'Something could happen to me... I understood that day itself that what they had sent me was a final warning.'
Trinamool Congress leader Swarup Biswas, brother of former West Bengal Sports minister Aroop Biswas, has been remanded to police custody in Kolkata. He was arrested in connection with an alleged extortion racket operating in the Tollygunge film and television industry, facing charges of sexual harassment, extortion, and attempt to murder.
Amid some Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) constituents switching sides to the National Democratic Alliance, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the opposition alliance is 'strong' and the Bharatiya Janata Party is attempting a 'frantic rejig' of the political landscape as it is worried over the collective strength of the coalition.
The Trinamool will be as vulnerable to traders' blandishments as the CPI(M) is.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has condemned the killing of a BJP leader's personal assistant in West Bengal, accusing the Trinamool Congress of resorting to violence after their electoral defeat.
Confusion arose regarding the hospitalisation of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee after he complained of pain following an alleged attack. Despite initial reports suggesting superficial injuries, Banerjee was admitted to the ICU, leading to allegations of political interference in his medical treatment.
The decision came after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju called Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a source said.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to resign, citing hypocrisy in Shah's call for 'clean politics' given his past arrest. Banerjee also criticised the Election Commission and defended his party's record.
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.
'The BJP has all the instruments with them and they do have a sense of purpose, so I don't think there will be a challenge.'
In West Bengal's political circles, it was widely believed that after Mamata Banerjee, Suvendu Adhikhari was perhaps the only leader with a truly significant mass base of his own.
A man died after becoming trapped in a lift at a Kolkata hospital, leading to accusations of negligence and corruption against the state government.
The West Bengal CID conducted marathon questioning of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and party MLA Kunal Ghosh in connection with an alleged forgery of MLAs' signatures for the appointment of the Leader of Opposition. The leaders faced separate and face-to-face interrogations, with the CID reportedly unsatisfied with previous replies.
Is she, like the AIADMK's Jayalalithaa with the Vajpayee government in 1998, playing bully to a government that she knows cannot survive without her Parliamentary support? Or is there a greater scheme behind her erratic actions? Discussing the mercurial Mamata Banerjee on the Rediff Chat is Senior Editor Indrani Roy, a long-time watcher of Bengal and Mamata politics.
Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay's closed-door meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, just before NCPI MPs were to attend an NDA meeting, has ignited speculation about the Nationalist Citizens Party of India's political future and its potential alignment with the BJP-led alliance. The NCPI comprises 20 rebel TMC MPs who broke away after the West Bengal Assembly election.
CID officers visited the residence of Trinamool Congress MLA Nayana Bandyopadhyay to investigate an alleged discrepancy in her signature in the West Bengal Assembly attendance register.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Katwa, West Bengal, promising to expedite the process of granting citizenship to Matua and Namasudra refugee families if the BJP comes to power. He also criticised illegal immigration and the Trinamool Congress government.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government, accusing it of attempting to suppress voting rights and polarise the electorate ahead of the assembly elections.
The West Bengal government gives its capital city a makeover -- with new theme colours, says Debaleena Sengupta
What began with an apparently chance encounter between rebel TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Banga Bhavan on May 22 ended on Wednesday with 58 MLAs wresting control of the party's legislature wing, electing Ritabrata as their leader and securing recognition from the assembly Speaker.
While the Trinamool may be wary of a pre-poll alliance with the saffron party, it could support the NDA from the outside if the alliance can muster the numbers in the next general elections, says Sunita Moga
Congress MP Deepa Dasmunshi's remarks on Wednesday that Trinamool Congress is acting as the 'B' team of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) threatened to further pull apart the two uneasy allies, seven months after they formed the government in West Bengal.
Senior TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has resigned as the Barasat organisational district president, taking 'moral responsibility' for the party's poor performance in the recent West Bengal assembly polls. Her resignation letter and subsequent comments sharply criticised the party's campaign strategy, the influence of election strategist I-PAC, and alleged criminalisation within the party, calling for a return to 'street politics' and engagement with 'honest, old and dedicated workers'.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee was allegedly attacked by locals during a visit to Sonarpur, West Bengal, to meet families affected by post-poll violence.
TMC workers allege that cars bearing the BJP's flag were allowed entry to the compound where EVMs are kept, a day ahead of the counting of votes in West Bengal. The Election Commission has denied any irregularities.
Three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs, including Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday and, within hours, were named the saffron party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypolls from West Bengal, underlining both their political rehabilitation and the party's calibrated shift in inducting leaders from the erstwhile ruling dispensation.
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.
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee accuses the BJP of instigating violence during Ram Navami rallies in West Bengal, alleging the party uses the festival to create unrest and division.
Suvendu Adhikari and Dilip Ghosh are the top contenders for West Bengal Chief Minister.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has alleged that the building plan for the collapsed Kolkata warehouse, which killed 10 people, was approved despite a faulty design and bears the signature of former mayor and TMC leader Firhad Hakim. Adhikari announced Rs 10 lakh compensation for the deceased's families and Rs 1 lakh for the injured, while also suspending all construction work in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area for four weeks for an audit of sanctioned plans.
The TMC has challenged the BJP to win the Falta assembly seat in West Bengal, where a re-election has been ordered due to electoral offences. The TMC has dared the BJP to deploy its full resources, including top leaders and central forces, while expressing confidence in the electorate's support.
The ED said the actions of Banerjee and the Kolkata Police commissioner resulted in "obstructions" in the ongoing investigation and proceedings being undertaken as per the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Congress leader K C Venugopal indicated the opposition is seriously considering the proposal, while Rahul Gandhi declined to comment.
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.
TMC accepts Kalyan Banerjee's resignation and appoints new leaders, signaling a crackdown on dissent within the party.
The BJP's decision to nominate three former TMC MPs for Rajya Sabha bypolls immediately after their induction into the party signals a strategic shift towards consolidating its position in West Bengal politics through selective accommodation of opposition leaders and organisational expansion.
Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has announced the end of his association with the Trinamool Congress, alleging widespread corruption within the party and claiming he was denied a ticket for refusing to pay a substantial sum.
A political controversy has erupted in West Bengal following the emergence of an alleged video of Humayun Kabir, purportedly claiming links with senior BJP leaders and efforts to defeat Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Mamata Banerjee's opposition to the Congress's Lokpal Bill was not a stand-alone event. Her unrelenting stand on FDI and other reform measures of the government are signs of a failing relationship, says Neerja Chowdhury.
The Shiv Sena-UBT is openly questioning the Congress party's leadership within the INDIA bloc.
