Incidents of violence and vandalism were reported from parts of West Bengal during the early hours of voting in the second phase of the assembly elections on Wednesday, police said. The incidents were reported from multiple locations, including Chapra, Shantipur, Nimtala and Bhangar, they said.
In a swift political counter-offensive, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners have announced a massive, nationwide protest campaign targeting the Opposition.
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.
Initial vote counting in the Kerala Assembly elections indicates a significant lead for the Congress-led UDF, suggesting a potential shift in power.
In the Opposition camp, the Congress, which contested 99 seats, won 19 constituencies, while the Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF and Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal secured two seats each, and the Trinamool Congress bagged one constituency.
Several incidents of post-poll violence have been reported across West Bengal, with tension escalating in various districts following the recent assembly elections. Clashes between political party supporters have led to injuries, arrests, and heightened security measures.
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who won both the Nandigram and Bhabanipur seats in West Bengal, has announced he will vacate one of the constituencies within 10 days, leaving the decision to the party leadership.
'I repeatedly contacted the party leadership, but they didn't take my calls. The District Congress Committee offered no assistance.' 'I waited for a long time, and when no response came, I decided to quit the party.'
The Chaurabasti area of Shivpur turned into a flashpoint of political violence on Thursday as supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reportedly engaged in a violent face-off.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini criticised the Aam Aadmi Party's governance in Punjab, citing issues such as drug addiction, crime, and financial instability. He promoted the BJP as an alternative, highlighting their development agenda and commitment to fulfilling promises.
By asking Vijay to produce letters of majority support before inviting him to form the government, the governor risks overstepping established Constitutional principles, notes Harishchandra.
Vijay's TVK is poised to win its debut Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, drawing parallels to Arvind Kejriwal's AAP's rise in Delhi. Both parties capitalised on public disenchantment with established political structures, promising change and fighting corruption.
D N Jeevaraj of the BJP has been declared the MLA for Sringeri after a recount of postal ballots, following a High Court order. This reverses the 2023 election result where Congress candidate T D Raje Gowda had won.
'Shivraj Chauhan is coming with a secret slip in which the next chief minister's name is mentioned, it will be known on Tuesday.'
The BJP is currently leading in eight out of the 13 seats in Assam's Barak Valley, while the Congress is ahead in the remaining five constituencies, according to the latest Election Commission data.
Following a significant defeat to the BJP, Trinamool Congress leaders are openly criticising the party leadership, citing mismanagement and lack of support as key factors in the election outcome.
'The BJP successfully merged governance with identity. That's a powerful combination in Assam's political context.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway, connecting Meerut to Prayagraj, aiming to boost connectivity, industrial investment, and economic growth in Uttar Pradesh.
The TMC has refuted Prime Minister Modi's claim that high voter turnout in the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls indicates a mandate for change, asserting it reflects support for Mamata Banerjee and her government's development agenda.
NDA partner Bodoland People's Front (BPF) is expected to secure a majority of the 15 Assembly seats in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) of Assam, leading in 10 constituencies, according to Election Commission data. The BJP, a major partner in the ruling NDA, leads in three seats, while the UPPL and Congress are ahead in one seat each.
For over a decade, the TMC's dominance in districts such as Murshidabad, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur rested on a near-complete consolidation of Muslim votes, a bloc that accounts for 50 per cent or more of the population in large parts of this belt.
'The real fault line in Assam is not Hindu versus Muslim. It is Assamese versus Bengali -- and within that, the specific anxiety about undocumented Bangladeshi settlers claiming land and altering the demographic balance of the state.'
The JD(U) stated that it supported the BJP for the Bihar chief minister's post to reciprocate past support, as the new government prepares for a vote of confidence.
'In West Bengal, the BJP's ideology of Hindutva will be customised to cater to the culture and the cultural imperatives of Bengalis.'
Ruling Congress in Karnataka on Monday retained Bagalkot and Davanagere South assembly seats, giving a respite to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the party leadership, amid the ongoing power tussle over the leadership issue.
'...appearing culturally coercive or administratively vindictive.' 'If it governs as a conquering force, resistance will build.'
The BJP is showing strong leads in West Bengal and Assam, while actor Vijay's party is making a significant debut in Tamil Nadu. The Congress is ahead in Kerala, offering some consolation amid the changing political landscape in the state elections.
'EPS exposed all the traitors. The DMK has given them political asylum. They are political orphans.'
The RSS has filed police complaints against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly comparing the organisation and the BJP to a 'poisonous snake' during an election rally in Assam.
The murder of a close aide to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal has ignited post-election violence, raising concerns about political stability and the transition of power.
A personal assistant to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was shot dead in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, triggering political tensions and a police investigation.
Actor Vijay's journey from a shy film star to a political leader is explored, highlighting his unconventional methods and the key moments that shaped his transformation.
If West Bengal does not begin to reclaim its lost pride, the state would have lost -- perhaps irreversibly, this time, notes Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
The INDIA bloc faces challenges after recent state election defeats for key members like TMC and DMK, potentially shifting internal dynamics and leadership considerations.
The TMC's defeat in West Bengal signals an institutional breakdown, highlighting the collapse of its organisational core and raising questions about its sustainability beyond its top leadership.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee is urging voters in Murshidabad to support the TMC to thwart the BJP's influence in West Bengal. He criticised the Congress and other parties, accusing them of indirectly supporting the BJP, and highlighted the TMC's commitment to protecting minority voters and preventing the implementation of NRC in Bengal.
'If the Opposition associates itself too much with the minorities, then it becomes easy for the BJP to get Hindu consolidation votes.'
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.
The BJP's landslide victory in West Bengal has not merely redrawn the electoral map but overturned the operating logic of politics in the state, breaching the TMC's entrenched fortress despite a decade-and-a-half of dominance, minority consolidation, and a sustained "outsider" narrative.
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.
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