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 overall average till 5 pm was 84.24 per cent.
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.
The home minister called up the chief minister to express serious concern over the reports of large-scale violence.
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.
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.
Nine persons have lost their lives in the recent floods in five districts of West Bengal, state disaster management department sources said on Thursday.
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 Eastern Railway has cancelled the departure of Howrah-New Delhi AC Special Express for Wednesday.
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.
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.
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.
A Trinamool Congress legislator claimed the CRPF personnel exchanged gunfire with the CPI-M workers at Garchakraberia.
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, villagers, backed by the opposition, were protesting the acquisition of land for a Special Economic Zone.
The body of district police intelligence officer Sadhu Chatterjee was found on Saturday from the Haldi riverbed at Narghat, near Nandigram, four days after he was killed in a mob attack.
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.
On Wednesday, a police party, including DIB's Sadhu Chatterjee, went to the area for routine enquiry. But soon they were surrounded by a large mob, which assaulted them.
The counting of votes for the politically senstive Nandigram assembly by-election started on Friday amidst tight security, official sources said.
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.
Fifteen persons were killed and over 300 injured in a severe cyclonic storm that lashed West Bengal's south 24 Parganas and east Midnapore districts in the early hours on Wednesday.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya on Friday described the flood situation in the twin districts of Midnapore which has claimed 25 lives and affected over 22 lakh people -- as 'very bad'. Of the 22 lakh people affected, 16 lakh were from West Midnapore and the rest from its coastal twin. He said the Army, which had been called in to assist in relief and rescue operations, was working in the worst-affected areas and also air-dropping dry food.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
About 30 CPI-M men at Riapara stopped Gouranga Deb Hazra, PTI's East Midnapore district correspondent, who was riding pillion on a motorcycle, on his way to Chandipur from Nandigram around noon.
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.
Even the police were yet to go to the trouble-torn Basulichak and Dinabhandupur villages although combat force personnel staged a route march at Narby Tekhali village.
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.
A supporter of the Communist Party of India Marxist was killed in an attack by Trinamool Congress activists at Hazrakata in Nandigram on Friday, in a fresh eruption of violence after results of Panchayat elections were declared. East Midnapore District Superintendent of Police S Panda said today that the CPI-M supporter was attacked by TC supporters while he was returning home to Hazrakata from Haldia on Thursday night. He was admitted to the Tamluk Hospital. t
The Governor had visited Nandigram on Sunday to assess the situation after CPI-M's 'recapture' of the area and said that wrong-doers must not be exonerated and the CRPF should continue there for some more time.
Communist Party of India-Marxist and anti-acquisition Bhoomi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee activists on Monday exchanged fire in trouble-torn Nandigram in east Midnapore district amidst reports of a gunshot injury to one person.
The two groups resorted to firing and hurled bombs from Satenganbari village and Takapura in Nandigram and from the adjacent CPI-M stronghold of Khejuri since Friday night, Superintendent of Police G A Srinivas said.
The meeting came in the wake of a successful discussion between Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata.
Nandigram has been witnessing sporadic clashes between supporters of the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee, which is spearheading the agitation against land acquisition for a SEZ there.
The East Midnapore District Superintendent of Police A K Dutta told PTI that there had been no incident of violence.
The CRPF has given a clean chit to DIG Alok Raj who was accused of rioting and not complying with the West Bengal government's orders during the panchayat elections at Nandigram in East Midnapore district. It said the allegations against DIG Alok Raj were found to be "baseless" in its internal inquiry.
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