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West Bengal Assembly Election 2011
Congress MLAs including women members wore helmets when they entered the West Bengal assembly on Wednesday, a day after a scuffle inside the House spun out of control, even as the Speaker ordered a probe into the role of security men during the violence.
The West Bengal assembly on Tuesday plunged into bedlam with ruling Trinamool Congress and Left members coming to blows and the speaker suspending three Left MLAs, while three injured members were taken to hospital.
Eighteen years after she vowed never to set foot again in Writers' Building from where she was forcefully evicted while on dharna with a rape victim before Jyoti Basu's chamber, Mamata Banerjee on Friday stepped in as chief minister. 'May 20 will set off a new era in Bengal'
People of West Bengal would not forget this Friday in a hurry. Caption the picture: 'Not this one, Didi!'
We ask our readers to suggest a suitable caption for this picture by commenting in the message-board below!
The elections for five assemblies are over and the results are out. As the new governments get ready to take their place and commence their five year term, compiles a report on nature of the MLAs these governments will have.
Clashes were reported from some parts of West Bengal after the announcement of assembly poll results in which the Trinamool Congress trounced the Left Front with the Communist Party of India-Marxist alleging that three of its activists have been killed. Buddha not quitting politburo, says Karat
Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Prakash Karat on Monday presided over the crucial party's politburo meeting in New Delhi to review the party's dismal performance in West Bengal and a close miss in Kerala polls. Mamata meets Sonia; asks Cong to be part of govt
Mamata Banerjee, set to become West Bengal Chief Minister, on Monday invited ally Congress to be part of her government as she met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi.
Banerjee, during a nearly 50-minute meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at his south Kolkata residence on Saturday, proposed that Congress should join the ministry to be headed by her. In PHOTOS: Mamata turns Bengal green
The map of West Bengal has turned green with intermittent patches of red as the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress swept to power bulldozing the CPIM-led Left Front with a success rate of over 81 per cent. Congress to join Mamata's government
Sources said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi too felt that staying away from the government would not help in the party's growth in the state. She also felt that many party leaders may be lured away by Mamata, who has grown at the Congress's cost, if it stays away from power. Trinamool may elect Mamata as CM on Sunday
"The meeting of the newly-elected MLAs of the Trinamool Congress will be held in Kolkata on Sunday to elect the leader, party general secretary Mukul Roy said on Saturday. Why Cong is more happy than sad after counting day
For the Congress it has turned out to be a good Friday the 13th. The party has returned to power in Assam and Kerala. In West Bengal, it's back in power after almost four decades riding piggyback on its ally the Trinamool Congress. Cong in two minds on joining Mamata's govt
Congress on Friday night appeared to be in two minds on the issue of joining the government to be led by Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.
Let's look at the major winners and losers in Bengal polls Let's give Mamata Banerjee a chance
Mamata must be whole-heartedly congratulated and supported. If she errs in future, we must be ready to correct her, says Tarun Vijay. 5 IPS officers win on Trinamool tickets
All the five former Indian Police Service officers fielded by the Trinamool Congress won comfortably, while TC nominee and former chief secretary Manish Gupta humbled Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, his one time boss. 'Pleased' Congress humiliates BJP's poll drubbing
As the counting process into election to five assemblies reached its final phases, Senior Congress leader and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee declared that the people have given their verdict towards both 'stability' and 'change.' Left Front: People wanted change, we made mistakes
'Paribortan' or change -- the poll plank of Trinamool -- found an echo in the words of senior CPI-M leaders Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat as well as a party politburo statement which said the party accepts the people's verdict. "After the Left Front being in office for a record 34 years continuously, the people have opted for a change. The TMC-led combine has been the beneficiary of this change," the CPM statement said. TC: From Congress breakaway to Bengal's main party
The Trinamool Congress rose like a phoenix from the Singur and Nandigram movements chipping away at the hold of the Left Front to sweep into the portals of power in West Bengal after 34 years of uninterrupted Marxist rule. The land agitation in Singur and Nandigram is widely credited for Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's meteoric rise and the dramatic change in her political fortunes Mamata: The Bengali street-fighter
The feisty 56-year-old Banerjee, who is the founder and chairperson of the Trinamool Congress which she set up in 1998 after falling out with the Congress Party in West Bengal, can now have the satisfaction of a victorious General seeing all the war plans fall into place. Left faces rout, history is being made in Bengal
The Left Front camp seems shellshocked as news of its heavyweights Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Gautam Deb, Ashim Dasgupta trailing in their respective constituencies poured in In Bengal, the signs were evident
"For a long time, there was virtually no election in West Bengal, because of the Left Front's 'scientific rigging'. The last assembly elections in West Bengal were the first time such extensive security was deployed," pointed out a senior political analyst. "But the fear of the CPI-M was till pervasive. This time, the fear is gone, and the Election Commission must be lauded for its stellar job." Mamata vows to end autocracy, atrocities
Drawing parallels between the victory of Trinamool Congress in West Bengal elections and the "freedom struggle", its chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday promised good governance and vowed to end "autocracy and atrocities". Assembly Election 2011: A summary
A summary of the assembly elections held in Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry
"The polls were held absolutely peaceful and totally incident free," Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi told media persons at the end of polling.
As West Bengal readies for its sixth and final phase of the assembly election, rediff.com's Sanchari Bhattacharya visits the Maoist-affected districts West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, to find that talk about poriborton is the last thing on the villagers minds as they struggle each day to make ends meet
Amid tight security, polling began on Saturday morning for the fifth of the six-phase West Bengal assembly election across 38 constituencies spread over four Maoist-hit districts of West Midnapur, Bankura, Purulia and parts of Burdwan.
Hitting back at the Centre, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Friday asked Home Minister P Chidambaram not to 'play doctor' as he did not need his advice in administering West Bengal.
In the increasingly bipolar West Bengal, Rediff.com's encounters a different campaign rally in Jhargram -- that of jailed leader of disbanded PCPA and alleged Maoist sympathaiser, Chhatradhar Mahato. Will Bengal's 'conspiracy land' witness change?
Rediff.com's visits Jhargram and Jungle Mahal, one of the most volatile areas of poll-bound West Bengal, and tries to figure out whether the 'winds of change' would blow away 'the red bastions.'
"Meet me on the 15th (of May) and I will remind you of what I told you today: We are going to form the eighth Left Front government," Communist leader Biman Bose tells Fourth phase of West Bengal assembly poll begins
Polling began on Tuesday morning for the fourth of the six phase West Bengal assembly election across 63 constituencies spread over Howrah, Hooghly, East Midnapur and parts of Burdwan district.
Around seventy seven per cent voting was recorded in the third phase of West Bengal assembly polls in 75 seats covering Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas districts on Wednesday. EC to visit WB to oversee poll preparedness
The full bench of the Election Commission will visit West Bengal on Thursday to oversee the poll preparedness for the last three phases of the assembly polls. Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and the other two Election Commissioners V.S. Sampath and HS Brahma will arrive in Kolkata in the morning and hold meeting with the representatives of the political parties.
As the crucial third phase polling of the West Bengal assembly elections begins on Wednesday morning, tries to gauge the political temperatures as she strolls through the by-lanes of poll-bound Kolkata. WB: Third phase to decide fate of Buddha, Mitra
An electorate of 1.44 crore is expected to vote on Wednesday in the crucial third phase of the West Bengal assembly polls spread over three districts of Kolkata and North and South 24 Parganas district to decide the fate of 479 candidates including Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Trinamool Congress General Secretary Mukul Roy on Tuesday filed two defamation cases against West Bengal minister Gautam Deb, including a civil suit seeking damages of Rs 15 crore, for alleging that the Opposition party used black money for its election campaign.
Ahead of the crucial third phase of assembly polls, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that West Bengal was the 'worst-governed' state in the country and blamed the CPI-M and its cadres for spreading violence and turning the state into a 'killing field'.
In an informal conversation with rediff.com's Indrani Roy Mitra, Salim speaks about Trinamool Congress' much-hyped poriborton, what made Left fare badly at the last Lok Sabha and municipal elections among many other issues. Buddha rebuts PM's remark on non-performance
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday said he was surprised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement about the state government's "overall failure".
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday censured veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Anil Basu for using expletives against Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee at an election meeting, while the Trinamool Congress demanded his arrest. Left has failed Bengal for 34 years: Dr Singh
Launching a frontal attack on the ruling Left Front government, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the law and order situation in West Bengal was a matter of "grave concern" and called for a change to give a fresh lease of life to the state. WB: 53 pc polling in first seven hours
Two presiding officers were removed following allegation of influencing voters and an election agent of Communist Party of India-Marxist detained for interrogation after postal ballots were recovered from him, the sources said in Kolkata. Mamata drove Nano out of Bengal: Somnath
Putting behind the bitterness over his expulsion from the Communist Party of India-Marxist, at least for now, former Speaker Somnath Chatterjee plans to campaign for the party in the assembly elections as he still feels he is a
Rubbishing charges that black money was used to fund the Trinamool Congress' poll campaign in West Bengal, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday claimed the "wild accusations" would not cut much ice with the electorate. The significance of Mamata's rise can't be ignored
explains how Mamata Banerjee's challenge, which poses a grave threat to the 34-year old rule of the Communist parties in West Bengal, cannot be ignored.
Five years after the Tatas abandoned their small car factory in favour of Gujarat frustrated by the land acquisition controversy, politics in the Singur assembly constituency still revolves around the failed project.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that West Bengal has been taken on a road of destruction under the 34-year Left Front rule and assured that the Congress-Trinamool alliance is determined to free the state from this "misrule". Achuthanandan not to campaign in West Bengal
Communist Party of India-Marxist stalwart and Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, the star campaigner for the Left Democratic Front in the April 13 Assembly polls, on Wednesday said he would not campaign for Left Front candidates in West Bengal. In north Bengal, netas 'dream' as voters struggle
visits Haldibari in North Bengal's Coochbehar district and realises that between political strategies and 'illogical' high hopes of leaders, lies the realm of the unattended, struggling voters. Pranab snubs Cong rebels; Adhir defiant
A day before Congress president Sonia Gandhi's visit for poll campaigning, senior party leader Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday snubbed party rebels contesting as Independents saying dissenters would not matter in the assembly elections.
The turnout in the last assembly elections in these districts in 2006 was 82.91 per cent Few takers for Cong-TC alliance in north Bengal
As the first phase of assembly elections was underway, rediff.com's Indrani Mitra Roy toured north Bengal only to find that the Trinamool-Congress alliance has a few takers here. Most voters swore by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, a few referred to them as extortionists.
Union minister Mukul Roy's son Subhranshu Roy, a Trinamool candidate, was on Sunday arrested by police in North 24 Parganas district after absconding since Tuesday after a first information report was filed by the Election Commission against him and others for allegedly assaulting its team members. WB polls a freedom movement from oppression: Modi
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday termed the West Bengal assembly polls as a "freedom movement" of people entangled into 35-year-long vicious cycle of "oppression". WB polls: TC to file defamation suit against Deb
Taking exception to Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Gautam Deb's allegation that her party had used black money to fund election expenses, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday they will file a defamation suit against him. Addressing an election meeting at Haringhata in Nadia district, Banerjee said she had directed the Union minister and party general secretary Mukul Roy to file the defamation suit.
A brief overview of North Bengal districts' constituencies Left government did nothing for Bengal: Modi
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday alleged that the Left Front had not done any development work or set up any industry in West Bengal in its 34 year-rule. Cong set to win in Bengal because of TC: Mamata
In an exclusive interview to CNN IBN, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee says that the Congress was winning because of her leadership.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday stressed for a change of regime in West Bengal, saying that the Left Front Government had failed to utilise Central funds given to the state for its development. I regret I couldn't die as a CPI-M member: Somnath
On the outskirts of Santiniketan, in a sprawling bungalow, lives an octogenarian gentleman with his wife. The hurly-burly of the outside world does not disturb the peace there.
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandh on Thursday asked the people of West Bengal to end the 34-year-old 'misrule' of the Communist Party of India-Marxist and elect a government of the aam admi that would bring development and prosperity to the state. Help Cong-TC end CPI-M's misrule in Bengal: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked the people of West Bengal to end the 34-year-old 'misrule' of the Communist Party of India-Marxist and elect a government of 'aam admi' that would bring development and prosperity to the state. WB: Shouts of change, whispers of scepticism
Sumit Bhattacharya listens in to conversations in poll-bound Kolkata.
Firmly opposing the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said her party would not allow any move to divide West Bengal. Left's biggest USP may become its worst nightmare
The issue of acquiring farmland for industry is threatening to jolt West Bengal's Left Front, the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government, says Sumit Bhattacharya
Maoists on Monday called for a boycott of assembly elections in poll-bound states terming the exercise as a 'farce'. WB: Adivasis, Nepali voters a key factor in Dooars
Ethnic divisions are likely to dominate elections in West Bengal's Dooars region, which has 12 assembly seats, with the choice of the adivasi and Nepalese-origin electorate likely to be a deciding factor. States benefitted the most under UPA rule: Pranab
During his whirlwind election tour in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, also the United Progressive Alliance's chief interlocutor, tells Saubhadra Chatterji the government has its own way of moving against corruption:
Keeping pace with the high-pitch campaign by main opposition Trinamool Congress, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday organised his first roadshow from his Jadavpur constituency and said the ruling Left Front would return to power for the eighth term.
Rediff.com's Indrani Roy Mitra caught up with Abhijit Mukherjee, son of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee during his campaign trail. Separate booth for sex workers in WB polls
The names of 75 sex workers and their families existed on the electoral rolls in Shantipur constituency, but only 20 per cent turned up to vote in the last elections.
Rediff.com's Indrani Roy Mitra was in Nalhati in the Birbhum district near the Bengal-Jharkhand border on Wednesday to cover the campaign of Abhijit Mukherjee, a former corporate executive and son of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. And here's what she saw. This should be the toughest poll: Bengal minister
If Mamata Banerjee is a fighter jet bombing the Left Front fortress of West Bengal, Gautam Deb is the Communist Party of India-Marxist's anti-aircraft gun. Mamata's paintings sold out for over Rs 1 crore!
Although Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's collection of 95 paintings were sold out within three days for a staggering price of more than a crore rupees, she refuses to be acknowledged as a painter.
The Congress on Wednesday decided to take on Trinamool Congress ally Socialist Unity Centre of India in two seats at South 24 Parganas for refusing to withdraw nominees against it in 29 other constituencies for the West Bengal assembly elections.
Sending a tough message to the rebels, Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said it was not possible to satisfy all aspirants for party tickets and warned that contesting against official nominees would invite stern action. Ganguly will not be EC brand ambassador
After the controversy raised by the Trinamool Congress that his political affiliation was with the Communist Party of India-Marxist and he could not be a brand ambassador of the Election Commission, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has cried off. Buddha set to 'follow' Mamata's footsteps
With Mamata Banerjee's 'padayatras' drawing thousands, the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist not to be outdone has also planned a similar roadshow on coming Saturday by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in his Jadavpur constituency in southern Kolkata. Will he be the change West Bengal seeks?
Trinamool Congress candidate and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce And Industry secretary general Amit Mitra, pitted against Communist Party of India-Marxist candidate and West Bengal Finance minister Ashim Dasgupta, is confident that his party is heading for a victory at the forthcoming Assembly elections.
Defying Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee's warning of expulsion, two party members of legislative assembly, who decided to contest the assembly election as Independents after being denied tickets, on Monday said under no circumstances they would withdraw from the fray.
"The people of the state, as it has been often publicised by the Opposition, want a change. But sadly, they (Trinamool Congress) are yet to come up with a concrete plan as to what it intends to do," said the chief minister.
Trinamool Congress unilaterally announces candidates for 228 constituencies for the assembly elections in West Bengal, leaving 64 seats to Congress and remaining two to ally Socialist Unity Centre of India.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has asked the party managers to strike a hard bargain with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress.
The Congress has begun moves for an 'honourable alliance' with the Trinamool Congress in poll-bound West Bengal.
December 12, 2012
Cong MLAs enter WB assembly wearing helmetsCongress MLAs including women members wore helmets when they entered the West Bengal assembly on Wednesday, a day after a scuffle inside the House spun out of control, even as the Speaker ordered a probe into the role of security men during the violence.
December 11, 2012
Left-Trinamool MLAs come to blows in WB assemblyThe West Bengal assembly on Tuesday plunged into bedlam with ruling Trinamool Congress and Left members coming to blows and the speaker suspending three Left MLAs, while three injured members were taken to hospital.
May 20, 2011
Mamata keeps vow of 18 yrs, sets foot in Writers'Eighteen years after she vowed never to set foot again in Writers' Building from where she was forcefully evicted while on dharna with a rape victim before Jyoti Basu's chamber, Mamata Banerjee on Friday stepped in as chief minister. 'May 20 will set off a new era in Bengal'
People of West Bengal would not forget this Friday in a hurry. Caption the picture: 'Not this one, Didi!'
We ask our readers to suggest a suitable caption for this picture by commenting in the message-board below!
May 17, 2011
Bengal has most criminal MLAs; TN most crorepatisThe elections for five assemblies are over and the results are out. As the new governments get ready to take their place and commence their five year term, compiles a report on nature of the MLAs these governments will have.
May 16, 2011
Clashes in WB after poll results; LF meets guvClashes were reported from some parts of West Bengal after the announcement of assembly poll results in which the Trinamool Congress trounced the Left Front with the Communist Party of India-Marxist alleging that three of its activists have been killed. Buddha not quitting politburo, says Karat
Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Prakash Karat on Monday presided over the crucial party's politburo meeting in New Delhi to review the party's dismal performance in West Bengal and a close miss in Kerala polls. Mamata meets Sonia; asks Cong to be part of govt
Mamata Banerjee, set to become West Bengal Chief Minister, on Monday invited ally Congress to be part of her government as she met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi.
May 14, 2011
Mamata invites Congress to join her govtBanerjee, during a nearly 50-minute meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at his south Kolkata residence on Saturday, proposed that Congress should join the ministry to be headed by her. In PHOTOS: Mamata turns Bengal green
The map of West Bengal has turned green with intermittent patches of red as the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress swept to power bulldozing the CPIM-led Left Front with a success rate of over 81 per cent. Congress to join Mamata's government
Sources said Congress chief Sonia Gandhi too felt that staying away from the government would not help in the party's growth in the state. She also felt that many party leaders may be lured away by Mamata, who has grown at the Congress's cost, if it stays away from power. Trinamool may elect Mamata as CM on Sunday
"The meeting of the newly-elected MLAs of the Trinamool Congress will be held in Kolkata on Sunday to elect the leader, party general secretary Mukul Roy said on Saturday. Why Cong is more happy than sad after counting day
For the Congress it has turned out to be a good Friday the 13th. The party has returned to power in Assam and Kerala. In West Bengal, it's back in power after almost four decades riding piggyback on its ally the Trinamool Congress. Cong in two minds on joining Mamata's govt
Congress on Friday night appeared to be in two minds on the issue of joining the government to be led by Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.
May 13, 2011
Bengal polls: CM, ministers bite the dustLet's look at the major winners and losers in Bengal polls Let's give Mamata Banerjee a chance
Mamata must be whole-heartedly congratulated and supported. If she errs in future, we must be ready to correct her, says Tarun Vijay. 5 IPS officers win on Trinamool tickets
All the five former Indian Police Service officers fielded by the Trinamool Congress won comfortably, while TC nominee and former chief secretary Manish Gupta humbled Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, his one time boss. 'Pleased' Congress humiliates BJP's poll drubbing
As the counting process into election to five assemblies reached its final phases, Senior Congress leader and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee declared that the people have given their verdict towards both 'stability' and 'change.' Left Front: People wanted change, we made mistakes
'Paribortan' or change -- the poll plank of Trinamool -- found an echo in the words of senior CPI-M leaders Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat as well as a party politburo statement which said the party accepts the people's verdict. "After the Left Front being in office for a record 34 years continuously, the people have opted for a change. The TMC-led combine has been the beneficiary of this change," the CPM statement said. TC: From Congress breakaway to Bengal's main party
The Trinamool Congress rose like a phoenix from the Singur and Nandigram movements chipping away at the hold of the Left Front to sweep into the portals of power in West Bengal after 34 years of uninterrupted Marxist rule. The land agitation in Singur and Nandigram is widely credited for Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's meteoric rise and the dramatic change in her political fortunes Mamata: The Bengali street-fighter
The feisty 56-year-old Banerjee, who is the founder and chairperson of the Trinamool Congress which she set up in 1998 after falling out with the Congress Party in West Bengal, can now have the satisfaction of a victorious General seeing all the war plans fall into place. Left faces rout, history is being made in Bengal
The Left Front camp seems shellshocked as news of its heavyweights Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Gautam Deb, Ashim Dasgupta trailing in their respective constituencies poured in In Bengal, the signs were evident
"For a long time, there was virtually no election in West Bengal, because of the Left Front's 'scientific rigging'. The last assembly elections in West Bengal were the first time such extensive security was deployed," pointed out a senior political analyst. "But the fear of the CPI-M was till pervasive. This time, the fear is gone, and the Election Commission must be lauded for its stellar job." Mamata vows to end autocracy, atrocities
Drawing parallels between the victory of Trinamool Congress in West Bengal elections and the "freedom struggle", its chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday promised good governance and vowed to end "autocracy and atrocities". Assembly Election 2011: A summary
A summary of the assembly elections held in Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry
May 10, 2011
WB: 84.8 pc polling in Maoist heartland"The polls were held absolutely peaceful and totally incident free," Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi told media persons at the end of polling.
May 09, 2011
No poll promises for these forgotten villagesAs West Bengal readies for its sixth and final phase of the assembly election, rediff.com's Sanchari Bhattacharya visits the Maoist-affected districts West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, to find that talk about poriborton is the last thing on the villagers minds as they struggle each day to make ends meet
May 07, 2011
WB polls: 81 pc polling in fifth phaseAmid tight security, polling began on Saturday morning for the fifth of the six-phase West Bengal assembly election across 38 constituencies spread over four Maoist-hit districts of West Midnapur, Bankura, Purulia and parts of Burdwan.
May 06, 2011
PC should focus on his job, not mine: BuddhaHitting back at the Centre, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Friday asked Home Minister P Chidambaram not to 'play doctor' as he did not need his advice in administering West Bengal.
May 05, 2011
From behind bars, a folk hero campaignsIn the increasingly bipolar West Bengal, Rediff.com's encounters a different campaign rally in Jhargram -- that of jailed leader of disbanded PCPA and alleged Maoist sympathaiser, Chhatradhar Mahato. Will Bengal's 'conspiracy land' witness change?
Rediff.com's visits Jhargram and Jungle Mahal, one of the most volatile areas of poll-bound West Bengal, and tries to figure out whether the 'winds of change' would blow away 'the red bastions.'
May 03, 2011
CPI-M will win, but by a narrow margin: Biman Bose"Meet me on the 15th (of May) and I will remind you of what I told you today: We are going to form the eighth Left Front government," Communist leader Biman Bose tells Fourth phase of West Bengal assembly poll begins
Polling began on Tuesday morning for the fourth of the six phase West Bengal assembly election across 63 constituencies spread over Howrah, Hooghly, East Midnapur and parts of Burdwan district.
April 28, 2011
WB polls: 77 per cent turnout in third phaseAround seventy seven per cent voting was recorded in the third phase of West Bengal assembly polls in 75 seats covering Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas districts on Wednesday. EC to visit WB to oversee poll preparedness
The full bench of the Election Commission will visit West Bengal on Thursday to oversee the poll preparedness for the last three phases of the assembly polls. Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and the other two Election Commissioners V.S. Sampath and HS Brahma will arrive in Kolkata in the morning and hold meeting with the representatives of the political parties.
April 27, 2011
Kolkata poll diary: Will Bengal usher in 'change'?As the crucial third phase polling of the West Bengal assembly elections begins on Wednesday morning, tries to gauge the political temperatures as she strolls through the by-lanes of poll-bound Kolkata. WB: Third phase to decide fate of Buddha, Mitra
An electorate of 1.44 crore is expected to vote on Wednesday in the crucial third phase of the West Bengal assembly polls spread over three districts of Kolkata and North and South 24 Parganas district to decide the fate of 479 candidates including Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
April 26, 2011
TC slaps Rs 15 cr defamation suit on Gautam DebTrinamool Congress General Secretary Mukul Roy on Tuesday filed two defamation cases against West Bengal minister Gautam Deb, including a civil suit seeking damages of Rs 15 crore, for alleging that the Opposition party used black money for its election campaign.
April 25, 2011
Bengal worst-governed state in India: ChidambaramAhead of the crucial third phase of assembly polls, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that West Bengal was the 'worst-governed' state in the country and blamed the CPI-M and its cadres for spreading violence and turning the state into a 'killing field'.
April 24, 2011
'Trinamool's policy always based on opportunism'In an informal conversation with rediff.com's Indrani Roy Mitra, Salim speaks about Trinamool Congress' much-hyped poriborton, what made Left fare badly at the last Lok Sabha and municipal elections among many other issues. Buddha rebuts PM's remark on non-performance
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday said he was surprised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement about the state government's "overall failure".
April 23, 2011
WB: Buddha censures CPM leader for abusing MamataWest Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday censured veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Anil Basu for using expletives against Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee at an election meeting, while the Trinamool Congress demanded his arrest. Left has failed Bengal for 34 years: Dr Singh
Launching a frontal attack on the ruling Left Front government, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the law and order situation in West Bengal was a matter of "grave concern" and called for a change to give a fresh lease of life to the state. WB: 53 pc polling in first seven hours
Two presiding officers were removed following allegation of influencing voters and an election agent of Communist Party of India-Marxist detained for interrogation after postal ballots were recovered from him, the sources said in Kolkata. Mamata drove Nano out of Bengal: Somnath
Putting behind the bitterness over his expulsion from the Communist Party of India-Marxist, at least for now, former Speaker Somnath Chatterjee plans to campaign for the party in the assembly elections as he still feels he is a
April 22, 2011
Buddhadeb gave WB only Singur, Nandigram: MamataRubbishing charges that black money was used to fund the Trinamool Congress' poll campaign in West Bengal, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday claimed the "wild accusations" would not cut much ice with the electorate. The significance of Mamata's rise can't be ignored
explains how Mamata Banerjee's challenge, which poses a grave threat to the 34-year old rule of the Communist parties in West Bengal, cannot be ignored.
April 21, 2011
WB: Nano's exit continues to haunt candidatesFive years after the Tatas abandoned their small car factory in favour of Gujarat frustrated by the land acquisition controversy, politics in the Singur assembly constituency still revolves around the failed project.
April 20, 2011
CPI-M has turned Bengal bankrupt: SoniaCongress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that West Bengal has been taken on a road of destruction under the 34-year Left Front rule and assured that the Congress-Trinamool alliance is determined to free the state from this "misrule". Achuthanandan not to campaign in West Bengal
Communist Party of India-Marxist stalwart and Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, the star campaigner for the Left Democratic Front in the April 13 Assembly polls, on Wednesday said he would not campaign for Left Front candidates in West Bengal. In north Bengal, netas 'dream' as voters struggle
visits Haldibari in North Bengal's Coochbehar district and realises that between political strategies and 'illogical' high hopes of leaders, lies the realm of the unattended, struggling voters. Pranab snubs Cong rebels; Adhir defiant
A day before Congress president Sonia Gandhi's visit for poll campaigning, senior party leader Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday snubbed party rebels contesting as Independents saying dissenters would not matter in the assembly elections.
April 18, 2011
Nearly 75 pc vote in first phase of WB pollsThe turnout in the last assembly elections in these districts in 2006 was 82.91 per cent Few takers for Cong-TC alliance in north Bengal
As the first phase of assembly elections was underway, rediff.com's Indrani Mitra Roy toured north Bengal only to find that the Trinamool-Congress alliance has a few takers here. Most voters swore by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, a few referred to them as extortionists.
April 17, 2011
TC candidate held for assaulting poll officialsUnion minister Mukul Roy's son Subhranshu Roy, a Trinamool candidate, was on Sunday arrested by police in North 24 Parganas district after absconding since Tuesday after a first information report was filed by the Election Commission against him and others for allegedly assaulting its team members. WB polls a freedom movement from oppression: Modi
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday termed the West Bengal assembly polls as a "freedom movement" of people entangled into 35-year-long vicious cycle of "oppression". WB polls: TC to file defamation suit against Deb
Taking exception to Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Gautam Deb's allegation that her party had used black money to fund election expenses, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday they will file a defamation suit against him. Addressing an election meeting at Haringhata in Nadia district, Banerjee said she had directed the Union minister and party general secretary Mukul Roy to file the defamation suit.
April 16, 2011
WB polls: Equations, strategies and hopesA brief overview of North Bengal districts' constituencies Left government did nothing for Bengal: Modi
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday alleged that the Left Front had not done any development work or set up any industry in West Bengal in its 34 year-rule. Cong set to win in Bengal because of TC: Mamata
In an exclusive interview to CNN IBN, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee says that the Congress was winning because of her leadership.
April 15, 2011
'Does Communism mean people will become poorer?'Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday stressed for a change of regime in West Bengal, saying that the Left Front Government had failed to utilise Central funds given to the state for its development. I regret I couldn't die as a CPI-M member: Somnath
On the outskirts of Santiniketan, in a sprawling bungalow, lives an octogenarian gentleman with his wife. The hurly-burly of the outside world does not disturb the peace there.
April 14, 2011
End CPI-M's misrule, elect aam aadmi's govt: RahulCongress General Secretary Rahul Gandh on Thursday asked the people of West Bengal to end the 34-year-old 'misrule' of the Communist Party of India-Marxist and elect a government of the aam admi that would bring development and prosperity to the state. Help Cong-TC end CPI-M's misrule in Bengal: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asked the people of West Bengal to end the 34-year-old 'misrule' of the Communist Party of India-Marxist and elect a government of 'aam admi' that would bring development and prosperity to the state. WB: Shouts of change, whispers of scepticism
Sumit Bhattacharya listens in to conversations in poll-bound Kolkata.
April 12, 2011
Trinamool will not allow division of WB: MamataFirmly opposing the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said her party would not allow any move to divide West Bengal. Left's biggest USP may become its worst nightmare
The issue of acquiring farmland for industry is threatening to jolt West Bengal's Left Front, the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government, says Sumit Bhattacharya
April 11, 2011
Assembly polls a farce, boycott them: MaoistsMaoists on Monday called for a boycott of assembly elections in poll-bound states terming the exercise as a 'farce'. WB: Adivasis, Nepali voters a key factor in Dooars
Ethnic divisions are likely to dominate elections in West Bengal's Dooars region, which has 12 assembly seats, with the choice of the adivasi and Nepalese-origin electorate likely to be a deciding factor. States benefitted the most under UPA rule: Pranab
During his whirlwind election tour in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, also the United Progressive Alliance's chief interlocutor, tells Saubhadra Chatterji the government has its own way of moving against corruption:
April 09, 2011
None can stop us from returning to power: BuddhaKeeping pace with the high-pitch campaign by main opposition Trinamool Congress, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday organised his first roadshow from his Jadavpur constituency and said the ruling Left Front would return to power for the eighth term.
April 08, 2011
'Left's done nothing, it'll pay for its mistakes'Rediff.com's Indrani Roy Mitra caught up with Abhijit Mukherjee, son of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee during his campaign trail. Separate booth for sex workers in WB polls
The names of 75 sex workers and their families existed on the electoral rolls in Shantipur constituency, but only 20 per cent turned up to vote in the last elections.
April 07, 2011
Will Pranab's son change the face of rural WB?Rediff.com's Indrani Roy Mitra was in Nalhati in the Birbhum district near the Bengal-Jharkhand border on Wednesday to cover the campaign of Abhijit Mukherjee, a former corporate executive and son of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. And here's what she saw. This should be the toughest poll: Bengal minister
If Mamata Banerjee is a fighter jet bombing the Left Front fortress of West Bengal, Gautam Deb is the Communist Party of India-Marxist's anti-aircraft gun. Mamata's paintings sold out for over Rs 1 crore!
Although Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's collection of 95 paintings were sold out within three days for a staggering price of more than a crore rupees, she refuses to be acknowledged as a painter.
April 06, 2011
WB: Cong to field candidates against TC ally SUCIThe Congress on Wednesday decided to take on Trinamool Congress ally Socialist Unity Centre of India in two seats at South 24 Parganas for refusing to withdraw nominees against it in 29 other constituencies for the West Bengal assembly elections.
April 05, 2011
WB polls: Pranab warns Cong rebels of stern actionSending a tough message to the rebels, Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said it was not possible to satisfy all aspirants for party tickets and warned that contesting against official nominees would invite stern action. Ganguly will not be EC brand ambassador
After the controversy raised by the Trinamool Congress that his political affiliation was with the Communist Party of India-Marxist and he could not be a brand ambassador of the Election Commission, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has cried off. Buddha set to 'follow' Mamata's footsteps
With Mamata Banerjee's 'padayatras' drawing thousands, the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist not to be outdone has also planned a similar roadshow on coming Saturday by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in his Jadavpur constituency in southern Kolkata. Will he be the change West Bengal seeks?
Trinamool Congress candidate and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce And Industry secretary general Amit Mitra, pitted against Communist Party of India-Marxist candidate and West Bengal Finance minister Ashim Dasgupta, is confident that his party is heading for a victory at the forthcoming Assembly elections.
April 04, 2011
Congress dissidents defy Pranab threat in WBDefying Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee's warning of expulsion, two party members of legislative assembly, who decided to contest the assembly election as Independents after being denied tickets, on Monday said under no circumstances they would withdraw from the fray.
March 28, 2011
TMC has no chance of winning: Buddhadeb"The people of the state, as it has been often publicised by the Opposition, want a change. But sadly, they (Trinamool Congress) are yet to come up with a concrete plan as to what it intends to do," said the chief minister.
March 18, 2011
TC declares 228 candidates; leaves 64 for CongTrinamool Congress unilaterally announces candidates for 228 constituencies for the assembly elections in West Bengal, leaving 64 seats to Congress and remaining two to ally Socialist Unity Centre of India.
March 11, 2011
Why Cong isn't afraid of Mamata's tantrums in WBCongress president Sonia Gandhi has asked the party managers to strike a hard bargain with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress.
March 8, 2011
Cong's Bengal mantra: 'Honourable' tie-up with TrinamoolThe Congress has begun moves for an 'honourable alliance' with the Trinamool Congress in poll-bound West Bengal.
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