News Analysis India

Tag: Trinamool Congress

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauds Mamata for ‘victory’ in assembly polls

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday congratulated Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, as trends suggested her party would register a thumping victory in the West Bengal assembly polls.

    “Congratulations to the Chief Minister of West Bengal, @MamataOfficial Didi on her partys victory in West Bengal assembly elections. My best wishes to her for her next tenure,” the senior BJP leader tweeted.

    Congratulations to the Chief Minister of West Bengal, @MamataOfficial Didi on her party’s victory in West Bengal assembly elections. My best wishes to her for her next tenure.
    — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) May 2, 2021

    Candidates of the ruling TMC are leading in 208 of the state’s 292 seats that went to poll against BJP’s 80, as per the latest Election Commission trends.

  • Bengal elections 2021: Trinamool Congress, BJP in silent mode ahead of verdict

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  Hours before the verdict of West Bengal’s electorates in the high-octane Assembly elections, two major stakeholders, the ruling Trinamool Congress and its arch rival BJP, preferred to be in silent mode and seemed to be busy reading the body language of each other.

    As the state witnessed a month-long fierce electoral battle, both the TMC and the saffron camp claimed on Saturday that they would secure majority in two third of the West Bengal’s 294 Assembly constituencies.

    The counting will begin at 8 am but the trends are likely to emerge late comparing to previous occasions because of COVID-19 pandemic. The number of polling booths were increased to more than 1 lakh from 78,000 in the wake of the pandemic which is likely to cause delay in announcing the final results.

    BJP’s spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya claimed on Saturday that the party would secure victory in more than 200 seats, the target set by the party’s national leadership much ahead of the elections. TMC MP and spokesperson Saugata Roy, too, claimed the party would bag victory in 200 constituencies.

    However, the Left Front-Congress-Indian Secular Force (ISF) alliance claimed their candidates would give surprise to BJP and TMC in many constituencies.

    The TMC fielded candidates in 291 constituencies allowing Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to contest in three seats in the Hills. The BJP fielded candidates in 293 constituencies. Under the alliance, Left Front fielded candidates in 165 seats, Congress in 92 and ISF in 37 seats.

    In 2016, TMC had a stunning victory, winning 211 seats and bettering its 2011 tally of 184 seats. Congress won 44 seats and the Left Front won 33 seats fighting within an alliance. Exit poll results for West Bengal projected a cliff-hanger. Most exit polls that the CM may make it past the majority mark.

    ALL SET FOR VOTE COUNTING

    KOLKATA: When counting begins on 8 am in Sunday, there will be 292 observers and 256 companies of central forces deployed at the counting centres across 23 districts, the Election Commission said.

  • West Bengal polls 2021: Mamata Banerjee calls urgent meet with Trinamool Congress candidates

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has convened an urgent virtual meeting on Friday with the party’s candidates who contested in the Assembly elections. She is expected to issue a slew of instructions to be followed by the candidates during the process of the counting on May 2, a senior leader of the TMC said.

    The candidates were also asked to bring their counting agents to the virtual meeting. “She (Mamata) is confident about her party’s absolute majority in the Assembly elections. She has a strong suspicion that the BJP will use all its tricks and unfair means during the counting process,” he said.

    “Since she has attacked the Election Commission on several occasions, the chief minister does not have faith in the Commission. She will issue specific guidelines asking candidates and counting agents to follow it word-by-word,” the TMC leader added.

    “Mamata Banerjee will warn the candidates about the possible tricks that the BJP might adopt during the process of counting. Our party’s internal report has confirmed that the TMC will stay in power with a comfortable margin. Since the BJP engaged its entire artillery to wrest West Bengal, they will definitely try to achieve their goal by adopting unfair means,” another TMC leader said

    Mamata carried out an intense poll campaign across West Bengal against BJP heavyweights, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home minister Amit Shah and the party’s national president JP Nadda, who addressed a series of rallies and attended several roadshows over the past one month.

  • Exit polls 2021: West Bengal too close to call, DMK has cruising victory, LDF to enjoy second turn

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Chances of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress retaining power in West Bengal appeared too close to call, while Assam is likely to give the BJP another shot at power, if exit poll projections on Thursday are anything to go by.

    In Tamil Nadu, exit polls predicted a crushing victory for the MK Stalin-led DMK, while the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF appeared comfortably ahead in the race to retain power in Kerala. As for Puducherry, exit polls put it in the BJP’s pocket.

    ABP News CVoter predicted the Trinamool getting between 152-164 seats, while BJP could get between 109- 121 in West Bengal. The Left alliance, including the Congress, is expected to get between 14-25. On the contrary, the Republic- CNX polls gave the BJP a slight edge by projecting 138-148 seats for the party in the 294-seat Assembly and 128-138 to the Trinamool.

    The eight-phase polls in West Bengal ended on Thursday evening. As for Assam, the BJP-led NDA is likely to beat antiincumbency to retain power. The India Today-Axis My India exit poll gave 75-85 of Assam’s 126 seats to the NDA.

    The Congress’s grand alliance is likely to win 40-50 seats, it predicted. In Tamil Nadu, the exit polls predict a landslide for the Opposition DMK alliance, giving it a staggering 165 of the 234 seats that went to polls.

    The AIADMK, which had the BJP as its ally, could end up end up with 66 seats. As for Kerala, the LDF is all set to retain power with the poll of polls predicting 84 to LDF, 54 to UDF and 2 to the BJP. If the India Today- Axis exit poll is to be believed, the LDF is expected to win around 104-120 seats, UDF 20-36, BJP 0-2 and others 0-2.

  • TMC writes to EC over ‘inadequacies’ in direction for counting of votes on May 2

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday wrote to the Election Commission (EC) regarding ‘inadequacies’ in its direction for counting of votes on May 2, stating that no provision has been made for submission of negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test by polling officers and CAPF personnel.

    In its letter written to the EC, listing the inadequacies in its directions dated April 28, 2021, said, “The Directions mandate submission of negative test report of COVID-19 of election agent, counting agent and/or candidate prior to such election agent, counting agent and/or candidate being permitted to enter the counting hall. However, surprisingly no such provision has been made for submission of negative test report of COVID-19 by polling officers present in the counting halls.”

    Highlighting that 23,000 to 24,000 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel will be deployed outside the counting hall on May 2, 2021, the TMC stated there is an absence of any provision in the directions or use of PPE kits and submission of negative test report of COVID-19 by such CAPF personnel thereby endangering their health and life.

    “ECI seems to be oblivious to the safety of the life and health concerns of the CAPF personnel. Lastly, the directions only provide that if required, postal ballot may be counted in a separate hall under the supervision of the Returning Officer/Assistant Returning Officer. However, it is of utmost importance that the counting of votes cast by postal ballot should be completed before the counting of votes cast on the EVM machine,” said the TMC in the letter.

    It further stated that due to the large number of votes cast by postal ballot in view of the ongoing pandemic, the postal ballot counting will require additional time and therefore the same should be counted before counting of votes on the EVM machine.

    “In the circumstances, we call upon you to forthwith address the aforesaid lacunae/Inadequacies in the Directions and issue appropriate additional directions to address the same,” the letter concluded.

    West Bengal is undergoing an eight-phased Assembly election. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)

  • Not feasible to club remaining phases of Bengal polls: EC to Trinamool Congress

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: The Election Commission on Wednesday turned down the request of Trinamool Congress spokesperson Derek O’Brien, who urged the panel to club the last three phases of Bengal Assembly elections. 

    Citing the restrictions that the Commission has imposed — ranging from extending the silence period to banning campaigns for a certain period — the poll panel made it clear that the election schedule will remain unchanged.

    Explaining why the Commission should club the last three phases, O’Brien said in his letter that already 52 days of campaigning has been availed to the political parties or candidates.

    In its reply, the poll panel said, “The total duration of election period has been reduced to 66 days which is 11 days less than the last occasion in 2016. The Commission has invoked its power under Articles 324 and prohibited the campaigning between 7 pm and 10 am to discourage the public gathering in view of the Covid pandemic and has extended the silence period to 72 hours before the end of polling in each phase.”

    Rejecting O’Brien’s request, the commission said a poll date has to be after 14 days of the last day scheduled for withdrawal of nomination, and hence, clubbing the last three phases is not possible.

    While phase six of the West Bengal polls is scheduled on April 22, the seventh and eighth phases are on April 26 and 29.

  • Bengal polls 2021: CM Mamata Banerjee terms PM Modi’s government as ‘monumental incompetence’

    By PTI
    BHAGAWANGOLA/ SAGARDIGHI/ FARAKKA: Calling the Narendra Modi-led dispensation a government of “monumental incopetence’, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allowed open market sale of coronavirus vaccines after shipments made by him to foreign shores have depleted stocks in India.

    Banerjee also hinted that election schedules were being drawn up to assist BJP, while voicing her displeasure at the rejection of her proposal to club elections in the remaining three phases.

    Addressing an election meeting at Bhagwangola in Murshidabad district, the Trinamool Congress supremo said the prime minister had exported vaccines to other countries to boost his image while states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and West Bengal have struggled to get doses they required to combat the Covid pandemic.

    “Yesterday the PM said the medicine (vaccine) will be available in open market. Where is the open market, where is the availability? You have already shipped out the majority of stock to foreign destinations,” she alleged.

    The central government had gifted COVID vaccines to a number of countries including neighbouring nation and allowed export to many more including to Brazil and South Africa earlier this year. Terming the Narendra Modi-led NDA government as a “government of monumental incompetence”, Banerjee said “We are facing a huge deficit in vaccines due to the faulty planning.”

    The TMC supremo said more that COVID cases are being reported from Kolkata, North 24 Parganas and Asansol belt and the state government is trying to manage the crisis from a limited stock. “For six months the Central leadership did not bother to plan, they were busy plotting electoral battles in Bengal,” Banerjee alleged.

    Turning her guns on BJP, she claimed the party brought in “lakhs of people from outside the state to help in campaigning and many of these people were infected with COVID-19”. “These people will leave but they have spread the virus and the onus to manage the new crisis will be on us. Bengal’s Covid situation was firmly under control but now the rate of infection is rising again,” she said.

    However, she advised people not to panic, adding, “We will again bring it (pandemic) under a tight leash.”

    Stating that she had learnt that elections to two assembly seats in Murshidabad, which were countermanded due to the deaths of candidates, may be held on May 13, Banerjee said “If Eid takes place on May 13, the EC should decide on a voting date keeping in mind the need of voters to celebrate the festival.

    Referring to erosion of Ganges river in Murshidabad and Malda districts, Banerjee said, “Only Central (policies) can stop the erosion. Under the terms of the Indo-Bangla water treaty, Bangladesh was given Ganges water, but as the Centre did not dredge the Farakka barrage, it has silted. This has caused regular flooding in Bihar, Murshidabad and Malda whenever there are heavy rains in Bihar. The Centre should carry out dredging of Farakka on an urgent basis,” she said.

    The Trinamool Congress supremo said, “We need to have a Ganga Erosion Board to work on war footing.” Urging the electorate to see Bengal doesn’t fall into the hands of “rioters”, the chief minister alleged she had reports that there were plots to engineer riots on Ram Navami. “Please be on guard. Don’t fall prey to any bid to pit Hindus against Muslims,” she said.

    Banerjee also urged the people “not to vote for the Left, Congress or other Sanjukta Morcha candidates who are the other face of BJP”.

    At another rally in Farakka also in Murshidabad district, the chief minister accused BJP of opposing her proposal to club the remaining three phases of polling in view of a spike in COVID cases. She also hinted that the poll schedules were drawn up to help the BJP. “Some candidates were infected with COVID, two died…The EC fixes the schedule to help Modibabu (Narendra Modi),” she alleged.

    “If election takes place, there has to be campaigning. One day voting would have reduced the spread of infection and helped people, Banerjee reasoned,” she added.

    Elaborating on her claims about secret understanding between parties of Sanjukta Morcha and BJP, she said at Sagardighi, “Iit is nothing but another morcha with BJP’s blessings.”

  • West Bengal polls 2021: CM Mamata Banerjee warns CAPF of legal consequences after election

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Sunday warned central force personnel deployed in West Bengal on poll duty that they would face legal consequences for their acts and high-handedness at the behest of the BJP after the elections.

    Claiming the TMC would come to power for the third consecutive term in Bengal, Mamata said the BJP leaders would not be there after the elections and the central force personnel, who are accused of working for the saffron camp, would have to come here to comply with the legal formalities against them.

    While addressing a rally at Gaighata in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, Mamata, who has been coming down heavily on the central forces since the election started and which has only become intense after the Cooch Behar firing, said, “Do not act and show your atrocities and highhandedness at the behest of the BJP. After the election BJP leaders will not be beside you. After coming to power, we will pursue all incidents of your high-handedness. You will have to come here repeatedly to face legal consequences.”

    Referring to the firing at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar, in which four persons were gunned down, the West Bengal chief minister said, “An FIR has been registered in this incident. We have identified the company of the central force that opened fire. Legal formalities will be initiated after the election. Do not show your high-handedness in the coming phases of the election.”

    In a recent rally, Mamata showed a piece of paper and claimed she collected the names of the CISF personnel who had pulled the trigger in Cooch Behar.

    Earlier, Election Commission banned the firebrand politician from poll campaigns for 24 hours for her statement in a public rally asking women electorates to gherao central force personnel.

    When Mamata never missed an opportunity to mention Cooch Behar firing in her speeches since the incident took place, the BJP’s high-command, too, is citing the same episode to hit out at Mamata on the issue of instigating the electorates of a particular community. BJP’s attack has become more intense after the party released an audio tape in which Mamata is purportedly heard asking TMC’s Sitalkuchi candidate to keep the bodies of the victim as she would lead a rally with it.

    Echoing what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Mamata’s “plan” to take out a rally with the bodies of Cooch Behar firing deceased, Union Home minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused her of playing politics over the death of four persons.

    “The incident was a fall out her instigation. Now she is doing politics over the dead bodies of four,” said Shah in a rally at purbasthali, East Burdwan, claiming the BJP already secured victory in 122 Assembly constituencies out 180 where polls were conducted till fifth phase.

  • West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee barred from campaigning for 24 hours

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Monday barred West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours for her remarks against central forces and a statement which had alleged religious overtones.

    “Commission hereby condemns such statements potent with serious law and order problems across the state(s) and sternly warns Mamata Banerjee and advises her to desist from using such statements while making public utterances during the period when Model Code of Conduct is in force,” the order said.

    It said that the “commission also imposes a ban of 24 hours on Ms Mamata Banerjee from campaigning in any manner from 8 pm of April 12 till 8 pm of April 13”.

    Assembly elections in West Bengal began on March 27 and four of the eight phases of the polls have been completed.

    The poll panel’s order cited two separate notices to Banerjee on April 7 and April 8, and her subsequent replies.

    On her speech which had alleged religious overtones, the Election Commission (EC) said that Banerjee has “selectively chosen” parts of her speech in her reply dated April 9 and “did not mention anything on the context of key parts of her speech”.

    In her reply to the notice, the Trinamool Congress leader had said that “I did not seek to influence the voters to cast their vote for her on religious segmentary lines; rather I categorically spoke in favour of religious harmony in line with the spirit of Model Code of Conduct and the Constitution of India”.

    “By using words ‘I also will tell my Hindu brothers and sisters not to make division amongst yourselves as Hindu and Muslim’ it is evident that my speech was not to incite religious sentiments but to maintain peace and harmony,” the chief minister had said.

    The EC order reproduced the “key part” of her reported speech.

    The text of Banerjee’s speech quoted in the commission’s order read: “I am requesting my minority brothers and sisters with folded hands don’t divide the minority votes after listening to the devil (shaitaan) person who had taken money from the BJP. He passes many communal statements and initiates clashes between the Hindu and the Muslims.”

    “The comrades of CPM and BJP is roaming around with the money given by BJP to divide the minority votes. Please don’t allow them to do so. Keep in mind that if the BJP comes to the government then you will be in severe danger”, read text of her speech quoted in the EC order.

    On her reported remarks against central armed police forces, Banerjee told the poll panel that she had only called upon the voters, specifically voters who are women, to protest democratically by “gherao” if and when somebody, including the forces, created any obstruction in their right to vote.

    “Gherao is one of the democratic ways of registering public protest and accepted, and there is no reason why gherao should be considered as illegal. Be it noted that the multi-dimensional word ‘gherao’ has been a legitimate entry in the in the political lexicon of West Bengal since the late 1960s, and in recent years, more frequently than not, the word has been used to connote peaceful satyagraha against authorities by silent victims of a situation,” she said.

    The order said in her reply, on remarks against central forces, Banerjee has “yet again conveniently left out key parts of her speech, perhaps due to selective amnesia”.

    The order reproduced portion of her speech to drive home the point that she had violated the model code, provisions of the Representation of the People Act and the Indian Penal Code.

    “l know under whose instruction they beat up and how they beat up. It is your duty to save the family of the people. If any of our mothers and sisters suffers a single stroke with the stick attack them with ladle, spuds and knife. I am telling you. It is the right of women. And if anyone of our mothers and sisters is denied entry in the voting compartment all of you come out and revolt,” the order said reproducing portions of her speech.

  • Bengal polls 2021: CM Mamata Banerjee demands Amit Shah’s resignation over firing incident

    By PTI
    BADURIA/ HINGALGANJ (WEST BENGAL): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation over firing by central forces at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar, killing four people.

    ALSO READ| Bengal polls: PM Modi condoles death in CISF firing, blames Trinamool Congress for violence

    Banerjee, speaking at a public meeting at Baduria in North 24 Parganas, said she would be leaving for Cooch Behar after attending rallies, and would visit spot where central forces opened fire during polling.

    Appealing to people to remain calm, Banerjee alleged that central policemen shot dead people standing in a queue to vote and demanded “Shah should resign” owing responsibility for the incident “which is dastardly, cold-blooded and unprecedented”.

    She said TMC would bring out protest rallies throughout the state on Sunday and asked party activists to wear black badges and peacefully protest the killings from 2 pm to 4 pm. Earlier speaking at Hingalganj, the chief minister claimed “the central forces opened fire on people standing in a queue to vote, killing 4 in Sitalkuchi”.

    ALSO READ| TMC asks EC to act against BJP ‘goons’ creating ‘ruckus’ in Cooch Behar

    She said that she had long apprehended that the forces’ would act in such a manner. “As BJP knows it has lost the people’s mandate, they are conspiring to kill people,” Banerjee added. She alleged this was part of a conspiracy hatched by the Union home minister.

    “However, I would ask everyone to remain calm and cast their vote peacefully. Avenge the deaths by defeating them,” she said.

    Banerjee said that the death toll in this election was far higher than that in the Panchayat elections held three years ago. “If you count the total number of killings since the elections began some 17-18 persons were killed. At least 12 people belonged to our party alone,” he said.

    CLICK HERE FOR LIVE COVERAGE OF PHASE-IV OF BENGAL POLLS

    Banerjee said the EC too owed the people an explanation on today’s incident. “We are not in charge of the administration. The EC is in charge of administration. They have removed the senior IPS Surajit Kar Purakaystha. They have removed my OSD Ashok Chakraborty, who is a lower ranked retired officer from RPF. Yet the EC bringing in retired officers to oversee polls here,” she said.