News Analysis India

Tag: West Bengal

  • Election Commission orders removal of West Bengal DGP Virendra

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Tuesday ordered removal of Virendra as the Director General of Police of poll-bound West Bengal with immediate effect, and appointed P Nirajnayan in his place.

    In a directive to the state chief secretary, the EC said Virendra “should not be given any post which directly or indirectly relates to conduct of election.”

    The move came in the wake of several political parties complaining to the Election Commission, alleging that Virendra was inclined towards the ruling Trinamool Congress, sources said.

    ALSO READ: Mamata warns BJP against playing ‘Hindu card’

    “Kindly inform the commission about the compliance latest by 10 am tomorrow (Wednesday),” the order said.

    The commission had recently removed Jawed Shamim from the post of ADG (Law and Order) of West Bengal and replaced him with Jagmohan.

    The eight-phase assembly elections in the state will begin on March 27 and conclude on April 29.

  • Early Gujarat Assembly polls likely if BJP wins in West Bengal, says BJP Minister

    By PTI
    VALSAD: A Gujarat minister on Sunday claimed Assembly polls in the state could be brought forward from late 2022 if the BJP wins in West Bengal.

    Elections in the eastern state will be held in eight phases from March 27, while counting of votes will take place on May 2.

    The term of the present Gujarat Assembly is till December next year.

    Talking to reporters in Umargam in south Gujarat’s Valsad district, state Forest and Tribal Affairs Minister Raman Patkar said the environment is conducive for early polls in Gujarat at a time when the BJP is winning everywhere.

    “When the BJP is winning all around, then (the party’s) parliamentary board and the state and national leadership understand that it is better to hold elections (in Gujarat) in this conducive environment,” he said.

    “And if BJP wins in West Bengal, then the announcement (for polls in Gujarat) can be made in a short time,” Patkar claimed.

    Patkar’s statement comes against the backdrop of the BJP registering a massive victory in the recently-concluded local bodies polls in the state.

    The party won 90 per cent seats in the local bodies polls, as well as all six municipal corporations, 75 out of 81 municipalities, all 31 district panchayats and 196 out of 231 taluka panchayats.

  • ECL vigilance team reported coal pilferage bid to WB authorities; no action was taken: Officials

    The alleged multi-crore coal pilferage scam is related to the public sector undertaking #39;s mines in the state #39;s Kunustoria and Kajora areas.

  • ​Former TMC leader Sushanta Pal does squats on stage after joining BJP

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: In a curious gesture, a former Trinamool Congress leader did squats on stage moments after joining the BJP in Purbo Medinipur district on Thursday, describing the act as an attempt to “atone past sins” during his tenure with the ruling party.

    Sushanta Pal, known to be a loyalist of TMC turncoat Suvendu Adhikari, suddenly started doing squats, stopping his speech midway after receiving the BJP flag during a rally at Pingla area.

    “This is atonement for my sins when I was with the tyrant TMC, and had to follow whimsical and anti-people orders of the top leadership.

    I regret it now,” the former vice- president of Kharagpur Number 2 Block of the party said.

    Alleging that the TMC did not allow free and fair panchayat polls in 2018, occupying the local bodies by force, Pal said, “I have joined the BJP as I was feeling claustrophobic. I wanted to protest but my voice was muzzled.”

    As Pal did squats on stage, BJP supporters present at the rally chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans, while many looked on in bewilderment.

    The district unit president of TMC, Ajit Maity said, “Pal had been stripped of all responsibilities four years back. He is now indulging in ‘dramabaji’ (theatrics) at the behest of the BJP.”

    Earlier, several local TMC leaders, who were loyal to Adhikari and occupied posts such as municipality chairman, switched over to the BJP.

  • Bengali actor Sayantika Banerjee joins TMC ahead of West Bengal Assembly polls

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Bengali actor Sayantika Banerjee on Wednesday joined the ruling (TMC), ahead of Assembly elections in West Bengal.

    She joined the TMC in presence of party leader and West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee and other leaders.

    Sayantika Banerjee said, “I was with Didi for the past 10 years but today I officially joined TMC. I request the people of Bengal to be with us and Didi. We know Bangla wants Bengali.”

    Earlier on Tuesday, Bengali actor Srabanti Chatterjee joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kolkata. Bengali actor Yash Dasgupta has also joined BJP along with several other Tollywood actors including Papiya Adhikari and Mallika Banerjee.

    West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

    West Bengal is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and the BJP in the fray.  

  • Tejashwi Yadav won’t make any difference in Bengal Assembly polls: Kailash Vijayvargiya

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Tuesday said that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav will not make any difference in the West Bengal Assembly polls because people will vote for BJP due to their faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    This comes a day after Yadav promised to give his full support to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the coming assembly polls in the state.

    “Before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Mamata Banerjee projected herself as Prime Ministerial candidate by calling leaders from all parties on a stage in Kolkata. Inspite of this, the people of Bengal did not vote for her. Tejashwi Yadav or anybody will not make any difference in West Bengal polls because people have faith in Narendra Modi and want a government under his leadership,” Vijayvargiya told ANI here.

    The BJP made deep inroads in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections winning 18 seats and reducing TMC’s tally to 22. Out of the total 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal, Congress won two seats, the Left drew a blank.

    When asked about the infighting between Congress leaders over the party’s alliance with Furfura Sharif’s Indian Secular Front (ISF), Vijayvargiya said, “I don’t want to comment on Congress’ infighting. It is their own fight. Relations don’t get stronger when there is a fight for selfish needs.”

    “An alliance based on greed doesn’t last long. It’s alarming that Congress, CPM and TMC are going to any length for appeasement politics. They are getting exposed in the process,” he added.

    Vijayvargiya, BJP’s central observer for West Bengal, also spoke about PM Modi’s scheduled rally in Kolkata on March 7 and the party’s prospects.

    “BJP is going among the masses with the message of ‘sabka saath, saabka vikas’. Narendra Modi’s upcoming rally will be the biggest rally in the history of West Bengal,” he said.

    BJP functionaries including Kailash Vijayvargiya, national General Secretary, Mukul Roy national Vice-President, Sanjay Singh, General Secretary and Swapan Dasgupta, MP, Rajya Sabha are looking into the preparations at Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata where PM Modi will address a public meeting on March 7.

    This will be PM Modi’s first rally in West Bengal post the announcement of election dates by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

    Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta along with other BJP leaders met the Election Commission seeking clarification on the status of administrators of 124 municipalities and 477 corporations “whose term has ended but most of them are being run by administrators, who are not actually administrators but political appointees. They are still continuing.”

    “Does the model code of conduct apply to them? We believe it does and must be adhered to by them. We demanded that these so-called administrators must be replaced by people who are answerable to the government. These people are not accountable to the government. Various ward offices in the municipal and corporations are being run as political parties offices. We urge the commission to ensure that this does not happen,” Dasgupta said.

    West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 2.  

  • BJP likely to release first list of candidates for upcoming Assembly polls in first week of March

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Bhartiya Janta Party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) is likely to meet in the first week of March to decide the candidates’ list for the upcoming assembly polls in four states and one Union Territory.

    According to sources, BJP is likely to announce its first list for the state assembly election in the first week of March after the CEC’s meeting. The meeting is likely to take place on March 4.

    BJP’s CEC consists of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national party president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and others.

    The election for the states of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry were announced last Friday by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

    The terms of legislative assemblies of four states Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and West Bengal are coming to an end in May and June. In Puducherry, President’s rule has been imposed and the assembly is kept under suspended animation after the former Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy-led Congress government resigned earlier this week ahead of a vote of confidence in the parliament.

    Assam has 126 Members in its Legislative Assembly, West Bengal has 294, Tamil Nadu has 234, Kerala has 140 and Puducherry has 33 seats (30 elected and 3 nominated by Centre).

    As per the schedule, West Bengal State Assembly elections will be in eight-phases, while Assam will be voting in three phases.Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will be held in a single phase on April 6. Counting of votes for all four states and one Union Territory will take place on May 2.

  • Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan predicts ‘spectacular’ win for BJP in West Bengal polls

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday expressed confidence that the BJP would clinch a “spectacular” victory in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls and come to power in that state as people there have now risen against the “misgovernance” of the Mamata Banerjee-led dispensation.

    He also said that he will take part in the Parivartan Yatra in West Bengal on Sunday.

    Talking to reporters here, Chouhan said, “I will reach Kolkata tonight to take part in the Parivartan rally tomorrow. I will address three public meetings there as part of it.”

    The Election Commission on Friday announced eight-phased polling in West Bengal from March 27 to April 29.

    ALSO READ | On 2nd May, hold me to my last tweet: Prashant Kishor calls Bengal polls ‘key battle for democracy’

    “The assembly poll bugle has been sounded in West Bengal. A BJP wave is prevailing there. Mamata didi is frightened and furious too,” he said.

    “That is why Parivartan rallies are being attacked and BJP workers have been killed. But their sacrifice won’t go in vain. West Bengal has risen against Mamata didi’s misgovernance, and also against goodaism, corruption and loot,” Chouhan said.

    The BJP is going to get spectacular success in West Bengal and form a government there, he said.

  • WATCH | Mamata Banerjee rides pillion on electric scooter to protest fuel price hike

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: In a unique protest against the fuel price hike, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday rode the pillion on an electric scooter to the state secretariat.

    She travelled a six-km stretch to her office from her Kalighat residence with a minister of her cabinet.

    “The BJP-led government is giving excessive pressure on the common people. Petroleum products have skyrocketed in the past couple of days,” Mamata said after arriving at the secretariat.

    While leaving her residence, Mamata, with a placard protesting against price hike hanging around her neck, sat behind urban development minister Firhad Hakim. 

    #WATCH | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee travels on an electric scooter in Kolkata as a mark of protest against rising fuel prices. pic.twitter.com/q1bBM9Dtua
    — ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2021

    “This is our protest against the hike in prices of petrol, diesel and LPG. There was a hike in LPG prices even last night and a cylinder now costs at least Rs 800. Kerosene is unavailable in the market. In Bengal, around 10 million people depend on kerosene for cooking. The kitchen is the worst-hit every time there is a hike in fuel prices,” Mamata alleged.

    The CM, while returning home, got off the scooter and decided to drive the two-wheeler. On Vidyasagar Setu, she drove for a few metres and again rode the pillion. 

  • Families of Trinamool brass under CBI and ED scrutiny

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA: With less than two months to go for Assembly polls in West Bengal, two central agencies swung into action in the state on Monday. A team of eight CBI officers went to the south Kolkata apartment of Abhishek Banerjee’s sister-in-law to interrogate her in connection with a coal pilferage case. Abhishek is the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a constant target of BJP in the election campaign.

    Almost simultaneously, the Enforcement Directorate issued a notice to Priyadarshini, daughter of Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, in connection with ‘suspicious’ transfer of funds overseas. Priyadarshini refuted the allegation, saying that she was being targeted for being a TMC leader’s daughter.

    The CBI had on Sunday issued a notice to Abhishek’s wife Rujira in the coal case. Responding to it, she said she would be available for questioning at her residence from 11 am to 3 pm on Tuesday.In a related development, eight CBI officers went to Rujira’s sister Maneka Gambhir’s house. They had to wait for over 20 minutes, as the private security guards did not allow their vehicles to enter the housing complex. Eventually, officers of the investigating agency had to walk in.

    “We interrogated her for three hours and recorded her statement. She co-operated with us,’’ said a CBI officer, adding the agency might interrogate her again.The CBI had registered an FIR in November, 2020, against Anup Kumar Majhi alias Lala, two general managers of Eastern Coalfield Ltd and a few security officers. It is alleged that Majhi is involved in illegal mining and theft of coal from the mines of ECL.

    Ever since that FIR was lodged, without naming Abhishek, the BJP has been alleging the involvement of several Trinamool Congress leaders and the ‘nephew’, who they claimed was instrumental in directing the money earned from the smuggling of coal to the coffers of the ruling party. In recent election campaigns, BJP’s national leadership has seldom missed an opportunity to hit out at the chief minister or her nephew.