As the crucial third phase polling of the West Bengal assembly elections begins on Wednesday morning, Indrani Roy Mitra tries to gauge the political temperatures as she strolls through the by-lanes of poll-bound Kolkata.
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.
A case has been registered in Tripura against Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, member of Parliament Dola Sen, West Bengal education minister Bratya Basu and other senior leaders of the party for allegedly obstructing police officers from performing their duties.
Taken by surprise, the Congress on Saturday said it has sought more time to resolve its differences with ally Trinamool Congress, which had made a unilateral decision to announce a list of candidates for the West Bengal assembly polls. "This is a new situation, new development. The party central leadership will discuss the issue in detail and then take a decision," said Congress Working Committee member-in charge for West Bengal Shakeel Ahmad.
Differences between Congress and Trinamool over seat-sharing for the West Bengal assembly polls appeared to have narrowed down with the two parties holding a series of confabulations involving senior party leaders. Sources said that Congress has whittled down its wish list from 100 to 75 seats while Trinamool, which was initially offering only 45 seats, is now willing to go up to 60 in the 294-member state assembly.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit Mukherjee on Monday quit his job from Steel Authority of India Limited to join politics and contest the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections.
Political repercussions are not the only reason why the Trinamool Congress chief would leave the sensitive issue of fares untouched before the West Bengal assembly elections in April.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari filed his nomination on Friday from the Nandigram seat against his mentor-turned-adversary Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, and said he was '100 per cent' confident of his victory.
'...if elections were to be held today.' 'The problem is Akhilesh is not very aggressive.' 'Had he started his campaign aggressively six months ago, the picture in UP would have been very different.'
With Bihar and West Bengal assembly elections in sight, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Trinamool Congress on Saturday demanded implementation of a 17-year-old Supreme Court order to provide salaries to Imams (clerics) of government-aided mosques.
Empowered group of ministers on fuel pricing was likely to meet soon.
The top leaders of the Communist Party of India-Marxist met in New Delhi on Monday to study its debacle in the assembly elections. Here's what they analysed.
The Trinamool Congress on Friday secured absolute majority in the 294-member West Bengal assembly, winning 163 seats and leading in 23 others as results of 264 seats have been declared so far.
Let's look at the major winners and losers in Bengal polls
From almost being politically wiped out after the West Bengal assembly polls in 2006 to being touted as the woman who will single-handedly usher in the winds of change in the state, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has come a long way. She opens up in a rare interview
After taking a stroll in the bylanes of South Kolkata, Indrani Roy Mitra moves on to North Kolkata in the sweltering heat as the day progresses, and talks to voters and supporters alike during the third phase polling of the West Bengal assembly elections
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".
In the run up to the West Bengal Assembly polls, traders are going gung ho about 'Brand Mamata'.
The dissent in Congress ranks ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls has worsened in several districts over the alliance with the Trinamool Congress and selection of party candidates with Congress rebels filing nominations as independents in some places.
As far as West Bengal is concerned, aam aadmi is seething with discontent as loads of improvements in various sectors are what they need.
In an endeavour to give a hi-tech touch to the party's poll campaign and to appeal to the young generation, the Trinamool Congress has roped in information technology wizard and Hotmail co-founder, Sabeer Bhatia, for a better internet campaign for the April-May West Bengal assembly polls. Bhatia, who will guide the party's cyber team, said, "The Leaders will be able to communicate with people through the internet."
Lalpura, who took over as the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) chairperson last week, asserted that his priority would be to dispel 'false narratives' fuelling insecurity among minorities.
The bill will be discussed in the state Assembly on June 18.
We are asking you, our dear readers, to help the Trinamool chief in her new and challenging job. What, according to you, are the five immediate steps that Banerjee needs to take after she takes over the mantle of Bengal's chief minister?
Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress overcame the might of the BJP and is all set to be CM for a third term.
A clear indication to this effect was given by senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed, who is in charge of the party affairs in West Bengal. "We are preparing three lists -- for 64 seats, 90 seats and all 294 seats... As a political party must have candidates for all seats," Ahmed told reporters in Kolkata
CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat spoke briefly to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt on the party's prospects in the coming assembly elections in Kerala and West Bengal.
Banerjee scored a personal point with a massive victory in the bypoll with a record margin of 58,835 votes.
"Yes, it is almost that," senior CPI-M leader Basudeb Acharia told reporters when asked whether the Budget was the Trinamool Congress' manifesto for the Assembly polls. However, Acharia and CPI national secretary D Raja welcomed several 'positive' features like no raise in passenger fares or freight charges and the concessions given to various sections of people.
While the leadership of the biggest Opposition party, the Congress, has not reacted, even non-Congress and (now) anti-BJP parties like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) have voiced no view on Banerjee's appeal, reports Aditi Phadnis.
Addressing the party's national executive, Nadda also reached out to Sikhs, who are in majority in poll-bound Punjab, by listing a number of measures the Modi government has taken for the community, including expediting action against 1984 riots accused, facilitating foreign grants to gurudwaras and keeping langars outside the review of the Goods and Services Tax.
Ganguly was nominated to the seat vacated by Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, who launched the Hamro Sikkim Party in April, said his outfit will form a coalition with anyone wanting to work for the betterment of his state.
"I am very excited about joining the TMC. I will work for the development of Bengal," he said.
A seven-year-old boy was killed and another child injured in a crude bomb explosion in Burdwan city in West Bengal on Monday, triggering tension in the area ahead of the elections amid a political war of words over the law and order situation in the state.
In a stinging attack at his former party, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said on Tuesday that the Communist Party of India-Marxist has reduced itself to a "non-actor" in national politics after withdrawing support to the Congress-led coalition describing the action as a "big blunder".
In an apparent disagreement with his own party, senior CPI(M) leader and West Bengal Assembly Speaker H A Halim has said that had Jyoti Basu become the Prime Minister "the course of the country's history would have changed".
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who paid homage to CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu, described the Marxist patriarch as a politician of "high values" and said he would be missed by all.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state government, pointed to the members of the committee that has been formed to investigate the incidents and said, "Can you imagine these people have been appointed to collect the data? Is this a BJP investigating committee my Lords?"
The meeting ended at 2055 hours, after 45 minutes of drama over Banerjee sulking that she was not being consulted when important bills and amendments were being brought before the Cabinet. At this point, one minister said she should not spend so much time in Kolkata, which made her angrier.
