Bjp

West Bengal polls: How BJP became Trinamool Congress' main challenger

As the Left and Congress declined, BJP has consolidated anti-TMC votes in the last decade, emerging as the main challenger to Mamata Banerjee and TMC

Bengal: Congress replaces 7 candidates for second phase of Assembly polls

The party has nominated Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Baharampur, Pradip Prasad from Bhabanipur, while Mausam Noor, who recently joined the Congress, will contest from Malatipur

Assam to vote on Thursday; BJP aims hat-trick, Congress eyes wresting power

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

Bengal polls: BJP releases 6th list, fields Rakesh Singh from Kolkata Port

As per the list approved by the Central Election Committee, Rakesh Singh has been fielded from Kolkata Port

Bengal's new electoral map: SIR hits TMC bastions, jolts BJP's Matua belt

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 .

From Congress bastion to BJP stronghold: How Assam's politics has evolved

Assam is set to vote on April 9 in a closely watched election, with the BJP aiming to retain power and the Congress hoping to regain ground in a state shaped by identity politics and alliances

BJP slams Congress chief Kharge over 'illiterate' remark, seeks apology

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

Assam Assembly polls: The method behind BJP's 'immigrant' narrative

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has represented Jalukabari, which falls within the Guwahati Lok Sabha seat, consecutively since 2001

UCC, 'One Nation One Election' moving in positive direction: PM Modi

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

Cong keeps singing to Pak's tunes, compromising nation's security: PM Modi

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,

CPI(M) in 'deal' with BJP for April 9 polls in Kerala: Priyanka Gandhi

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 ...

Cong made allegations against my wife using false info from Pak: Assam CM

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

Shah hoists BJP flag in Thiruvananthapuram on party's 47th Foundation Day

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.

SC orders CBI probe into contracts to firms linked to Arunachal CM's kin

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 .

PM Modi, Shah star campaigners for BJP for West Bengal Assembly polls

The list also includes BJP chief Nitin Nabin, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan and Chief Ministers Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma

Poll pulse: Two Thiruvananthapuram seats hold key to Kerala BJP plan

Nemom and Kazhakkoottam emerge as key battlegrounds as BJP looks to convert recent gains into Assembly seats amid voter churn and local issues

BJP's two-pronged approach in Assam ahead of high-stakes Assembly polls

BJP blends welfare outreach to women with identity politics in Assam, as Himanta Biswa Sarma eyes a second term amid rising concerns over polarisation

Weapon of mass distraction: Cong slams PM's push for increasing seats of LS

The Congress on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats, saying he is "bulldozing" the move that will work more to the benefit of larger and populous states and is nothing but a "Weapon of Mass Distraction (WMD)". The opposition party also alleged that the prime minister is "hoodwinking" the people of the country and is making misleading statements that are meant to deceive. In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The PM is upto his usual tricks of making misleading statements that are meant to deceive. He says South Indian states will not be hurt in any way if the strength of the Lok Sabha is increased by 50% and the number of seats of each state in the Lok Sabha is also increased by 50%." "This is hoodwinking the people of the country in which the PM has unique expertise," Ramesh said. For example, the difference between UP's and Kerala's seats in the Lok Sabha

PM Modi to launch BJP's Bengal campaign from Cooch Behar on Sunday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Cooch Behar district on Sunday to launch the BJP's campaign for the West Bengal assembly elections, a senior party leader said. Modi is scheduled to address the BJP's 'Bijoy Sankalpa Sabha' at the historic Ras Mela grounds in the afternoon, marking the start of the party's intensified outreach in north Bengal, with the aim of consolidating grassroots support in a region that has become a saffron stronghold over the years and a critical electoral battlefield. During the rally, the PM is expected to outline the party's vision for a "developed West Bengal", highlight issues raised in the BJP's recently released 'People's Chargesheet' against the ruling TMC in the state, and focus on governance, law and order, and alleged corruption. This will be Modi's first election rally in the state, following the declaration of assembly polls, and the fourth public meeting at the Ras Mela grounds, after his previous rallies at the same venue during his .

BJP releases fifth list of candidates for Bengal Assembly elections

The BJP on Saturday announced its fifth list of five candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal. According to the list, Saurav Sikdar will contest the Dum Dum Uttar seat, Taraknath Chatterjee will enter the fray from Krishnanagar Uttar, Anupam Biswas from Kalyani, Anindya Raju Banerjee from Madhyamgram, while Rudraprasad Banerjee will contest the Uluberia Purba seat. With this, the BJP has released the names of 292 candidates for the 294 seats in West Bengal, which will go to polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The results will be announced on May 4. The ruling Trinamool Congress has already announced candidates for all the 294 seats.