A BJP government in Bengal inherits more problems than it might care to admit at its moment of triumph, points out Ramesh Menon
A fresh strain in the Trinamool Congress-Congress alliance came to the fore on Friday when Youth Congress workers took out a silent procession in Kolkata denouncing "attacks" on Congress by the alliance partner in West Bengal.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with families affected by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, met with the Chief Election Commissioner to voice their concerns and demand a halt to the revision process.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will not be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Congress leader Siddaramaiah as the Karnataka CM and has designated party leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar for the programme, a Trinamool Congress leader said.
In a veiled reference to West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish him politically and his party in the state.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday expressed confidence in the unity of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in combating injustice nationwide, a day after Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's decision to go solo in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal.
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that the final decision on her party's stand on Presidential election would be taken three days before the polling date on July 19.
This comes after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee hinted at foul play behind the plane crash and demanded the Supreme Court's probe into the incident.
Banerjee highlighted that despite repeated reminders over the last seven months, the Congress remained inactive in sealing the seat-sharing agreement.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a protest march in Kolkata against Enforcement Directorate searches linked to I-PAC, signaling a show of strength ahead of the 2026 assembly polls. The march featured cultural elements and participation from party members and celebrities.
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.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee late Tuesday evening announced that her government will comply with the commission's order on Monday to transfer five superintendents of police, one district magistrate and two additional district magistrates.
As trends show a resounding victory for Mamata Banerjee and her party the Trinamool Congress in the state of West Bengal, opposition leaders have begun congratulating 'Didi' for her strong show in the polls.
The comment comes two days after state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party won't beg for seats from the TMC.
Unidentified persons also wrote 'agent of Trinamool Congress' on Kharge's posters and hoardings.
The roadshow in Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency was held in support of the TMC's veteran leader and candidate Saugata Roy, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term from the seat.
The Trinamool Congress, which has asked Railway minister Dinesh Trivedi to quit his post, on Saturday rejected his demand that party supremo Mamata Banerjee should say so in writing to him. "Nothing will be given in writing," Trinamool Congress parliamentary party leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandyopadhay told reporters when he was leaving the state secretariat with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, after a meeting which lasted over three hours.
The Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over the Enforcement Directorate's allegations of obstruction by the West Bengal government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during raids related to a coal-pilferage scam. The court intends to examine the matter and has also taken note of the commotion at the Calcutta High Court during hearings related to the case.
With the elections to municipalities and a civic body due in May-June and assembly elections next year in West Bengal, alliance partners Trinamool Congress and Congress announced on Tuesday that they would contest the polls jointly.
Over 130 Lok Sabha and 63 Rajya Sabha MPs have signed notices seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging partisan conduct and obstruction of electoral fraud investigations.
Her statement came after a controversy broke out that TMC MP Yusuf Pathan was forced to opt out of the multi-party diplomatic delegation.
In a show of support for Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav's electoral alliance, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee flexed her political muscle in Lucknow.
Former Union Minister Deepa Dasmunsi was on Friday made the Congress candidate from Bhabanipur seat in West Bengal to take on Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee in the assembly elections.
It is for the second time in succession that Banerjee powered her party to two thirds majority in the state assembly.
Congress on Thursday criticised Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee for a 'personal attack' on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said such 'impulsiveness' violated political decorum.
Political consultancy firm I-PAC has reacted to the Enforcement Directorate's raids at its Kolkata premises, calling it an "unsettling precedent." The raids have triggered political upheaval in West Bengal, where elections are due in months. The firm, engaged by the TMC, said it would continue to work in an "unfazed and unperturbed" manner.
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said that she would like the UPA government to complete its full term, while stating that her party was ready in the event of a mid-term Lok Sabha poll.
Targeting her Marxist opponents again, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that Communist Party of India-Marxist was plotting with Maoists to kill her with the help of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and financed by North Korea, Venezuela and Hungary.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led Centre of spreading communal hatred and failing to protect the country's border. She alleged that families affected by recent violence in Murshidabad were being prevented by the saffron camp from meeting her. Banerjee also criticized the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for its visit to Murshidabad and questioned its priorities, asking whether NHRC members visited BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and ethnic violence-hit Manipur.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee once again threw her weight behind Sourav Ganguly, saying the former India captain should have been the International Cricket Council president by now and warned, in her trademark style that "it's not that easy to stop him."
Addressing an Eid prayers programme on Red Road in Kolkata, the Trinamool Congress supremo claimed, "Provocations are being made to fuel riots, but please don't fall into these traps. The West Bengal government stands with the minorities. No one can provoke tensions in the state."
Banerjee made it clear that she expected the seat-sharing formula to give priority to regional players in areas where they were strong.
I wonder if I can rest assured -- before the election ink on my finger fades -- that my home state is at the threshold of a better future, wonders Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
Banerjee said she will protect the minority people and their property.
The BJP's West Bengal unit chief, Samik Bhattacharya, criticised the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, accusing it of crushing democracy and fostering lawlessness in the state. He highlighted alleged political violence, economic decline, and disrespect for constitutional posts under the TMC's rule.
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.
Thousands of TMC supporters thronged the rally route, waving the party flags, raising slogans and holding aloft colourful posters.
Taking a dig at political parties which criticised her party's failed bid to move no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha as ill-conceived, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that she would stick to her ideology even if she "loses for the time-being".
Key United Progressive Alliance allies Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Saturday mounted pressure on the Centre to rollback the steep hike in petrol price with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee leading a street march in Kolkata against the government of which her party is a part.
Following their meeting, speculation is rife about his political move.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances