Election Commission data reveals Bhabanipur constituency in West Bengal recorded significantly higher voter deletions compared to Nandigram, sparking political debate ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
The Election Commission (EC) clarified that Nobel laureate Amartya Sen is not required to appear for a hearing regarding discrepancies in the spelling of his name in the voter list. The correction will be handled administratively. The EC also issued instructions to ensure timely delivery of notices related to voter list discrepancies.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed BJP leaders to intensify grassroots outreach in West Bengal, setting performance benchmarks for the upcoming state elections. He emphasized party unity and the importance of booth-level workers.
A Trinamool Congress delegation on Friday alleged before the Election Commission top brass that around 40 SIR-related deaths had occurred in West Bengal so far, a charge junked by the poll authority.
Lionel Messi's brief appearance in Kolkata was marred by security breaches and crowd management issues, raising concerns about planning and coordination. Eyewitness accounts and social media footage reveal a chaotic scene with organizers and VIPs crowding the player, leading to his early withdrawal and subsequent protests.
A Booth Level Officer (BLO) was found dead in West Bengal's Bankura district, leading to allegations that work-related pressure from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may have been a factor. Political accusations have followed.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged the Election Commission to halt the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, citing irregularities and potential disenfranchisement.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) has appointed Abhishek Banerjee as its new parliamentary leader in the Lok Sabha, replacing Sudip Bandopadhyay. The decision was made during a virtual meeting chaired by Mamata Banerjee. This move is seen as a generational shift and a preparation for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Senior Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee resigned as the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, citing unfair blame for lack of coordination among MPs and internal party conflicts.
The Calcutta High Court has cancelled the membership of senior leader Mukul Roy in the West Bengal assembly under the anti-defection law, marking a significant moment in Indian jurisprudence.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee accuses the BJP of being 'Bangla-Birodhi' (anti-Bengal) and alleges they want to send Bengalis to detention camps. He vowed to electorally wipe out the BJP in the 2026 Bengal Assembly polls.
A bench of justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, while pronouncing the order in Moitra's plea, said "The order is set aside. We have requested the Lokpal to accord consideration for grant of sanction under Section 20 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act in accordance with the relevant provisions within one month".
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly insulting novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay by calling him "Bankim da."
Governor C V Ananda Bose, meanwhile, urged citizens not to be swayed by "provocative statements and rumours" and asked the state to ensure there was 'no disturbance anywhere'.
The Election Commission released the names of deleted voters in West Bengal ahead of the publication of the draft electoral rolls for the upcoming assembly elections.
The money that was allegedly siphoned by fraudsters from Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee's dormant account with a nationalised bank earlier this week has been credited back to him by the bank authorities, the politician said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticizes the government's proposed bill to replace MGNREGA, arguing it weakens the guaranteed 100 days of employment for the poor and centralizes control over the scheme.
"This is an insult to India's poor, it is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, it is an insult to Rabindranath Tagore. With just five hours' notice, this bill was given to us. We were not allowed a proper debate," Ghose said.
The Trinamool Congress on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of spreading lies and criminalising poverty over the detention of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in Odisha, while the saffron party charged the Mamata Banerjee dispensation with providing shelters to illegal immigrants.
A section of BLOs in West Bengal protested excessive workload during the SIR process, leading to clashes with BJP supporters outside the CEO's office. The protest highlights concerns over the enumeration exercise and accusations of political interference.
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached assets worth a combined Rs 8 crore of former Indian cricketers, actors and models like Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, former Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty, Sonu Sood and some others as part of its money laundering probe against an 'illegal' betting app named 1xBet.
Ghosh's elder son, Biswajit, claimed that this was a planned attempt to murder his father, and alleged that Shahjahan pulled strings sitting in jail to carry out the crime.
Posters announcing plans for an Ayodhya-style Ram temple complex in Salt Lake have appeared, escalating the political duel between religious groups ahead of the Bengal assembly polls. The proposed complex includes a school, hospital, and old-age home.
Security has been tightened in Beldanga, West Bengal, ahead of a foundation stone-laying ceremony for a proposed mosque, modelled on Ayodhya's Babri Masjid. The area has been placed under high security with additional forces deployed.
Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' list commenced in nine states and three Union territories on Tuesday, amid objections from several parties with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leading the anti-SIR offensive in West Bengal with a rally in Kolkata and alleging 'silent, invisible rigging' through the exercise.
'A work guarantee that can be switched off at will is no guarantee at all.'
Thousands of TMC supporters thronged the rally route, waving the party flags, raising slogans and holding aloft colourful posters.
A series of deaths and health-related incidents involving staff deployed for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in multiple states has triggered alarm, even as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission, calling the ongoing exercise 'chaotic, coercive and dangerous'.
'Previously, contributing only 25 per cent of material costs, states now face burdens of 40 per cent to 100 per cent of total costs, ensuring poorer states will curb project approvals, directly stifling work demand.'
This is the fourth such death reported in the state since the exercise began on November 4, sparking a political blame game.
Kalyan Banerjee claimed that Moitra, the Krishnanagar MP, was back in India after her honeymoon and started attacking him.
BJP MLA Manoj Kumar Oraon was allegedly attacked by TMC workers while distributing flood relief materials in Alipurduar. The TMC has denied the charges.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) issued a statement clarifying that Lionel Messi's event in Kolkata was a private event organised by a PR agency and the federation was not involved in the "planning or execution" of the event at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
'The question for the TMC is not whether it can hold its bastions, but whether it can expand effectively into regions where the BJP already possesses a good ecosystem.'
The Delhi High Court refused to accept TMC MP Saket Gokhale's written apology in a defamation case against former diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, citing discrepancies and directing him to file a fresh one. The case involves allegations of defamatory utterances and financial impropriety.
Opposition leaders have criticized Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks about Jawaharlal Nehru's alleged desire to build the Babri Masjid with public funds, accusing him and the BJP of distorting historical facts.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated the government is open to discussing electoral reforms in the Rajya Sabha, urging the Opposition not to impose a timeline. Opposition parties staged a walkout after demanding an immediate discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The TMC distanced itself from the comments of the two leaders and termed them as their personal statements.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs refused to discuss the Red Fort blast during a meeting, citing the pre-set agenda of 'Disaster Management'.
The Calcutta high court on Friday refused to intervene in the construction of a mosque -- modelled on Ayodhya's Babri Masjid -- at Beldanga in West Bengal's Murshidabad, proposed by suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir.
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