The Calcutta high court has asked the State Election Commission to explore the possibility of postponing the civic polls to four municipal corporations by four to six weeks in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases in West Bengal.
Though the run-up to the poll saw a high pitched campaign by the parties, the turnout of the voters on December 1 was an unimpressive 46.55 per cent (34.50 lakh) out of the total 74.67 lakh voters.
Counting of votes is underway for municipal corporations in Ambala, Panchkula, Sonipat, and other civic bodies in Haryana. Polling was held on Sunday for mayor and ward councillor elections.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has criticised Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia for allegedly storming into a police station in Amritsar to forcibly release a detainee.
According to the final tally, the BJP won 1,425 out of a total 2,869 seats, Shiv Sena 399, Congress 324, NCP 167, Shiv Sena-UBT 155, NCP-SP 36, MNS 13, BSP 6, parties registered with the SEC 129, unrecognised parties 196, and 19 independents.
The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is leading in a string of urban local bodies across Tamil Nadu as counting of votes began on Tuesday for the just concluded civic polls.
The BJP withdrew Pooja More-Jadhav's candidature in the Pune civic polls after old videos surfaced showing her making remarks against Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife.
Former West Bengal minister Sujit Bose has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged municipality recruitment scam.
Kerala's 2026 assembly election will see a three-cornered contest where religion and communalism have emerged as central themes for the first time, challenging the state's long-celebrated secular fabric.
The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has made significant progress in challenging the Thackeray family's control over Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after nearly 25 years. The results mark a potential shift in Mumbai's civic politics, with the BJP emerging as a central force.
Bangladesh's deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina congratulated Suvendu Adhikari on assuming office as West Bengal's Chief Minister after the BJP's victory in the state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday trounced the opposition including the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party and Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar by winning decisive mandates in Pune and neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad in the civic polls, retaining power in both municipal corporations.
In a neck-and-neck electoral race, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party won 1,443 out of the total of 3,351 wards while opposition parties including Congress and Independents won 1,908 wards in the Rajasthan civic body polls, results for which were announced on Thursday.
Electors in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls will be required to present either a voter photo ID card or any one of the 12 alternative identity documents approved by the State Election Commission to cast their vote, officials said.
The BJP has expanded its footprint in Maharashtra following strong performance in assembly elections, while other parties are seeing their political bases shrink, according to a party official. The assessment is based on the BJP's performance in civic polls across 29 municipal corporations.
Kerala's General Education Minister V Sivankutty has criticised former DGPs R Sreelekha and T P Senkumar for their alleged adverse remarks against the police, questioning the timing and appropriateness of their statements.
The BJP achieved a clean sweep in nine districts of West Bengal, securing all 68 seats in these regions during the recent election. This victory marks a significant shift in the state's political landscape, ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule and establishing the BJP's dominance.
BJP MP Abhijit Ganguly has alleged lapses in the CBI probe into the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar hospital, demanding an investigation into the role of a senior agency officer. Ganguly claims crucial aspects were not examined, including a sealed room and a staircase allegedly used to move the body. He also referenced a video allegedly suppressed by the CBI officer.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Congress of handing over Assam's land to infiltrators for votes during its rule in the northeastern state.
Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag voted in the Assam Assembly elections in Guwahati, accompanied by his parents. He is in Guwahati for IPL matches.
Vijay Kumar Malhotra, president of the Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has described the victory of his party in the Delhi Municipal Corporation as the defeat of the programmes and policies of the state government led by Sheila Dikshit. BJP candidates have performed well in North and East Delhi segments. After the debacle in the civic polls, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and senior leaders of the Congress have been avoiding media personnel.
A relative of a BJP candidate was stabbed to death and two others were injured in a clash between Congress and BJP supporters in Mehsana, Gujarat, ahead of local body polls.
The victim's parents have expressed renewed hope for justice in the RG Kar rape-and-murder case after the West Bengal government widened the investigation and suspended three senior IPS officers.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has criticized the State Election Commission's decision to postpone some local body elections, calling it unfair to candidates. The decision follows petitions and sub judice matters, which Fadnavis argues should not halt the election process. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also expressed disappointment, while tensions rise between BJP and Shiv Sena in Sindhudurg ahead of local polls.
Officials said most of the preparations are complete and the counting will start at 8 am on Saturday.
Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan criticized Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's allegations of corruption in the Pimpri Chinchwad civic body, suggesting they are politically motivated ahead of upcoming elections.
Opposition parties demanded that all elections in the future be held through ballot papers.
BJP is set to win majority of 32 municipality boards and 42 town committees in Assam
The BJP has made significant gains in the Kerala Assembly elections, securing three seats and marking a potential breakthrough in a state where it has traditionally struggled.
Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag voted in the Assam Assembly elections in Guwahati, accompanied by his parents.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that he could enjoy a boat ride on the Hooghly in West Bengal due to its clean waters, unlike the polluted Yamuna in Delhi. She also defended women's safety in Bengal and criticised the BJP's governance in other states.
Shinde also emphasised that Mumbai will have a Mahayuti mayor, dismissing reports of new political equations after the results of the civic polls were declared last week.
The Congress party has suspended 12 newly-elected councillors in Maharashtra's Ambernath Municipal Council and its block president for forming an alliance with the BJP after recent civic polls. The BJP, along with the Congress and NCP, secured a majority in the council, despite Shiv Sena being the single largest party.
The West Bengal cabinet has decided to discontinue assistance-oriented schemes based on religious categorisation for Imams, muezzins and purohits from June. The cabinet also approved the 'Annapurna' scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly support to women from June 1, and granted in-principle consent for their free travel in state-run buses.
Two incidents of hurling of crude bombs were reported in Sealdah and Khanna areas of Kolkata, and police contingents were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control, a State Election Commission official said.
According to results officially declared so far by the State Election Commission, of the total 5090 ward member posts in panchayat unions, the ruling AIADMK and its allies have won 1,528 ward member posts while its arch rival DMK and parnters bagged 1,895 posts.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has suspended three senior IPS officers for alleged mishandling and dereliction of duty during the initial investigation into the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case.
While the BJP and Shiv Sena have announced a seat-sharing pact, another constituent of Mahayuti, the NCP, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is contesting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls separately.
An FIR was registered against Thackeray under Section 188 (disobedience to order by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code at the time for violation of a police notice asking him not to stay within the limits of Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation in Thane district.
The opposition Trinamool Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist failed to open their account in the AMC.
