West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the deployment of CRPF armoured vehicles during the Assembly elections, accusing the BJP-led Centre of using government resources to favour their party. She also addressed concerns of potato farmers and urged them to sell their produce in other states.
A significant 7.87 per cent increase in the BJP's vote share in West Bengal, reaching 45.84 per cent, propelled the party to secure an additional 130 assembly seats, bringing their total to 207, while the Trinamool Congress experienced a 7.22 per cent decline, losing 135 seats and falling to 80.
The electorate did not vote for the BJP as much as they voted against the TMC. This is an important distinction that the new government will ignore at its own peril, points out Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
Thousands of West Bengal residents whose names were deleted from electoral rolls are awaiting decisions from tribunals, the final recourse after initial appeals were rejected. The fate of around 2.3 million people hinges on these adjudications, raising concerns about voting rights and citizenship.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the TMC's governance in West Bengal is nearing its end, citing corruption and unfulfilled promises. He highlighted the BJP's commitment to development and security, particularly for the fisherfolk and against infiltration.
Exit polls suggest significant shifts in Indian state assembly elections, forecasting BJP gains in West Bengal and Assam, a DMK comeback in Tamil Nadu, and a tight race in Kerala.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the TMC's rule in West Bengal is nearing its end, citing corruption and unfulfilled promises. He also pledged support for the fisherfolk and a zero-tolerance policy for infiltrators.
The BJP must respect Bengal's pluralistic ethos and with this historic mandate give the state the constructive change it truly deserves, expects Kolkata native Payal Singh Mohanka.
The Supreme Court has declined to interfere with the Election Commission's circular regarding the deployment of central government personnel for vote counting in West Bengal, dismissing a plea by the TMC.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has urged BJP candidate Ratna Debnath to appeal to PM Modi to ensure the Aparajita Bill, aimed at time-bound punishment for rape convicts, is enacted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the BJP would form the next government in West Bengal after the assembly polls, asserting that he would return to the state for the oath-taking ceremony after results are announced on May 4.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has urged BJP candidate Ratna Debnath to appeal to PM Modi to ensure the Aparajita Bill, which aims for time-bound punishment for rape convicts, is enacted. Banerjee criticised the BJP's stance on women's safety and highlighted the TMC government's prompt action in a previous rape-murder case.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims regarding the state's fish production, accusing him of misrepresenting facts and alleging restrictions on non-vegetarian food consumption in BJP-ruled states.
Counting of votes begins in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal, with significant implications for regional and national parties.
The Enforcement Directorate conducted fresh searches on the Merlin Group, a Kolkata-based real estate company, as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation. The searches follow previous raids on the group and its promoters, with the ED investigating alleged financial links between the company and West Bengal government officials.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of spreading falsehoods and offering no relief to the poor through his speeches. She made these remarks at a rally in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas district, ahead of Modi's address to the nation.
A local BJP leader, Trilokesh Dhali, was seriously injured after being shot in the stomach by motorcycle-borne assailants in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district.
The Calcutta High Court has granted bail to Sudipta Sen, the main accused in the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scheme, in the last two criminal cases against him, potentially leading to his release after 13 years in jail.
The BJP, especially in its current edition under the prime minister, is clear that it seeks total exclusion of India's largest minority against whom it holds historical resentment, points out Aakar Patel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the TMC of sheltering goons who torture women and promised citizenship to refugees in West Bengal. He highlighted the BJP's commitment to women's security by giving poll tickets to victims of violence.
The Bhabanipur assembly segment is Banerjee's political bastion, where she is locked in a prestige battle against Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in what is being seen as a symbolic rematch of Nandigram, where he had defeated her in the 2021 assembly polls.
This election is different. It is no longer simply about governance or welfare. It is about identity, fear, and who belongs. The BJP has successfully shifted the terms of the debate from what the government has delivered to who the real Bengali is and who is an outsider, points out Ramesh Menon.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that the TMC will return to power for a fourth term, urging opposition parties to unite against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. She criticised the BJP's chargesheet against the TMC and alleged corruption in the Haldia dock complex. Banerjee also questioned Prime Minister Modi's claim of being the BJP candidate in all West Bengal seats.
The TMC has intensified its attack on the BJP, alleging a 'larger conspiracy' involving central agencies ahead of the second phase of West Bengal polls on April 29, while also questioning the credibility of the Election Commission.
The campaign for the current election cycle ended on Monday as canvassing for the final phase in West Bengal concluded with a bitter war of words between rival parties over cross-border infiltration, corruption, unemployment and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The mother of the RG Kar Medical College victim is entering West Bengal politics as a BJP candidate to fight against the TMC government and seek justice for her daughter's case in the upcoming Assembly election.
An FIR has been lodged against Trinamool Congress candidate Ratna Chattopadhyay for alleged vandalism in the Parnasree area of Kolkata during election campaigning.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of deleting over 9 million names from voter lists in an attempt to win the upcoming Assembly elections. She vowed to fight the alleged manipulation legally and politically.
A BJP government in Bengal inherits more problems than it might care to admit at its moment of triumph, points out Ramesh Menon
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims that the state lags in fish production, asserting significant increases during her tenure.
The Election Commission has intensified preparations for the West Bengal Assembly elections by reshuffling senior officers and deploying IAS and IPS officers in key poll management roles.
The Calcutta High Court has granted conditional bail to Sudipta Sen, the main accused in the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scheme, potentially leading to his release after 13 years in jail.
Mamata Banerjee accuses the BJP of importing voters for the Assam elections and plotting similar interference in West Bengal, raising concerns about electoral integrity and potential cultural restrictions.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the pending central dues to West Bengal before professing his love for the state. Banerjee also criticised BJP leaders and defended the 'Jai Bangla' slogan.
Three people drowned and one went missing in the Hooghly river in West Bengal after bathing following Dol celebrations. The incident occurred at Balaram Sarkar Ghat in Bhatpara.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised the BJP after the central government failed to pass a Constitution amendment bill for women's quota in legislatures, accusing the BJP of using the bill as a political ploy to divide the country and Bengal.
A joint operation by Nepal and West Bengal police has led to the arrest of seven individuals and the seizure of counterfeit currency worth approximately Rs 70 crore from a flat near Kolkata.
A young boy was killed and another person critically injured in an LPG cylinder explosion at a garage in Budge Budge, South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal.
BJP national president Nitin Nabin has pledged to change place names deemed antithetical to West Bengal's culture and address Bangladeshi infiltration if the party wins the state election.
BJP leader Nitin Nabin accuses the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government of altering West Bengal's demography by favouring infiltrators and neglecting the rights of the state's residents, promising to rectify the situation if the BJP comes to power.
