West Bengal Assembly Polls

Congress announces candidates for Bengal bypolls in 6 constituencies

The Congress on Tuesday announced candidates for six assembly constituencies in West Bengal where bypolls will be held on November 13. The Congress nominees for the bypolls are Paresh Nath Sarkar for Naihati and Habib Reza Chowdhury for Haroa in North 24 Parganas, Bikash Champro Mary for Madarihat in Alipurduar, Shyamal Kumar Ghosh for Medinipur in West Medinipur, Tusharkanti Sannigrahi for Taldangra in Bankura, and Harihar Roy Singha for Sitai in Cooch Behar district. The electoral contest is expected to be a litmus test for all major political parties following the doctors' protests over the alleged rape and murder of a woman medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The stage is set for a four-cornered contest, as the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which had fought elections in alliance with the Congress in previous polls since 2021, announced candidates for five seats on Monday, including one for the CPI(ML). The Left Front is likely to support the Indian Secular Front (ISF) candid

TMC, BJP ready for bypoll battle in 4 Bengal assembly seats on July 10

Four assembly seats in West Bengal are going for bypolls on Wednesday with the BJP seeking to leverage its Lok Sabha election leads in three of these segments to boost morale and the TMC aiming to capitalise on its recent electoral success. Three of the four constituencies - Maniktala in Kolkata, Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagdah in North 24 Parganas - are in south Bengal. The BJP bagged Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagdah seats in the 2021 assembly polls. The fourth, Raiganj, is in north Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district and was won by the saffron camp in the last assembly elections. The Maniktala seat was secured by the TMC in 2021 but it became vacant after former state minister Sadhan Pandey died in February 2022. Despite the BJP winning the other three seats in 2021, the MLAs later switched to the TMC. The Trinamool Congress nominated Supti Pandey, wife of the late party leader. Krishna Kalyani from Raiganj, Biswajit Das from Bagdah and Mukut Mani Adhikari from Ranaghat Dakshin resigned f

Bengal results on expected lines, people voted against BJP, says TMC

The TMC on Tuesday hailed the trends that reflected that the party was racing ahead of its rivals in 30 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats. The TMC said the results are a reflection of people's faith in the "pro-people policies" of the Mamata Banerjee government and a decisive mandate against the BJP in the state. The TMC was leading in 31 seats after several rounds of counting, while the BJP was ahead in 10, and Congress in one, according to the Election Commission website at 12:30 PM. The results are a reflection of people's faith in the pro-people policies of the TMC government led by our supremo Mamata Banerjee. The people through this decisive mandate against the BJP have defeated the anti-Bengal forces. The results have also proved that the exit polls were a farce by the pro-BJP media, TMC spokesperson Santanu Sen told PTI. In 2019, the TMC had won 22 seats, whereas the BJP had won 18, and the Congress had bagged two seats. Ecstatic TMC activists started celebrating by dancing to dru

Severe storm forming in Bay of Bengal, likely to make landfall on Sunday

A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is likely to concentrate into a cyclonic storm by Saturday evening and make landfall on May 26 night along the adjoining coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh, the Met office said. The cyclone is likely to make landfall with a wind speed of 110-120 km per hour, gusting to 135 kmph, it said. The Met office has warned of extremely heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of West Bengal and north Odisha on May 26-27. Extremely heavy precipitation may hit parts of northeast India on May 27-28. Storm surge of up to 1.5 metre is expected to inundate low-lying areas of coastal West Bengal and Bangladesh at the time of landfall. The weather office warned fishermen not to venture into the sea in north Bay of Bengal till May 27 morning. The Meteorological Department issued a red alert for West Bengal's coastal districts of South and North 24 Parganas on May 26 and 27, where extremely heavy rain is likely in some places. The weather system - a deep ..

Violence mars fifth phase of polls in Bengal, 73% voter turnout till 5 pm

Scattered incidents of violence marred the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls to seven parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal, with 73 per cent of the 1.25 crore voters exercising their franchise till 5 pm on Monday, officials said. Voter turnout was lesser than the previous four phases, and also in comparison to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The final voter turnout for this election, however, will be released later. "Polling was more or less peaceful, barring a few scattered incidents of violence in some constituencies. But we took immediate steps to address those," state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ariz Aftab told PTI. Although no major incident was reported, scattered disturbances could not be averted despite the poll body deploying over 60,000 personnel of central forces, in addition to around 30,000 policemen, the highest number of security forces deployed in any of the phases so far in the state, the official said, adding a total of 1,992 complaints were received. Arambagh Lok

People of Bengal will avenge injustices done by BJP, says Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the state will avenge the "injustice" of the BJP and the "anti-Bengalis will be washed away for sure." Banerjee in a post on her X handle said, "It is a sin to block the funds earmarked for development of the poor but continue splurging money on spreading propaganda". The TMC supremo had been vocal about alleged non-payment of Central dues to the state under various schemes like MNREGA (100 days work) and PM Awas Yojana (housing) for the last three years totalling more than Rs 1.65 lakh crore. "Bengal will avenge this injustice by the BJP", she said, adding "The people of Jhargram, Ghatal and Medinipur have given a clear message --the Bishorjon of Bangla-Birodhis is certain!".

CBI raids residence of 2 TMC leaders in connection with 2021 violence case

The CBI on Friday conducted raids at the residences of two Trinamool Congress leaders at Kathi in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal in connection with its ongoing investigation into the killing of a BJP worker in post-poll violence in 2021, an officer said. A team of CBI officers raided the houses of Kathi Block no 3 TMC leader Debabrata Panda and another block president Nandadulal Maiti in the early hours of Friday in connection with its ongoing investigation, he said. "Panda, Nandadulal's son and 52 others have been named in the FIR lodged in connection with the murder of Janmejay Dolui," the CBI officer told PTI. Dolui, a BJP worker, was killed in post-poll violence following the 2021 assembly election. The CBI officer said that 30 people were summoned for questioning in connection with the matter but none turned up. "We are conducting raids at places associated with these people. We need to question them," he said.

LS elections 2024: Polling for 8 seats in Bengal, 51.87% turnout till 1 pm

Polling was underway peacefully in eight Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal as 15.24 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 9 am on Monday, an election official said. Polling started at the eight Lok Sabha constituencies of Baharampur, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat (SC), Bardhaman Purba (SC), BardhamanDurgapur, Asansol, Bolpur (SC) and Birbhum, at 7 am amid tight security arrangements. A total of 1,45,30,017 voters 73,84,356 men, 71,45,379 women. and 282 third-gender are eligible to exercise their franchise in 15,507 polling stations on Monday. "Polling remained peaceful in the first two hours and there is no untoward incident anywhere in the eight Lok Sabha constituencies. A voter turnout of 15.24 per cent recorded till 9 am," he told PTI. Both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have lodged complaints alleging EVM malfunctioning, agents being stopped from entering polling booths and voters being either threatened or stopped from going to cast their votes in different constituencies. The

Contenders for Medinipur face more resistance internally than from Oppn

Medinipur is probably the only Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal where both the prime contenders, the BJP and the TMC, seem more troubled with resistance from within than from the opposition outside. Should pollsters choose to add yet another layer of political complexity to the seat, there are those who view the battle for Medinipur as that taking place between current and former TMC supporters, roughly translated into followers of party supremo Mamata Banerjee and turncoat Suvendu Adhikari, with both rooting for candidates of their choice. What could have been a cakewalk for the BJP is now an arena where the fight is thrown wide open, with the saffron camp deciding to relocate popular sitting MP and former state party president Dilip Ghosh to Bardhaman-Durgapur, replacing him with the party's state Mahila Morcha president Agnimitra Paul as its candidate for Medinipur. Paul, a Kolkata-based fashion designer and sitting Asansol Dakshin MLA, has had a meteoric rise in the BJP since she w

LS elections: Incidents of violence mar 3rd phase polling in Bengal

Sporadic incidents of violence marred the third phase of Lok Sabha polls in the four constituencies in West Bengal as TMC, BJP and Congress workers clashed with each other in various parts of Murshidabad and Jangipur seats. The TMC, the BJP, and the Congress-CPI(M) alliance lodged separate complaints related to poll violence, voter intimidation, and assaults on poll agents in the first few hours of polling, sources from the parties said. The EC received 182 complaints by 9 am, most of which were from Murshidabad and Jangipur constituencies. According to officials, around 32.82 per cent polling was reported till 11am, with Jangipur recording the highest turnout of 33.81 per cent, followed by Maldaha Dakshin (33.09), Murshidabad (32.72) and Maldaha Uttar (31.73). Additionally, 29.39 per cent voting was recorded in the assembly bypoll in Murshidabad's Bhagawangola. All the four seats are minority-dominated, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) holding Murshidabad and Jangipur, while the

Lok Sabha polls: Over 50% votes cast till 1 pm in West Bengal's 3 seats

A voter turnout of 50.96 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in the three Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal where elections were underway in the first phase on Friday, officials said. Polling started at 7 am in Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduars seats, where a total of 56.26 lakh people are eligible to vote, they said. "Till 1 pm, the voter turnout in Coochbehar was 50.69 per cent, while that in Jalpaiguri was 50.65 per cent, and in Alipurduars was 51.58 per cent," an election official said. All three seats are reserved, with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri for SCs and Alipurduars for STs. A total of 37 candidates are in the fray in the three constituencies where voting will continue till 6 pm.

HC grants leave to ED to file contempt petition against Bengal govt

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted leave to the ED to file a contempt petition against the West Bengal government over the state police not handing over custody of suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh to the CBI, despite an order to that effect. Appearing for the ED, Deputy Solicitor General Dhiraj Trivedi prayed for leave to file the contempt petition and sought an urgent hearing of the matter, claiming that it was losing precious time of Sheikh's custody to the CBI. The high court had on Tuesday directed the transfer of investigation to the CBI into a mob attack on ED officials when they went to search the premises of Sheikh in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district on January 5 in connection with a ration scam probe. A division bench comprising justices Harish Tandon and Hiranmay Bhattacharyya granted leave to the ED to file the petition. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government on Wednesday sought urgent listing of its plea in the Supreme Court challenging the high .

Sandeshkhali violence: Mayawati urges Bengal govt to punish culprits

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Friday urged the Mamata Banerjee government to take 'strict action against the culprits

Those questioning law and order situation trying to malign Bengal: Mamata

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that those questioning West Bengal's law and order situation in the backdrop of the attack on Enforcement Department (ED) officers were trying to malign the state. Banerjee asserted that Kolkata has been adjudged the country's safest city for years as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). "I am not bothered about criticisms against me. But, I will protest if anyone tries to malign the state. Those questioning the law and order situation are trying to malign the state," she said, addressing the 'Students' Week' programme here. Three ED officers were injured and several of their vehicles vandalised as hundreds of supporters of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh attacked them on Friday. The attack happened when the ED team went to Sheikh's house in Sandeshkhali for a raid in connection with alleged irregularities in the state's ration system.

Mamata Banarjee, INDIA alliance leaders back Kharge for Prime Minister post

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the first to propose the name of the Congress President as the prospective PM face of the INDIA alliance

Bypolls: BJP wins 3 seats, Oppn parties get four with SP retaining Ghosi

Dealing a crushing blow to Kerala's ruling LDF, Congress candidate Chandy Oommen on Friday retained for the party-led UDF, the Puthuppally assembly seat, which his father and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy held for over half-a-century. Chandy Oommen trounced his main rival Jaick C Thomas of CPI(M) by a huge and historic margin in the bypoll. The 37-year-old Oommen defeated Thomas by a margin of 37,719 votes in the bypoll battle that saw a nearly month-long vigorous campaigning by leaders of the Congress, CPI(M), and BJP for their respective party candidates. While Oommen gathered 80,144 votes, Thomas could get only 42,425 votes. Though the BJP leadership exuded confidence of a good show in the politically significant bypoll, the saffron party could not feature prominently in the contest. BJP candidate Lijin Lal finished a distant third, falling behind the LDF contestant by gathering a total of 6,558 votes. Analysts agreed that the outcome was on expected lines, with the sympa

WB assembly passes resolution to observe Bengali new year as State Day

The West Bengal assembly Thursday passed a resolution by an overwhelming majority to observe 'Poila Baisakh' or Bengali New Year as the State Day, even as the opposition BJP demanded that June 20, 1947when the state's legislature had agreed to partition Bengal be commemorated as foundation day. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who spoke at length to explain the motion said the decision to observe the Bengali New Year, a day when most people in Bengal gift each other new clothes and businesses start a new ledger, said the day would be celebrated irrespective of any approval from the governor with whom she has crossed swords over appointment of university officials. The resolution was passed by an overwhelming 167 members or 73 per cent of those voting and present, favouring it. Sixty-two MLAs of the BJP, who want to observe June 20 as the State Day, voted against it. The lone ISF MLA in the house abstained from the motion. The resolution under Rule 169 was tabled in the assembly, ...

Bengal governor to meet family members of workers killed in bridge collapse

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose left for Malda on Friday morning where he would be meeting family members of the workers from the district killed in the railway bridge collapse in Mizoram. Bose boarded the Yuva Express after the Vande Bharat Express, in which he was scheduled to travel to Malda this morning, was cancelled due to some technical glitches. The governor after reaching Malda will visit the houses of the workers killed in the Mizoram bridge collapse, sources in the Governor's office said. Bose, who travelled in the second class of Yuva Express, took telephone calls on the moving train and addressed public grievances and issued instructions. "He also talked to Jadavpur University officiating Vice Chancellor and students over the phone in connection with the current fiasco there," the source said. The under-construction railway bridge in the Bairabi-Sairang new line project near Aizawl collapsed on Wednesday killing 22 workers and injuring three. Bodies of four missi

Bengal governor approaches Isro for tech to curb ragging on campuses

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose has reached out to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for identifying an appropriate technology solution to curb the menace of ragging on college and university campuses, a statement issued by Raj Bhavan on Thursday night said. A first-year undergraduate student died earlier this month after allegedly being ragged and sexually harassed in a hostel of Jadavpur University, sparking an outcry in West Bengal. "C V Ananda Bose, Hon'ble Governor of West Bengal and Chancellor of the universities, contacted the Chairman of ISRO for identifying appropriate technology to effectively contain and eliminate the menace of ragging in the university campuses," the statement said. Bose has also held discussions with a Hyderabad-based firm over the issue. "They are trying to develop an appropriate technology solution using multiple sources such as video analytics, image matching automatic target recognition and remote sensing," the governor said in the

Bengal Panchayat polls: No info received on sensitive booths, says BSF DIG

BSF informed that the State Election Commission has set up a total of 61,636 polling booths to conduct elections for 3317 Gram Panchayats