Recent assembly elections across several states in India saw exceptionally high voter participation, with women voters outnumbering men in turnout percentages, according to Election Commission data.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in Howrah and Haroa areas of West Bengal in the run-up to the second phase of polling. Clashes broke out between Trinamool Congress and BJP supporters in Howrah, while a police sub-inspector was injured in Haroa during a clash between TMC and ISF supporters.
West Bengal recorded its highest-ever voter turnout in the 2026 assembly polls since Independence, with a cumulative 92.47 per cent polling in two phases, the Election Commission said on Wednesday.
West Bengal Police are investigating the murder of a close aide to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, Chandranath Rath, who was shot dead in North 24 Parganas district. The police are examining CCTV footage, have formed multiple teams to trace the assailants, and are probing whether contract killers were involved.
The half-burnt bodies of a woman and her daughter were discovered in a trunk at their home in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal, prompting a police investigation into a suspected double homicide.
A CISF jawan was injured in a firing incident outside the residence of BJP candidate Pawan Singh in West Bengal, prompting an Election Commission report. The incident occurred amidst tensions between TMC and BJP supporters, with both parties trading accusations of instigating violence.
A 22-year-old M Tech student was found dead in his hostel room at IIT Kharagpur, marking the second such incident in 10 days and raising concerns about mental health support for students.
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.
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.
'98 lakhs in Bengal, 97 lakhs in Tamil Nadu, 2.83 crores in Uttar Pradesh.'
West Bengal Police are investigating the murder of Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, and have formed multiple teams to trace the assailants.
Police in Kolkata are investigating the murder of Chandranath Rath, a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. Multiple special investigation teams have been formed, and CCTV footage is being examined to trace those involved. The probe includes the possibility of contract killers being hired for the crime.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has urged BJP candidate Ratna Debnath to appeal to PM Modi to ensure the Aparajita Bill, aimed at time-bound punishment for rape convicts, is enacted.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims regarding the state's fish production, accusing him of misrepresenting facts and alleging restrictions on non-vegetarian food consumption in BJP-ruled states.
The Calcutta High Court has granted bail to Sudipta Sen, the main accused in the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scheme, in the last two criminal cases against him, potentially leading to his release after 13 years in jail.
The electorate did not vote for the BJP as much as they voted against the TMC. This is an important distinction that the new government will ignore at its own peril, points out Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
Thousands of West Bengal residents whose names were deleted from electoral rolls are awaiting decisions from tribunals, the final recourse after initial appeals were rejected. The fate of around 2.3 million people hinges on these adjudications, raising concerns about voting rights and citizenship.
Exit polls suggest significant shifts in Indian state assembly elections, forecasting BJP gains in West Bengal and Assam, a DMK comeback in Tamil Nadu, and a tight race in Kerala.
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has urged BJP candidate Ratna Debnath to appeal to PM Modi to ensure the Aparajita Bill, which aims for time-bound punishment for rape convicts, is enacted. Banerjee criticised the BJP's stance on women's safety and highlighted the TMC government's prompt action in a previous rape-murder case.
The Enforcement Directorate conducted fresh searches on the Merlin Group, a Kolkata-based real estate company, as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation. The searches follow previous raids on the group and its promoters, with the ED investigating alleged financial links between the company and West Bengal government officials.
The mother of the RG Kar Medical College victim is entering West Bengal politics as a BJP candidate to fight against the TMC government and seek justice for her daughter's case in the upcoming Assembly election.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that the BJP would form the next government in West Bengal after the assembly polls, asserting that he would return to the state for the oath-taking ceremony after results are announced on May 4.
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.
The BJP, especially in its current edition under the prime minister, is clear that it seeks total exclusion of India's largest minority against whom it holds historical resentment, points out Aakar Patel.
The Election Commission has intensified preparations for the West Bengal Assembly elections by reshuffling senior officers and deploying IAS and IPS officers in key poll management roles.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the TMC of sheltering goons who torture women and promised citizenship to refugees in West Bengal. He highlighted the BJP's commitment to women's security by giving poll tickets to victims of violence.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of deleting over 9 million names from voter lists in an attempt to win the upcoming Assembly elections. She vowed to fight the alleged manipulation legally and politically.
Three people drowned and one went missing in the Hooghly river in West Bengal after bathing following Dol celebrations. The incident occurred at Balaram Sarkar Ghat in Bhatpara.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that the TMC will return to power for a fourth term, urging opposition parties to unite against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. She criticised the BJP's chargesheet against the TMC and alleged corruption in the Haldia dock complex. Banerjee also questioned Prime Minister Modi's claim of being the BJP candidate in all West Bengal seats.
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 TMC has intensified its attack on the BJP, alleging a 'larger conspiracy' involving central agencies ahead of the second phase of West Bengal polls on April 29, while also questioning the credibility of the Election Commission.
This election is different. It is no longer simply about governance or welfare. It is about identity, fear, and who belongs. The BJP has successfully shifted the terms of the debate from what the government has delivered to who the real Bengali is and who is an outsider, points out Ramesh Menon.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refuted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims that the state lags in fish production, asserting significant increases during her tenure.
The campaign for the current election cycle ended on Monday as canvassing for the final phase in West Bengal concluded with a bitter war of words between rival parties over cross-border infiltration, corruption, unemployment and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Calcutta High Court has granted conditional bail to Sudipta Sen, the main accused in the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scheme, potentially leading to his release after 13 years in jail.
India's urban areas are projected to contribute 70 per cent of gross domestic product in 2025-26, up from 45 per cent in the 1990s, according to a report by Dun & Bradstreet.
Mamata Banerjee accuses the BJP of importing voters for the Assam elections and plotting similar interference in West Bengal, raising concerns about electoral integrity and potential cultural restrictions.
A BJP government in Bengal inherits more problems than it might care to admit at its moment of triumph, points out Ramesh Menon
BJP leader Nitin Nabin accuses the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government of altering West Bengal's demography by favouring infiltrators and neglecting the rights of the state's residents, promising to rectify the situation if the BJP comes to power.
In a significant move before the West Bengal assembly elections, the Election Commission has ordered a major reshuffle of the state's police force, transferring 19 senior officers to ensure fair and secure elections.
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