in 1998, Roy was among the earliest to follow.
Soft-spoken and meticulous organiser, he avoided rhetorical flourish. His domain was arithmetic, booth committees, district equations, ticket distribution and alliance management. Within a few years, he emerged as the party's general secretary and principal troubleshooter in Delhi.
Elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2006 and re-elected later, Roy became the TMC's leader in the Upper House in 2009. In the

Mukul roy, mukul roy death

With Roy's death, West Bengal's political theatre lost one of its most skilled backstage directors

A high-level meeting on the SIR exercise began at the Calcutta High Court on Saturday afternoon, in accordance with the SC's directives, officials said.
The meeting, presided over by HC Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, aims to establish a framework for judicial oversight as mandated by the apex court, they said.
The meeting follows the Supreme Court's direction that the remaining stages of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls must now be conducted under the supervision of judicial officers and former judges.
Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal were among the officers attending the meeting.
The CEO said the meeting would allow all stakeholders to present their "points of view" to resolve existing complexities and receive specific directions on the way forward.
Dismayed over the ongoing tussle between the West Bengal government and the Election Commission, the Supreme Court on Friday issued an "extraordinary" direction to .

Calcutta High Court (Source/Wikimedia commons)

Calcutta High Court

Chief Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal were among the officers attending the meeting

In an extraordinary order, the Supreme Court on Friday directed deployment of serving and former district judges to assist the Election Commission in the controversy-ridden special intensive revision of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
Ruing the "unfortunate blame game" between the EC and the TMC-led government, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi passed a slew of fresh directions to ensure completion of the special intensive revision (SIR) process in the state.
The bench ordered deputation of judicial officers for adjudication of claims and objections of persons put under logical discrepancy list.
It asked the Calcutta High Court chief justice to spare judicial officers and find former judges to assist in SIR work as it took serious note of state government not sparing enough grade 'A' officers for the revision exercise.
The top court permitted the EC to publish a draft list of voters in the state by February 28 while allowing the p

SC, Supreme Court

The bench ordered deputation of judicial officers for adjudication of claims and objections of persons put under logical discrepancy list

BJP workers celebrated the party's performance in Haryana assembly elections at Delhi BJP headquarters on October 8. Watch the video to know what Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and CM Nayab Singh Saini said after BJP's performance in the state.

Alleging a conspiracy, the Congress on Tuesday, October 8 said it would not accept the Haryana assembly poll result as it raises “serious questions” about the integrity of the instruments of the democratic system. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Haryana result is a victory of manipulations, and subverting the will of people. He also alleged that it is a defeat of the transparent and democratic processes.

Watch the video to know the key candidates who won or lost in the Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana assembly elections.

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah says, "People have given their mandate, they have proven that they don't accept the decision that was taken on August 5...Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister."

Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat on October 8 won her maiden election, defeating her nearest BJP rival Yogesh Kumar from Julana assembly seat in Haryana, according to the Election Commission. Watch the video to know what Phogat said after her win in the assembly election.

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Haryana Elections 2024: Haryana Assembly Election 2024 News, Dates , Results | Business Standard

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BJP will win Bengal polls, drive out every single infiltrator: Amit Shah

Great leveller: How SIR hearings blurred party lines ahead of Bengal polls

Bengal SIR: SC allows Jharkhand, Odisha judicial officers for verification

Mukul Roy: Bengal's 'Chanakya' who mastered defections, outlived alliances

Calcutta High Court holds high-level meet on SIR after SC directive

SC orders deployment of judicial officers in Bengal's SIR exercise

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