The Bharatiya Janata Party has surged past the halfway mark in the West Bengal assembly elections, leading in 185 seats against the Trinamool Congress's 91, signalling a potential political shift in the state. Early trends suggest a geographically split mandate, with the BJP gaining in border, tribal, and industrial regions, while the TMC holds ground in parts of Kolkata and select rural strongholds.
The Eastern Railway has cancelled the departure of Howrah-New Delhi AC Special Express for Wednesday.
The flood situation has eased considerably in both West and East Midnapore districts in West Bengal with the major rivers flowing below the danger mark, but the outbreak of diarrhoea in some of the worst-hit areas has become a cause of concern.
One of the cars in the convoy of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee was on Monday night hit by a lorry coming from opposite direction at Kolaghat in East Midnapore district causing minor injuries to her body guard.
The overall average till 5 pm was 84.24 per cent.
Strongly opposing the proposed nuclear power plant at Haripur in West Bengal's East Midnapore district, a Trinamool Congress Parliamentarian on Tuesday said it could not be built in the densely populated area and on a multi-crop land. "The nuclear power plant should be shifted elsewhere. It cannot be set up on a four or five crop-land threatening the livelihood of farmers. It also cannot come up in such a densely populated area," said TC MP Sisir Adhikary.
Cyclonic storm Yaas is very likely to make landfall near Balasore in north Odisha with a speed of 155 kmph to 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, around noon on May 26, the Met department said.
The home minister called up the chief minister to express serious concern over the reports of large-scale violence.
Four days after Trinamool Congress heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari resigned from the state cabinet, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee and election strategist Prashant Kishor on Tuesday met him, following which the party claimed that 'all the issues have been resolved'.
Seven more deaths were reported on Friday from interior villages of the flood-hit East and West Midnapore districts, raising the toll to 53, even as the situation further improved.
The location of the landfall is north of Dhamra and south of Bahanaga, close to Bahanaga block, on the coast, around 50 km of Balasore, he said.
Nine persons have lost their lives in the recent floods in five districts of West Bengal, state disaster management department sources said on Thursday.
Adhikari, the face of the Nandigram movement that catapulated Mamata Bannerjee to power in 2011, sent his resignation letter to the chief minister by fax, which he then forwarded to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar by e-mail.
Veteran Trinamool Congress MP Sisir Adhikari -- father of BJP heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari -- joined the party in Egra in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders of the party.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew and party MP Abhishek Banerjee was on Sunday slapped by a party worker during a rally at Chandipur in East Midnapore district.
One person died "accidentally" when he had gone out fishing, she said.
A man carrying a 9 kg tumour, like an albatross hanging from the left neck and chest wall, for the last 30 years had the affliction removed after successful surgery at the premier Calcutta Medical Research Institute.
Principal Secretary of the state health department Bibek Kumar, in his letter to the secretary of the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Friday, described the list as "an erroneous assessment" and said Bengal, keeping in view the parameters set by the Centre, has earmarked four "red" zones -- Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore.
The West Bengal government's report to the Election Commission on Friday on the incident at Nandigram in which chief minister Mamata Banerjee was injured has no mention of the 'four-five persons', who she had alleged had attacked her, an official of the state CEO's office said.
Former Communist Party of India-Marxist MP Lakshman Seth, arrested for alleged involvement in the disappearance of six persons in Nandigram in 2007, was on Friday granted bail by the Calcutta high court after remaining in custody for 118 days.
Flood situation in West Bengal's six districts remain unchanged, even as the death toll rose to 17 with reports of eight more deaths from different districts on Friday.
The Congress in West Bengal cautioned that the hold-up of a party leader from membership drive allegedly by Trinamool Congress activists in East Midnapore district of West Bengal could cast a shadow on relations between the two parties in the poll-bound state.
The deep depression over central Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Sunday evening and after changing course in a northeastward direction from northwest.
The counting of votes for the politically senstive Nandigram assembly by-election started on Friday amidst tight security, official sources said.
Sixteen more bodies were found during search operations on Monday, taking the toll to 41 in the trawler capsize mishap near Talpatty island in the Hooghly river in South 24 Parganas district. "Sixteen more bodies were recovered, but the toll is likely to rise as there is a possibility of recovering more bodies," said South 24 Parganas District Magistrate N S Nigam.
Eighteen people, 15 women and 3 girl children, were drowned and many were missing when an overcrowded trawler carrying about 100 pilgrims capsized in Hoogly river at Talpatti island in East Midnapore district on Saturday.
The last two companies of Central Reserve Police Force, deployed at the height of violence in trouble-torn Nandigram, have been withdrawn.
Ahead of panchayat elections, fresh violence broke out in Nandigram on Saturday with two women raped allegedly by Communist Party of India-Marxist cadres during a clash between supporters of Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee and Marxists at Adhikaripara in Nandigram in which eight BUPC men were injured.
With recovery of a huge quantity of arms and ammunition recently from houses of some CPI(M) leaders at Khejuri in East Midnapore district, Railway minister Mamata Banerjee today suggested involvement of central agencies in combing operations and accused the Left Front government of using the police for partisan ends.
Saying the CPI-M has nuked the farmers in Nandigram and the UPA government, LK Advani says the NDA will raise the Nandigram issue in Parliament.
A Trinamool Congress legislator claimed the CRPF personnel exchanged gunfire with the CPI-M workers at Garchakraberia.
The deceased has been identified as Manas Das, an active local committee member of CPI-M, East Midnapore district Superintendent of Police G Srinivas told reporters in Nandigram.
The violence, which erupted in January 2007 over fear of land acquisition for a chemical hub in this hitherto little known corner of West Bengal, continued till November that year. Residents turned the area into a no-man's with roads dug up and the police unable to enter with the issue rocking the Parliament.
The state would have to provide free medical assistance to the residents of the affected area marred by sporadic violence.
Bombs were thrown and guns were fired at Tulaghata area of Nandigram when a PTI correspondent was present there.
Fresh violence erupted in simmering Nandigram on Thursday when one person was killed in an exchange of fire between clashing groups, allegedly supporters of the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Bhoomi Uchched Protirodh Committee, as the number of deaths rose to two since Wednesday.
Sources said the police personnel complained of lack of food, accomodation and medical facilities.
A BUPC member alleged that a woman was attacked by CPI-M activists for her active role in the land acquisition resistance agitation.
Banerjee, whose party is spearheading the agitation against acquisition of farmland for a proposed SEZ by the Left Front government, entered Nandigram in a procession with members of the Krishi Jami Raksha Committee.
The, villagers, backed by the opposition, were protesting the acquisition of land for a Special Economic Zone.
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