The Election Commission reports a significant reduction in West Bengal's electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision, with nearly 9.1 million voters deleted.
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 Election Commission of India has prohibited the conduct and dissemination of exit polls from April 9 to April 29 during the upcoming assembly elections in several states. Violators face imprisonment or fines.
The BJP has taken an early lead in the Gujarat local body elections, winning a significant number of seats as counting progresses. The Congress trails behind, while Independents and other parties, including AAP and AIMIM, have also secured seats.
The AINRC-led NDA has won the Puducherry Assembly elections and is set to form the government. Chief Minister N Rangasamy won both seats he contested.
Supporters of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) and the ruling TMC clashed in West Bengal's Murshidabad district during the first phase of the state assembly polls, leading to police intervention and heightened security measures.
The Madras High Court has restrained TVK MLA R Srinivasa Sethupathi from voting, including in the upcoming confidence motion, due to a petition challenging his one-vote victory.
Local body elections in Haryana, including municipal corporations of Ambala, Panchkula, and Sonipat, saw a 54.5 per cent voter turnout. Polling was held for mayor and ward councillor posts, with key contestants from BJP and Congress. The votes will be counted on May 13.
The high-pitched campaign for the first phase of West Bengal assembly elections concluded with the BJP and TMC focusing on electoral rolls and dietary habits, while making promises to voters. Voting is scheduled in 152 constituencies across north Bengal and southern districts, with over 3.60 crore electors eligible to vote. A record number of Central paramilitary forces have been deployed, and several districts have been identified as highly sensitive.
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).
Kerala's Chief Electoral Officer, Ratan U Kelkar, addressed concerns regarding the release of detailed polling data from the recent Assembly elections, defending the timeline and transparency of the process.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met with Trinamool Congress counting agents in Bhabanipur ahead of the vote count for the assembly election. The meeting aimed to ensure agents are well-prepared and updated on the counting process.
The Election Commission of India is considering launching the final phase of its special intensive revision of voters' lists in the remaining states and Union territories after the assembly elections conclude.
The Trinamool Congress has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to experience West Bengal's 'Maa Canteen' during his visit for election campaigning, offering a meal for Rs 5. The TMC also criticised Modi's remarks on infiltration, linking it to the Home Minister's responsibilities.
Opposition parties have submitted a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking a motion for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing concerns over the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
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.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has alleged that the people of Diamond Harbour have been unable to exercise their voting rights for a decade. He assured people that the scenario has now changed, and the May 21 repolling in the Falta Assembly seat will re-establish voter rights.
An FIR has been lodged against Trinamool Congress candidate Ratna Chattopadhyay for alleged vandalism in the Parnasree area of Kolkata during election campaigning.
A crude bomb exploded on the rooftop of a school in Nadia district, West Bengal, ahead of upcoming elections, prompting investigations and political accusations.
Special police observer Ajay Pal Sharma toured West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district during the second phase of Assembly elections, facing political controversy and allegations of intimidation from TMC leaders.
Supreme Court Justice B V Nagarathna has emphasised the critical importance of an independent Election Commission to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the electoral process in India.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the BJP of orchestrating the recent blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of upcoming assembly elections. Mann alleges the BJP seeks to incite violence and intimidate the public to gain votes, a tactic he claims they employ in every state where they contest elections.
West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Thursday saw a massive voter participation during the ongoing assembly elections, with turnout reaching 89.93 per cent and 82.24 per cent respectively by 5 pm, according to the Election Commission of India.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the Election Commission for allegedly failing to protect judicial officers involved in electoral roll revisions in Malda district. She accused the EC of lacking control over law and order and enabling the BJP's alleged attempts to disrupt the election process.
The TMC has filed a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at an EVM strongroom in Kolkata. TMC workers protested outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, claiming that postal ballots were taken to a room without CCTV coverage. Similar protests occurred at a strongroom in North 24 Parganas, while the BJP shared a video from Purba Bardhaman district.
Women voters in West Bengal appear to be shifting their priorities beyond financial assistance, placing greater emphasis on governance and accountability, according to post-election analysis. This shift may have contributed to the Trinamool Congress's (TMC) losses in the recent assembly election, as the BJP's promises and other factors influenced voter sentiment.
West Bengal is on edge as it awaits the results of its recent election, with the TMC and BJP vying for control. The counting process will be conducted under tight security, with the Election Commission implementing stringent measures to ensure a fair and transparent process.
West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer, Manoj Agarwal, has refuted allegations of potential malpractices at counting centres, assuring that robust security measures are in place. This comes after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised concerns about possible tampering with EVMs.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accused the BJP of orchestrating recent blasts in Amritsar and Jalandhar as part of their strategy for the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab, alleging the party seeks to create an atmosphere of fear to influence voters.
Kerala Police have initiated a crackdown on misleading election-related news circulating on social media platforms, following a controversy over an Election Commission letter bearing the BJP Kerala unit's seal.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has vowed to remove the BJP from power in West Bengal and then at the national level, accusing the Election Commission of favouring the BJP and criticising the opposition parties.
The Supreme Court has declined the Centre's request to postpone the hearing on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the 2023 law, which excludes the CJI from the committee responsible for appointing election commissioners, stating the matter is of utmost importance.
Hopefully, the BJP will realise that it's the right time for parivartan (change) in its polarising poll strategies after achieving the impossible-looking goal of winning West Bengal, argues Sheela Bhatt.
The Election Commission's move to transfer West Bengal's chief secretary and DGP soon after the announcement of Assembly poll dates triggered a political slugfest.
Kerala Police have registered a case against X and one of its handles for circulating an AI-generated video allegedly depicting the Prime Minister and the Election Commission of India in a misleading and defamatory manner.
The delimitation in Assam has quietly changed the political scene, raising questions about whether new constituency boundaries helped the BJP by spreading out Muslim-majority voters.
BJP leader Sobha Surendran appeared before the District Returning Officer in Kerala to address allegations of offering cash for votes during the recent Assembly polls. The controversy stems from a video allegedly showing money being exchanged, leading to complaints from both Congress and Surendran herself.
BJP leader Sobha Surendran appeared before the District Returning Officer in Kerala to give her statement regarding the 'cash-for-vote' allegation against her during the Assembly polls.
The CPI-M and Congress in Kerala have raised concerns over the delay in the release of detailed polling data from the recent assembly elections.
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.
