West Bengal Assembly Polls

Assembly election in Bengal sees nearly 92% turnout, over 84% voting in TN

West Bengal registered a record voter turnout of nearly 92 per cent in the first phase of assembly polls on Thursday amid sporadic incidents of violence, while Tamil Nadu recorded unprecedented voting of over 84 per cent as the BJP pushed to unseat Mamata Banerjee in Bengal and expand in the South. In the first phase, 152 constituencies in West Bengal went to polls,while voting for the 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly was held in one go. The elections are taking place against the backdrop of a massive political row over the SIR of the electoral rolls, a major flashpoint between the BJP and opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC). In West Bengal, the BJP is eyeing to wrest power fromBanerjee-led TMC, which seeks a fourth straight term in a state the saffron partyhas never governed, and in Tamil Nadu, key contenders are the ruling DMK and main opposition AIADMK, while actor-politician Vijay-led TVK and Tamil nationalist Seeman-led NTK are putting up a determined ...

Tamil Nadu, Bengal see highest voter turnout since Independence: EC

Record turnout in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal polls; Election Commission of India hails voters as participation hits historic highs since Independence

Tamil Nadu registers 56.81% turnout, West Bengal sees 62.18% till 1 pm

In West Bengal, Paschim Mednipur district recorded a high turnout of 65.77 per cent followed by Jhargam at 65.31 per cent and Bankura at 64.58

Clashes, assault on candidates mar phase-I of Bengal polls, EC seeks report

Sporadic incidents of violence and assaults on candidates marred polling in parts of West Bengal on Thursday as the first phase of the Assembly elections progressed across 152 constituencies, prompting the Election Commission to seek reports from trouble-hit pockets. The state recorded a brisk voter turnout of over 41 per cent till 11 am on Thursday, reflecting a strong early participation. In Murshidabad's Naoda, clashes broke out between supporters of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) and the ruling TMC, prompting police and central forces to resort to baton charge to disperse mobs, officials said. The violence in Shibnagar village followed a tense morning after AJUP founder Humayun Kabir visited a polling booth, triggering protests by TMC supporters who raised slogans and surrounded his vehicle, branding him a "BJP agent". As the situation escalated, rival groups allegedly hurled stones and bricks, leading to a law and order situation. Several vehicles were vandalised in the .

PM Modi appeals to people of Tamil Nadu, Bengal to vote in large numbers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal to "enthusiastically" take part in the voting for the Assembly elections in their states. Modi especially urged the youth and women of the two states to vote in record numbers. Polling has started at all 234 assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu while voting began for 152 assembly seats, out of the 294, in West Bengal this morning. "As Tamil Nadu votes in the Assembly elections, I call upon all voters to take part enthusiastically in this sacred duty of democracy. I urge the youth and the women of Tamil Nadu in particular to come out and vote in record numbers," Modi said in a post on X. The prime minister, in another post, said, "Phase 1 of the West Bengal Assembly elections takes place today. I urge all citizens to participate in this festival of democracy with full strength. I especially appeal to my young friends and to the women of West Bengal to vote in large numbers". The second ph

Assembly polls: Voting begins in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal amid high security

Tamil Nadu Assembly elections are being held in a single phase today, while West Bengal will witness two phases of polling, with the second phase scheduled to take place on April 29

Campaigning for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal assembly polls Phase-I ends

The votes polled on April 23 will be taken up for counting on May 4 and results will be ann­ounced

BJP to provide 100k jobs to youths each yr in infiltrator-free Bengal: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday termed the West Bengal assembly polls a chance "to make the state free of infiltrators" and promised one lakh jobs for youths each year based on merit if the BJP won the election. Speaking at his second poll rally of the day in Kulti, on the outskirts of Paschim Bardhaman's industrial hubs of Asansol and Barakar, he said the BJP would restore the industrial glory of the country's iron ore production hub and secure jobs for local youth. "Kulti used to be the hub of iron ore production of the country, but the Mamata Banerjee government has brought it to its knees. We will take the iron city back to its glory, stop illegal mining, impose effective bans on the pollution-creating sponge iron production in the region and create job opportunities for local youths," Shah said. Accusing the TMC government of "stealing jobs from deserving candidates and selling them to the undeserving ones", the Union minister said, "The BJP promises merit-based ...

Amit Shah vows Gorkha issue resolution in 6 months if BJP wins Bengal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the decades-old Gorkha issue will be resolved within six months if the BJP forms the government in West Bengal. He said no party other than the BJP could find a solution acceptable to the Gorkhas. Addressing an election rally at Kurseong in Darjeeling district, Shah said the BJP understands the concerns and aspirations of the Gorkhas and would work towards a settlement on their terms. "Within six months of the BJP forming the government in West Bengal, every Gorkha will have a smile on his face. We will find such a solution to the Gorkha issue that Gorkhas can live in peace," he said. The home minister said the problem had persisted for decades because successive governments had failed to sincerely address the aspirations of the people of the Darjeeling hills. "The Congress and the TMC have done injustice not only to Darjeeling but also to our patriotic Gorkha brothers," Shah alleged. Claiming that the BJP had repeatedly tried to reso

23% candidates in West Bengal poll phase 2 have criminal cases: ADR report

Around 23 per cent candidates in fray in the second phase of West Bengal assembly polls have declared criminal cases against themselves while 22 per cent are crorepatis, according to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Out of 1,445 candidates analysed, 338 (23 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves and 295 (20 per cent) have declared serious criminal cases against themselves, the report showed. While 16 candidates have declared cases of murder, 80 face attempt to murder charges, it said. Among the major parties, 102 (72 per cent) out of 141 candidates analysed from the BJP, 49 (35 per cent) out of 142 candidates from TMC, 51 (51 per cent) out of 100 candidates from CPI(M) and 37 (26 per cent) out of 142 analysed from the Congress have declared criminal cases against themselves in their poll affidavits, the ADR report said. Out of 142 constituencies, 63 (44 per cent) are "red alert" constituencies which have three or more candidates with ...

SC seeks same-day report from Calcutta HC CJ on Bengal SIR tribunals

Top court flags issues in functioning of appellate tribunals on voter roll revisions in West Bengal, seeks immediate report and urges expedited hearing in exclusion case

West Bengal SIR: SC seeks report on functioning of appellate tribunals

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would call for a report from the chief justice of the Calcutta High Court today itself after it was alleged that the appellate tribunals constituted for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal were "not functioning". Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat mentioned the matter before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi. "This is the West Bengal SIR matter.Your lordships have listed the matter for April 24. The appellate tribunals are not functioning. Lawyers are not being allowed. They are only taking internet and computer-based applications," Kamat said. The CJI expressed displeasure that almost everyday, the matters related to SIR in West Bengal were being mentioned before it. Kamat, however, argued that orders passed by the apex court in the matter were not being followed. "We will get a report from the chief justice (of the high court) today itself," the CJI observed. Assembly elections in West Bengal will be

Key issues take back seat as SIR recasts Bengal polls as identity battle

What was shaping up as an election around corruption, jobs and anti-incumbency issues in West Bengal has suddenly turned into a battle over identity and citizenship after the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls deleted over 91 lakh names, changing not just the state's electoral arithmetic but the emotional vocabulary of its campaign. The mood changed dramatically after the SIR deletions reduced the electorate by nearly 12 per cent. Political parties estimate that of the over 91 lakh names removed-though the Election Commission has not released any religious break-up - around 31 lakh are Muslims, and the remaining 61 lakh are Hindus, giving the exercise a communal and political edge. Till a few months ago, the BJP wanted the assembly election to revolve around the TMC's "15-years of misrule," jobs scam, women's safety, unemployment, and alleged TMC's minority appeasement. The TMC, in turn, was preparing to defend 'Lakshmir Bhandar', a financial assistance scheme for women,

SC dismisses plea against transfer of EC officers in poll-bound West Bengal

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea challenging the transfer of administrative and police officers by the Election Commission in poll-bound West Bengal. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi also said that the question of law raised in the matter would be kept open. The bench passed the order while hearing a plea challenging a Calcutta High Court order dated March 31. The high court had dismissed a PIL challenging the transfer of officers by the poll panel in West Bengal. Assembly elections in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29 and votes will be counted on May 4.

From Singur to welfare: How West Bengal's poll issues evolved since 2006

From industrialisation and land protests to welfare, jobs and corruption, West Bengal's election issues have layered over two decades shaping the 2026 political contest

Shah vows to resolve Gorkha issue, withdraw cases if BJP wins West Bengal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that once the BJP assumes power in West Bengal, it will prioritise resolving the Gorkha issue in Darjeeling and withdraw all cases registered against community leaders and workers for violent agitations in the past. Shah, who was unable to reach the upper reaches of Lebong in the Darjeeling hills on account of unfavourable weather conditions, addressed the gathering through a recorded video message. "I am deeply regretful of not being able to reach you today. But I promise you that I will meet you in person at the scheduled public meeting at Sukna in Kurseong on April 21, where I will discuss in detail the development plans we have for the people of Darjeeling," he said. "For now, I will say that once we form the government in Bengal, our priority would be to resolve the Gorkha issue as quickly as possible. We will withdraw all pending police cases against Gorkha leaders and workers after we come to power in the state," he added. The

Bengal SIR: Logical discrepancy not recognised term under EC, says Mamata

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that "logical discrepancy" under the SIR exercise is not an officially recognised term under the Election Commission framework and was selectively applied in West Bengal, unlike Bihar, to benefit the BJP. Addressing a public rally at Pingla in Paschim Medinipur district, she said she has not seen a "dirty party" like the BJP. The West Bengal chief minister, urging people to vote against the BJP, said, "The BJP has snatched everything from you... Voting against it would be your only way to take revenge." The BJP is holding rallies at places that have direct railway connectivity with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar so that they can bring in people from those states to fill up the venues, she alleged. Elections to the 294-member assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and 29, and the votes will be counted on May 4.

I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel sent to 10 days in ED custody in PMLA case

A special court in Delhi has sent I-PAC co-founder and director Vinesh Chandel to ten days of ED custody following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, officials said on Tuesday. In a major action weeks ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls, the federal probe agency late Monday evening arrested Chandel in the case linked to an alleged coal scam in the poll-bound state. Officials said Chandel, a law graduate from NLIU Bhopal, was taken into custody after questioning and produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court late Monday night. The court sent him to 10 days ED custody, they said. Chandel's premises in Delhi, apart from that of another I-PAC co-founder and director, Rishi Raj Singh, in Bengaluru and that of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair in Mumbai, were raided by the ED on April 2 as part of this investigation. I-PAC has been providing political consultancy to the TMC and the West

Govt rushing delimitation, women's quota for political gain: Sonia Gandhi

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday asserted the real issue with the government's move to bring bills in a special sitting of Parliament this week is delimitation, not women's reservation, and claimed that the reported delimitation proposal is "extremely dangerous" as well as an "assault on the Constitution itself". Gandhi stressed that any delimitation involving an increase in the strength of the Lok Sabha must be politically, and not just arithmetically, equitable. In an article published in The Hindu, she also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's real intention now is to further "delay and derail" the caste census. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making appeals to opposition parties to support bills that the government wants to bulldoze through Parliament in a special session when the election campaign in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will be at its peak, she said. "There can be only one reason for the extraordinary hurry, which is to derive ...

In Bengal's Murshidabad, roll deletions trigger 'decitizenisation' fears

Even as CM Mamata Banerjee has vowed to fight to restore the electors' rights, a sense of abandonment is surfacing among those who have been disenfranchised