I wonder if I can rest assured -- before the election ink on my finger fades -- that my home state is at the threshold of a better future, wonders Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
The Election Commission has deployed 432 counting observers across all 294 assembly constituencies in West Bengal to ensure transparent and smooth counting of votes. Several districts have been assigned additional observers in view of their sensitivity and electoral significance. Enforcement agencies have carried out extensive seizure drives during the election period to curb illegal inducements, with total seizures valued at approximately Rs 561 crore.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted regular bail to AAP MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra in a rape case registered against him last year. The court has ordered him to surrender his passport and report to the police station twice a month.
Despite recent gains, the BJP-led NDA is unlikely to achieve a two-thirds majority in the Rajya Sabha in the near future, highlighting the challenges in passing key legislation requiring constitutional amendments.
Veteran sports administrator and India's first shooting gold-medallist in Asian Games, Randhir Singh, died on Wednesday after battling age-related ailments. He was 79.
Outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addressed a meeting of newly-elected MLAs of her party and stated she will not resign from her post in the wake of assembly poll results and the Centre can dismiss her.
The opposition parties, including Congress, Raijor Dal and Trinamool Congress, opposed the move and demanded wider consultation with all the stakeholders before its introduction.
If current trends persist, the Congress risks becoming increasingly regionally concentrated, dependent on a handful of states rather than functioning as a truly pan-India political force.
'Vijay entered politics at a much better age compared to Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan. His fans are young and he has at least 2-3 decades ahead of him.'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of bribing voters and has labelled the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a major scam. She also predicted the BJP government at the Centre would fall in 2026.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that Bangladeshi infiltrators detained in the state will be directly handed over to the BSF for deportation, bypassing court appearances, following a new rule.
The Madras High Court has restrained TVK MLA R Srinivasa Sethupathi from voting, including in the upcoming confidence motion, due to a petition challenging his one-vote victory.
The BJP is set to form its first government in West Bengal, with the oath-taking ceremony scheduled for May 9 at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata. The event is expected to be attended by prominent BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is grappling with an unprecedented political crisis following its recent electoral defeat, which has seen a significant number of its legislators openly challenging her authority and forming a rebel faction.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K Selvaperunthagai announced that the Congress will be part of the new government in Tamil Nadu led by Vijay's TVK, with discussions underway for ministerial posts and a Rajya Sabha seat.
Veteran BJP leader Hitendra Nath Goswami defeated Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat, securing his sixth term in the assembly. Goswami's grassroots campaign and extensive experience led to his victory.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in Howrah and Haroa areas of West Bengal in the run-up to the second phase of polling. Clashes broke out between Trinamool Congress and BJP supporters in Howrah, while a police sub-inspector was injured in Haroa during a clash between TMC and ISF supporters.
A BJP government in Bengal inherits more problems than it might care to admit at its moment of triumph, points out Ramesh Menon
V D Satheesan was sworn in as Kerala's Chief Minister, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by prominent political figures, including Congress leaders and Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states.
India and Bangladesh are scheduled to hold bi-annual Director General-level border talks in Delhi next week, focusing on border fencing, attacks on BSF personnel, infiltration, cross-border crimes, and illegal migration.
Veteran sports administrator and India's first shooting gold-medallist in Asian Games, Randhir Singh, died on Wednesday after battling age-related ailments. He was 79.
According to pollster Pradeep Gupta, years of TMC "misrule" that created a "climate of fear", Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma and the organisational abilities of Amit Shah and the RSS brought the BJP to power in West Bengal.
'When we start describing somebody as an enemy that is the start of politics and emotion after which no business can take place.' 'We need to get out of this, allow Indian businessmen to do business with China.'
Veteran sports administrator and India's first shooting gold-medallist in Asian Games, Randhir Singh, died on Wednesday after battling age-related ailments. He was 79.
India emerged reasonably well from 2025. But now, the oil shock and war-related supply disruptions have again driven funds out of India and significantly weakened the rupee, points out Ajay Chhibber.
Bangladesh holds its general election on Thursday, February 12, amid an intense political campaign across major cities. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and student-led National Citizen Party mobilise supporters through rallies in Dhaka and Sylhet.
'When I am not in politics, why should I be jealous of him?...'
Around 700 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will continue to remain deployed across West Bengal after the completion of polling, an Election Commission official said on Wednesday.
Suvendu Adhikari has been elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in West Bengal, paving the way for him to become the state's first BJP chief minister.
Whether Vijay has the political spine to stitch together a stable government from this patchwork of conditions, demands, and midnight drama is the question Tamil Nadu is living through right now.
BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma has been appointed as the Chief Minister of Assam, marking the NDA's third consecutive government in the state. Sarma's swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for May 12, with key political figures expected to attend.
In Puducherry, where constituencies have fewer than 30,000 electors on average, it is usual for N Rangaswamy to call out people he knows by name during his roadside election meetings.
On Friday, April 10, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan administered the oath to Nitish Kumar as Bihar's elected Rajya Sabha MP at Parliament House, New Delhi.
Bangladesh held its 13th general election on February 12, 2026, with voters across Dhaka casting ballots in a significant democratic exercise.
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah addressed parliament on the ongoing border dispute with India, stating both countries have agreed to seek resolution through diplomatic means and expert consultation. Shah's remarks about Nepal also encroaching on Indian territories have sparked controversy.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced a significant increase in Lok Sabha seats for the five southern states following delimitation, countering misinformation and clarifying the timeline for women's reservation implementation.
As tensions in the Middle East approach a critical juncture, reports have surfaced regarding a draft memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at de-escalating the ongoing conflict, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting with his council of ministers, focusing on enhancing 'Ease of Living' and 'Ease of Doing Business' and setting the goal of a developed India by 2047.
The Trinamool Congress government's massive defeat in West Bengal shows "deep anti-incumbency and unpopularity" as out of 35 ministers who contested the assembly elections, 22 have been defeated, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her constituency.
Siddaramaiah, a veteran politician with roots in the Janata Parivar, has had a remarkable journey, consolidating his position in the Congress party to become the longest-serving Chief Minister of Karnataka.
