Page 4 - West Bengal

Suvendu Adhikari slams TMC, says voters denied rights in Diamond Harbour

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday alleged the people of Diamond Harbour have not been able to exercise their voting rights for a decade ever since the local TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee appeared on the state's political scene. Assuring people that the scenario has now changed, he said the May 21 repolling in the Falta Assembly seat, which falls under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, will re-establish voter rights. Addressing a BJP workers' rally in Falta, Adhikari announced a special development package for the Assembly constituency area, over and above the pre-poll promises made by the BJP in its manifesto. In his first political meeting since he became chief minister, Adhikari said, "The Falta repolls will re-establish voter rights where people have not been able to vote for 10 years ever since the nephew (Abhishek Banerjee) arrived on its political scene. "That scenario has now changed. I urge the voters of Falta to elect the BJP candidate by a margi

Bengal govt scraps Police Welfare Board, eyes stricter law and order

The West Bengal government on Saturday dissolved the Police Welfare Board, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said. The chief minister, after chairing an administrative review meeting at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district, asserted that attacks on police personnel would not be tolerated under any circumstances and stressed the need for strict enforcement of law and order. "Earlier, there was the law of the rulers; now there is the rule of the law," Adhikari said, underlining his government's stand on policing and administration. "The Police Welfare Board was constituted with a good intention. But eventually, it became a party's frontal organisation. I do not know how that helped in the welfare of the police, but it became a place for getting illegal extension (of employment). There are people who have personally benefited. Today, we are dissolving the Board," Adhikari said. The chief minister also announced that women police personnel would be given priority in postings wit

WB govt suspends 3 IPS officers over negligence in handling of RG Kar case

CM announced strict action against three IPS officers over serious administrative lapses, negligence in FIR registration and investigation, and allegations of offering bribes to the victim's family

India's direct selling industry crosses ₹23K crore in FY25, says IDSA

India's direct selling industry grew 4 per cent in FY25, driven by wellness products and rising participation of women entrepreneurs

WBJEE Admit Cards 2026 out: Here's how to download PDF using login details

The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) Board has issued the entrance exam admit card today, May 15. WBJEE 2026 examination is scheduled to be conducted on May 24, 2026

BJP MLA Rathindra Bose elected unopposed as West Bengal assembly Speaker

BJP MLA Rathindra Bose was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the West Bengal assembly on Friday, becoming the first legislator from the northern part of the state to hold the post. His name was proposed in the House by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, following which pro tem Speaker Tapas Roy conducted a voice vote. The pro tem Speaker declared Bose elected as the Speaker of the assembly after all 207 BJP legislators extended their support in his favour. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday announced Bose, the MLA from Cooch Behar Dakshin, as the BJP's candidate for the Speaker's post in the newly constituted 18th West Bengal assembly, while the opposition TMC decided not to field a nominee. With the BJP enjoying an overwhelming majority of 207 MLAs in the 294-member House after its emphatic victory in the recent assembly polls, Bose's elevation was a mere formality. The TMC's decision to stay away from the contest cleared the path for his election without a fight. Bose

WB govt grants CBI sanction to investigate officials accused in graft cases

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said his government has granted the CBI sanction to proceed against officials accused in corruption cases linked to recruitments in schools and civic bodies, while asserting the administration would follow a "zero-tolerance" policy towards graft. At a press conference at the state secretariat, Nabanna, he claimed the previous dispensation had for nearly four years withheld permission for CBI to act in four cases involving senior government officials accused of corruption. "The previous government had blocked four CBI cases for the last four years. Under the law, the CBI or an investigating agency requires sanction from the state government to file charge sheets, prosecutions, or initiate action against government officials accused of corruption," Adhikari said. He claimed the TMC government "deliberately withheld those permissions to shield corrupt bureaucrats and officials". "We have now granted the necessary sanction to the

Bengal CM Adhikari to retain Bhabanipur, give up Nandigram Assembly seat

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on Wednesday that he will retain the Bhabanipur Assembly segment and give up Nandigram. He won both the Bhabanipur and Nandigram seats in the recently-concluded assembly polls and took oath in the state Assembly as an MLA from Bhabanipur on Wednesday. "Someone else will be elected as MLA from Nandigram (in a bypoll). But I will not let the people there feel my absence. "I will fulfil all development promises I made to the people of Nandigram alongside the rest of the state," Adhikari told reporters at the Assembly premises. Referring to the 2009-2016 tenure of Phiroja Bibi as a TMC MLA from Nandigram when Adhikari was a frontline leader of Mamata Banerjee's party, he said, "I had provided all support to Phiroja Bibi, the mother of a martyr in the 2008 Nandigram police firing, although I wasn't officially the MLA from that seat. I will play a similar role this time as well." Adhikari defeated TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in her .

Bengal BJP president signals new land policy for industrial growth

Samik Bhattacharya indicated a rethink on land acquisition, SEZs, and contract farming while assuring businesses of a more industry-friendly environment

Bigger the theft, bigger the reward: Rahul slams Centre on WB appointments

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a swipe at the appointments of erstwhile chief election officer Manoj Agarwal as the new West Bengal chief secretary and Subrata Gupta as the chief advisor to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, saying that in the BJP-EC "chor bazaar", the bigger the theft, the bigger the reward. The Congress has claimed that the appointments reflected the "brazen collusion and connivance" between the Election Commission and the BJP. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "In the BJP-EC's 'chor bazaar'' the bigger the theft, the bigger the reward." The opposition party had on Monday said that there is not even an attempt to keep the collusion discrete or concealed. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, had said the BJP-led West Bengal government has appointed the erstwhile chief election officer Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer responsible for overseeing the recent Assembly elections in the state, as the new chief ...

How BJP ended TMC's dominance in West bengal & what's next for the state's economy | Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee’s stronghold falls as the Bharatiya Janata Party secures a historic win in West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026. What drove this massive shift? From voter trends to market reaction

West Bengal election results: Who will be Bengal CM? Key names | BJP | Suvendu Adhikari

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form the government in West Bengal, winning 206 of 294 seats. Trinamool Congress (TMC) reduced to 81 seats.

West Bengal election result: BJP set to end TMC’s 15-year rule, here’s how top candidates fared

Counting for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections is in its final stages, with the Bharatiya Janata Party crossing the majority mark and heading for a historic win. Mamata Banerjee loses in Bhabani

CBI takes over probe into killing of Suvendu's aide Chandranath Rath

The CBI took over the probe into the killing of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's aide Chandranath Rath, officials said on Tuesday. The agency constituted a seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising seasoned officers from multiple states, to probe the killing that rocked the state two days after the BJP won a landslide mandate in the assembly elections. The CBI team is expected to arrive here later in the day, officials said. The central probe agency has also re-registered the FIR earlier lodged by the police, they said, adding that a DIG-rank officer is heading the SIT. "The CBI took over the investigation on Monday night and formed a multi-disciplinary team to ensure a comprehensive and time-bound investigation into the case. All possible angles, including interstate criminal links and conspiracy, are being examined. The CBI SIT will now focus on unravelling the larger conspiracy behind the murder," a senior official said. Rath was shot dead in ...

Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal appointed chief secretary by Adhikari-led BJP govt

West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal was appointed the chief secretary of the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government in the state, according to an official order issued on Monday. Agarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, helmed the EC-mandated SIR exercise in the state in the run-up to the assembly polls in which around 91 lakh voters were removed from the electoral rolls. Incumbent Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala was named Principal Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, the order stated. Nariwala, a 1993-batch IAS, was named the chief secretary of West Bengal by the poll body, removing Nandini Chakravorty from the position of the state's top bureaucrat. The BJP came to power for the first time in the state after handing a stunning defeat to the Trinamool Congress. The saffron party secured 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, reducing the TMC to 80 seats.

Suvendu Adhikari will be the new CM of West Bengal | BJP

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was on Friday elected the leader of the BJP legislature party in West Bengal, paving the way for him to become the first BJP chief minister of the state.

Adhikari-led Bengal Cabinet okays BSF fencing land transfer, Census rollout

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari chaired the first cabinet meeting on Monday and said his government has granted transfer of land to the BSF for erecting a fence along the Bangladesh border and approved immediate implementation of the Census exercise in the state. The meeting, attended by the five ministers sworn in so far, also decided to induct Bengal into multiple central government schemes, including the Ayushman Bharat health coverage programme. The Ayushman Bharat aims to provide cashless hospitalisation coverage of Rs 5,00,000 per family per year to poor and vulnerable families for secondary and tertiary healthcare services. "In the backdrop of steadily changing demography in Bengal's bordering districts, our cabinet has approved the beginning of the process of handing over necessary land to the BSF for setting up border fences. The Chief Secretary and the secretary of the state's land and land revenue department have been asked to complete the process of land ...

West Bengal to implement Ayushman Bharat, other Central schemes: Adhikari

As part of administrative reforms, IAS officers in the state will now participate in Central Government training programmes in line with practices followed in other states

Bengal to transfer land to BSF for fencing along Bangladesh border: CM

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday said his government, in its first cabinet meeting, has granted transfer of land to the BSF for erecting a fence along the Bangladesh border. The process of transferring land will start from Monday and will be completed within 45 days, he said. He also announced the implementation of the Centre's flagship Ayushman Bharat health scheme and several other schemes of the Union government in the state. "The West Bengal government gave a nod to the transfer of land to the BSF for fencing the border with Bangladesh. The process starts from today and will be completed within 45 days," Adhikari told reporters. The cabinet also approved a proposal for a five-year extension in the age limit of school job applicants, as promised by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the poll campaign, he said. "The Bengal cabinet empowers the chief secretary to take steps to initiate central government training for officers under the national and state ..

Three arrested from UP in connection with killing of Suvendu's aide

Three persons were arrested from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the killing of Chandranath Rath, an aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, police said on Monday. The accused were apprehended by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the murder that occurred in North 24 Parganas district's Madhyamgram on the night of May 6. Investigators traced digital clues and interstate links in the case, the senior police officer said. The arrested men were identified as Vishal Srivastava, a resident of Pandiyapatti in Bihar's Buxar district, while the two others are from Uttar Pradesh, he said, adding that the investigators suspect that one of them is a sharpshooter. "This is a breakthrough. The investigation indicated that the assailants were from outside West Bengal. Based on technical surveillance, digital tracking and other inputs, members of the SIT were sent to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar," the officer told PTI. At least eight people were involved in the ..