PM to address three election rallies in Bengal

Kolkata, May 19 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold as many as six election rallies for BJP candidates in Bankura, Purulia and Medinipur later Sunday and on Monday, ahead of West Bengals sixth phase polling on May 25, BJP sources said on Sunday. Modi, the face of saffron brigade forces for the... The post PM to address three election rallies in Bengal first appeared on Central India's Premier English Daily .

Pok belongs to us, will take it back: Shah

Pok belongs to us, will take it back: Shah Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to India, and ''we will take it back''. Shah was addressing an election rally in Prayagraj to seek votes for BJP candidate Neeraj Tripathi. ''Farooq Abdullah and Mani Shankar Aiyar say give respect to Pakistan because it has atom bomb...Rahul baba, today from the sacred land of Prayagraj I will say this PoK is ours, will remain ours, and we will take it back,'' he said while referring to Aiyar's atom bomb remark that has sparked a political row. In a purported video clip that has gone viral on social media, Aiyar was heard saying that India should give respect to Pakistan as it is a sovereign nation and engage with it as it also possesses the atom bomb. While Aiyar has said the video was old and dredged up now as the BJP's election campaign is faltering, the Congress had said it totally disagreed with the remarks made by Aiyar some months ago. Shah also said that the opposition alliance has been wiped out in the four phases of Lok Sabha polls. ''Four phases of polling have been completed. In these four phases, the 'INDI alliance' has been wiped out and Modi ji is rapidly moving towards crossing 400 (Lok Sabha seats),'' he said. The main contest in Allahabad is between BJP's Neeraj Tripathi, son of former Governor of West Bengal and Speaker of UP Legislative Assembly Keshari Nath Tripathi, and Ujjwal Ram Singh, son of former Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Reoti Raman Singh. Polling in Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency will take place in the sixth phase of the ongoing elections on May 25.

'Country Won't Tolerate Their Insult': PM Modi Hits Back After Mamata Accuses 'A Few Monks' Of Backing BJP

The BJP responds to Mamata Banerjee's allegations of Hindu monks aligning with the ruling party, sparking a political clash in West Bengal

Industrialists afraid to come to Bengal under Mamata Banerjee dispensation: Union minister

Industrialists afraid to come to Bengal under Mamata Banerjee dispensation: Union minister Maintaining that investors were afraid to come to West Bengal, Union minister Subhas Sarkar claimed that businesses will stay away from the state as long as the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government is in power. Sarkar said the TMCs land acquisition policy and allegations of across-the-board corruption were to blame for the poor job situation in Bengal. ''Industrialists shy away from coming to West Bengal. There is a dire need to change this government to attract investment in the state,'' Sarkar, the Union Minister of State for Education, told PTI in an interview. The TMC had risen to power in 2011 over its anti-forcible land grab policy plank, and agitations over land acquisition by the erstwhile Left Front government in Nandigram and Singur. The Left has repeatedly claimed that the acquisitions were meant for the re-industrialisation of the state and creating job opportunities for the youth. Stating that problems of unemployment and migration of labour from Bengal to other states will be resolved only if industries come, Sarkar said in the meantime, skill development programmes of the youth will be undertaken. Sarkar, the Bankura MP in the outgoing 17th Lok Sabha, said, ''In the next five years, we have plans to skill a large number of youths.'' He said that at the same time, cooperative and farm produce sectors will also have to be strengthened for a better interface with the related industries. Having been re-nominated by the BJP from the Bankura Lok Sabha seat, Sarkar expressed confidence of winning the seat by a margin more than the 1.74 lakh votes he secured over his nearest TMC opponent in the 2019 polls. Brushing aside murmurs among a section of BJP supporters as also the Bankura district's Hindu Mahasabha, alleging the doctor candidate's disconnect with base-level workers, Sarkar said, ''Our party is working very nicely. Sarkar asserted he is a son of the soil and that workers and supporters are steadfast with him. Claiming that the people of Bengal ''see the BJP as the only feasible and potential alternative'', he said the Narendra Modi government has led the country through a journey of development and social welfare. Sarkar also maintained that there have not been any allegations of corruption, both at the Centre and in BJP-ruled states. He accused the TMC in the state of ''corruption and oppression'' of people by goons owing allegiance to the ruling party in the state. Allegations of sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing of villagers by some local TMC leaders in Sandeshkhali region will ''definitely'' affect the TMC in Bankura, situated around 250 km away, Sarkar said. The incidents there (Sandeshkhali) will influence the women voters,'' he said. Sarkar also alleged that the TMC was supporting former party leaders accused in various cases, like Shajahan Sheikh in Sandeshkhali, Anubrata Mondal, who is lodged in Tihar jail in connection with a case of alleged cattle smuggling, and others. He said the BJP-led government at the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal cannot be compared. The TMC supremo's model is akin to the ''feudal system, he asserted. Sarkar alleged that ''cut money'' culture for getting government benefits, and a ''franchise system'' with goons and mafia, have become prevalent in West Bengal under the present dispensation. ''The PM's development work should not be compared with Mamata Banerjee's model. Modi's 'Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas' model was to ensure betterment of the lives of everyone, he said. Sarkar said that the central government was providing free ration to 80 crore people across the country. He added that the adivasis, who constitute a significant part of the electorate in the constituency's Jangal Mahal area, which was affected by Maoist activities more than a decade back, were with the BJP. ''The BJP-led NDA government has done a lot for them,'' the minister said, stating that it has enacted the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act (FCAA) 2023, and had included the Santhali language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 2003 during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

West Bengal: Another Case Of Molestation Against TMC Leader In Sandeshkhali, Victim Is Minor

West Bengal | Sandeshkhali TMC worker detained for 'molesting' minor girl

According to the complaint lodged by the girls mother, the accused somehow entered their house on May 17 night and molested the minor.

Netai yearns for lasting peace amid fierce underlying political tensions ahead of LS polls

Netai yearns for lasting peace amid fierce underlying political tensions ahead of LS polls The more things change in West Bengals forest-covered Jungal Mahal region, the more they seem to remain the same, feel inhabitants of Netai, a village thats yet to recover from the scars of its massacre that claimed nine lives and injured many 13 years ago. But whats more interesting is that Netais quest for lasting peace has made its people indifferent to politics in the wake of the ensuing parliamentary polls. The villagers believe it was their desire for political change that brought about the misfortune Netai continues to grapple with, and so the status quo is preferred. Let peace prevail in our village. We dont care who becomes king, said 70-year-old Tapan Mondal, whose wife Arati Mondal was among the Netai victims. A village bordering the erstwhile Maoist hotbed Lalgarh in Binpur block and falling under the Jhargram Lok Sabha seat, Netai caught national attention when armed vigilantes, allegedly sheltered by the then ruling CPI(M), opened fire on villagers killing four women and five men besides injuring 28 others on January 7, 2011. The slaughter was a fallout of locals resisting demands and alleged tortures of the armed men who had taken shelter inside the house of a local CPI(M) leader, ostensibly to fight the Maoists who had considerable sway in the region during the period. While the Netai massacre case, investigated by the CBI, continues to be fought in Bengals legal corridors and most of the accused remains released on bail, the village continues to hog media headlines on account of the fierce tussle for political supremacy between Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and Suvendu Adhikari-led BJPs state unit in the region. As late as January this year, Adhikari moved the Calcutta High Court to secure permission to hold a rally in Netai and pay his respects to the deceased in the backdrop of the administrations refusal to grant him access to the village where Trinamool Congress-backed Netai Shahid Smritiraksha Samiti observes the day by garlanding the mausoleum built in memory of the martyrs. Peace is all we need. We dont want to go back to those days whose memory haunts us even now. We do not want to see any more blood spill and dont want politics to rule our lives, said Sarajit Roy, a TMC worker in the village. At a cursory glance, its difficult to distinguish Netai from any other advancing village of Bengal, where concrete dwellings have replaced most of the mud huts which dominated the village landscape 13 years ago. Surrounded by fertile agricultural land which, according to villagers, yielded three to four crops annually, the village now boasts metalled roads, a primary health centre and a high school. There have been enough developments in this region in the last decade, thanks to Mamata Banerjees efforts. But, people here are more focused on earning their livelihood than taking part in politics, Roy said. Echoing Roys statement, Asish Ghorai, a farmer, chipped in, stating, Theres no need for any change here. Any effort to bring about a change would result in disruption of peace. While Roy and Ghorai advocated for the ruling TMC dispensation of the state, the fact remains that the Jhargram seat is currently held by the BJP after defeating the TMC in 2019, with the latter desperate to snatch it back when the constituency goes to polls on May 25. The TMC has, in the meanwhile, swept the intermediate elections of the state assembly in 2021 and the recently held panchayat polls in 2023 from the area. Mondal, whose wife succumbed to bullet wounds in her abdomen in 2011, confessed to having received monetary compensation from the state government and jobs of junior of junior police constables for his two sons. Lets not think about political bickering anymore, he said. Villagers, though, voiced their need for job opportunities for youth in the area and blamed political parties for turning a blind eye to it. Young people are migrating from our village to get engaged in ornament making, masonry and even for daily earning. We can hardly sustain on the prevailing local wage rate of Rs 150 a day, said Anath Roy, another villager. Locals informed that the stoppage of MGNREGA work in the area since 2022 and the tendency of no-shows by political leaders once elections get over have left them in limbo. There are not enough teachers in the local school and studies of our kids are getting badly hampered. We have raised the issue with school management many times but our request for teacher replenishment has fallen on deaf ears, claimed villager Tarun Pal. Local MLA and a minister in Mamata Banerjees cabinet, Birbaha Hansda, indicated at concerted ploys by the opposition to sabotage governments job creation efforts as reasons behind employment shortfalls. Whenever the government is advertising for jobs, be it in schools or the forest department, theres always someone moving the court and applying brakes to the process. The government is pushed to the back foot, she alleged, adding these were attempts to ensure that Bengal lagged behind other states. There is no solution in sight, a despondent Hansda said. Support for the BJP was palpable in the adjacent village of Sahersahi, which also housed families of the 2011 victims. The state indulged in nepotism to pick and choose who among the victims would receive compensation. Out of the 28 injured only 10 received money from government coffers or jobs. The remaining 18 were ignored, alleged Bhagbat Sing whose father Shaktipada Sing sustained shoulder injuries from the firing, but reportedly, fell through the states compensation cracks. Sing said it was the result of the villagers joint efforts that Adhikari made it to Netai on January 7 this year. The martyrs column at Netai, meanwhile, wore a deserted look, betraying the latent political tension it still embodied.

LS polls: PM Modi to campaign in Jharkhand, Bengal; BJP chief Nadda to visit Haryana

New Delhi, May 19 :Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday campaign in Jharkhand and West Bengal for the Lok Sabha elections. The Prime Minister will hold public meetings in Jharkhands Jamshedpur at 11:00 a.m. From there, he will go to West Bengal to address public meetings in Purulia at 12:45 p.m., Bishnupur at 2:30 [] The post LS polls: PM Modi to campaign in Jharkhand, Bengal; BJP chief Nadda to visit Haryana appeared first on The Shillong Times .

Despite Kharge's snub, Adhir says can't favour Mamata

In a veiled reference to West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish him politically and his party in the state.

Separated from mainland, voters on border want freedom from 'caged' life

RPF rescues baby stolen from Ranchi, five held

CUTTACK: Railway Protection Force (RPF), Cuttack rescued a nine-month-old baby boy who was kidnapped from Ranchi in Jharkhand and arrested five persons. The accused are Amit Sanatan Pal (36), Radha Sahoo (38) and Sunil Mishra (18) of West Bengal, Nusrat Jahan (37) and Sohana Begum of Kalapancha within Charichhak police limits in Puri. Cuttack RPF IIC Anil Kumar Singh said one Pradeep Lohra of Dhagar Tola in Latehar district of Jharkhand had lodged a complaint with Chutia police station in Ranchi alleging his nine-month-old baby boy was stolen from his wife while she was taking rest near the ticket counter at Ranchi railway station on May 12 night. Pradeep and his wife had come from Agartala along with the baby in a train and decided to spend the night near Ranchi railway station as there was no communication to their native Latehar district. A little later, Pradeep left to buy some food for his wife and son. In his absence from the spot, two men and a lady offered tea to his wife which she drank only to be rendered unconscious. When Pradeep returned he found his wife in a semi-conscious state with his baby boy missing. Chutia police verified CCTV footages near Ranchi railway station basing upon which a team from the police station visited different locations including Cuttack. We investigated the case with Chutia police and found a family comprising two male and a female staying in a rented house at Jobra to have been missing from the locality for the last few days. We then arranged the contact number of the family and obtained the mobile location around Khurda railway station leading to the arrest of Pal, Sahoo and Mishra who confessed to have sold the baby to Nusrat Jahan, said Singh. During interrogation, Nusrat Jahan confessed to have sold the baby to Sohana Begum for Rs 58,500 for a commission of Rs 20,000. While the baby was handed over to his parents, Ranchi police took all the five accused on transit remand after producing them in Nimapara court for further investigation, informed Singh.

West Bengal: Sandeshkhali TMC worker detained for 'molesting' minor girl

West Bengal: Sandeshkhali TMC worker detained for 'molesting' minor girl A TMC worker has been detained for allegedly molesting a minor girl in West Bengals Sandeshkhali area, police said. According to the complaint lodged by the girls mother, the accused ''somehow'' entered their house on Friday night and molested the minor. The riverine Sandeshkhali area situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, about 100 km from Kolkata had been on the boil in February with protests over allegations of sexual abuse and land grab against now-arrested TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters. The girl, a Class-8 student, managed to escape and started shouting for help as family members and neighbours came out, police said, quoting the complaint. An officer of Basirhat Police District said the accused, around 20-years-old, is being questioned. A medical test has been conducted on the girl, he said, adding that its report is awaited.

EC issues show-cause notice to Sukanta Majumdar, censures Humayun

The EC show-caused BJP's Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar for a malicious advertisement accusing Trinamool Congress of corruption. Trinamool's Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir was censured for threatening voters and opposition party workers. Majumdar must respond by Tuesday, facing penalization for non-reply. Kabir's May 2 speech in Murshidabad was in violation of the model code of conduct during a rally at Kazipara.

Mallikarjun Kharge: CPM supported UPA govt from outside in '04

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge cautioned Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury to adhere to the party's decision on the INDIA bloc or risk expulsion. Kharge endorsed Mamata Banerjee's position in the coalition, countering Chowdhury's dissent towards the Trinamool Congress.

With 25 rallies, Bengal no. 1 on PM Narendra Modi's campaign trail this year

PM Narendra Modi to address 5 more rallies in Bengal, totaling 25 since March. Bengal BJP seniors highlight his focus on development, 'Purvoday,' and the role of women. He emphasizes development plans for states like Odisha and Bengal as key to India's progress. Modi addresses porous border vulnerability in Bengal.

Fire guts artificial hair factory in Howrah

GTA sets humans to catch insects to help oranges thrive in Hills

In Barrackpore, flip-flop Arjun & min Partha in slog-over battle of nerves

Kolkata tourist among two killed in Sikkim accident

Stars and turncoats in Bengal

KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress is contesting all seats except one on a stronger wicket since it won the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 with a comfortable margin. Barrackpore is an exception because BJPs Arjun Singh won the seat in 2019, but he switched to the TMC in 2022, but was back in the saffron fold before the 2024 polls. Seven parliamentary seats are up for grabs in the May 20 elections. They are Bangaon, Barrackpur, Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly, Arambagh. In Bangaon, the battleground is set for a fierce contest between Biswajit Das Shantanu Thakur of the BJP, and Pradip Biswas of INC-CPM. Intensifying her attack on BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the state will avenge the injustice of the BJP and the anti-Bengalis will be washed away for sure. Banerjee in a post on her X handle said, It is a sin to block the funds earmarked for development of the poor but continue splurging money on spreading propaganda. The TMC supremo had been vocal about alleged non-payment of Central dues to the state under various schemes like MNREGA (100 days work) and PM Awas Yojana (housing) for the last three years totalling more than Rs 1.65 lakh crore. Bengal will avenge this injustice by the BJP, she said, adding The people of Jhargram, Ghatal and Medinipur have given a clear message -- the Bishorjon of Bangla-Birodhis is certain! Barrackpur Trinamool sources claim the party has an edge in Barrackpur though Arjun Singh left TMC to join BJP as the people are satisfied with the schemes that Banerjee has introduced in every district. Five years ago, Singh switched to the BJP from TMC to win the 2019 polls, only to return three years later. Singh defeated the then TMC candidate Dinesh Trivedi (now in BJP) in 2019 by less than 15,000 votes. This time, Singh is facing TMCs Partha Bhowmick and CPMs Debdut Ghosh, supported by the Congress. Hooghly The constituency will witness the clash of two cine stars: BJPs Locket Chatterjee will be defending the seat against a newcomer, Rachna Banerjee of TMC. The latter hosts a popular TV show. Banerjee was seen visiting villages in Hooghly, meeting people and making hilarious comments. Her comment did not go down well with a section of TMC leaders. The Hooghly seat had its tryst with saffron as early as the first general election that the country saw. Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee won the general election of 1952 as a nominee of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, the earlier version of todays BJP. Since then, much water has flown down the Hooghly. The BJP nominee has vowed that the party will bring back the Tatas to Singur if elected to power in the state. Howrah The constituency comprises seven assembly segments -- Bally, Howrah Uttar, Howrah Madhya, Shibpur, Howrah Dakshin and Sankrail (SC). TMCs MP Prasun Banerjee is pitted against Dr Rathin Chakraborty of the BJP. The CPM has fielded Sabyasachi Chatterjee. The constituency is all set to witness a tough contest between Prasun Banerjee and Rathin Chakraborty, with the TMC having an edge even as the BJP is putting up a tough fight. In the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the BJP increased its vote share to 38.9% and the TMC bagged 47.4% of the votes. Uluberia Uluberia is another constituency in Howrah district which had a major jute processing centre. However, the industry declined. Around 70 establishments have come up in the industrial park in the region, which is spread across 128.69 acre. These units are into engineering, manufacturing, and also food products. In the 2024 election, Sajda Ahmed of TMC is pitted against Arun Uday Pal Chaudhary of BJP and Azahar Mollick of the Congress. Sreerampur Also written as Srirampore, Serampore, among other spellings, and is in Hooghly district. It was a Danish settlement founded in the 18th century, and acquired by the British in 1845. Today, it is highly urbanized. Since 2009, TMCs Kalyan Banerjee has represented the seat. He is pitted against BJPs Kabir Shankar Bose and CPMs Dipsita Dhar. Arambag Among the seven assembly segments in the seat, the BJP won four and TMC three in the 2021 state polls. Though Aparupa Poddar of TMC wrested the seat from CPMs Sakti Mohan Malik in 2014 and retained it in 2019, her vote share fell drastically. The TMC has nominated Mitali Bag who is pitted against BJPs Arup Kanti Digar and CPMs Biplab Kumar Moitra.

65 pets, orphaned after owner's sudden death, find a new home

Congress chief Kharge seeks EC action on BJPs bulldozer remarks

MUMBAI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other INDIA bloc leaders on Saturday called upon the Election Commission to take action after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders repeated claims that the opposition would run bulldozer over Ram temple if voted to power. Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, Kharge, NCP-SP leader Sharad Pawar and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray responded to questions on Modis charge that the INDIA bloc will bulldoze the Ram temple, dilute quota for SC, ST and OBC categories and also restore Article 370 if voted to power. Kharge accused Modi of inciting people over issues that the Congress will never do. Thackeray said the INDIA blocs government will complete construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, while Pawar said it will be the duty of their government to protect not just temples, but the places of worship of all religions. Kharge also said reservation as enshrined in the Constitution will stay. We have never used a bulldozer on anyone. Modi has the habit of lying and inciting people about things which Congress will never do or which are impossible to be implemented, he said, claiming that the INDIA bloc will win 46 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Kharge said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be part of the alliance. Earlier Mamata Banerjee expressed outside support for the alliance, but now she has said that she will be part of the government, he said. Kharge said Modi speaks of providing free ration of 5 kg to 80 crore people. Our government enacted the Food Security Act and it is bound to implement it. The Congress has now said that we will give 10 kg free ration, he said. Pawar said the previous government had taken the decision of the Food Security Act, but Modi is taking credit for it. Thackeray said the INDIA bloc has several prime ministerial faces, while the BJP has only one and even that is not working. Now they cannot replace the face at the fag end of poll campaign. We have decided what we should do when we get the majority, he said. Attacking the BJP and Modi for calling his party nakli (fake) Shiv Sena, Thackeray said BJP will call RSS as nakli Sangh. Citing BJP chief JP Nadda, he said that BJP is capable and runs its own affairs, while the RSS is an ideological front and does its own work, Thackeray said, BJP wants to disassociate itself with an organisation that gave birth to it. The jumla era will end on June 4 and achhe din will come when INDIA bloc comes to power, Thackeray said. Will protect places of worship of all religions: Pawar Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge accused Modi of inciting people over issues that the Congress will never do, while Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said the INDIA blocs government will complete construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar said their government will protect not just temples, but the places of worship of all religions.

Smoke reel fires up land-industry debate in Hooghly

Rachana Banerjee's Instagram reel in Hooghly reignites the industry versus land debate from Mamata Banerjee's Singur protest, leading to the enactment of the Right to Fair Compensation Act, 2013, reshaping Bengal's politics.

Kol tourist & driver killed, 4 injured as vehicle falls into river in Sikkim

1 .5 lakh LED lights help KMC save 70 crore a yr

CPM worker, a cancer patient, thrashedin Patuli

Two new dengue cases in BMC area

Resolve VC issues amicably, apex court tells guv, govt

Faulty lights plunge streets in Salt Lake into darkness

Tribute to mark Mallorys 1924 Everest attempt

Skhali plan failed, BJP now trying to stoke communal violence: Didi

Dont appoint part-time teachers without prior nod

BJP has 40cr for alcohol, but wont pay Bengals dues

Sat clouds bolster Mon rain promise

One killed, ten injured in lightning strikes

KMC to rope in patients for drug trial

CU pays tribute to Father of Indian Cytology, turns his room into museum

TMC slams BJP for ad featuring PM that uses Singapore Metro pic

Go for thorough repairs or raze Futnani Chambers

Nearly one in four candidates contesting in the sixth phase in West Bengal are crorepatis

Actor-turned-politician and two-time TMC MP Dev is the richest candidate in this phase in the State, with declared assets of 37 crore; the BJP has the highest percentage of crorepati candidates in the fray in the sixth phase

EC issues two notices to West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar over advertisements 'targeting' TMC

The ECI has sought West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdars explanation on why two of the partys advertisements should not be treated as violative of the Model Code of Conduct

A few Ramakrishna Mission, BSS monks working for BJP on Delhi's orders: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accuses monks from Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Ramakrishna Mission of working against TMC and supporting BJP at a rally in Jayrambati, Hooghly.

Few BSS monks working for BJP on Delhi's orders: Mamata

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accuses monks from Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Ramakrishna Mission of working against TMC and supporting BJP at a rally in Jayrambati, Hooghly.

Adhir Chowdhury, Mallikarjun Kharge cross swords over Mamata Banerjee's role in opposition bloc

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge serves ultimatum to Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury over INDIA bloc alignment with Mamata Banerjee-led TMC. Congress leadership insists on party decision, while Bengal CM emphasizes TMC's stance in Bengal.

EC sends 2 notices to Bengal BJP chief over ads, chides TMC neta

Election Commission issued showcause notices to West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar over ads targeting Trinamool Congress. EC censured Trinamool Congress leader Humayun Kabir for allegedly threatening voters and rival party workers based on religious lines, violating the model code of conduct.

Hours after Kharge''s snub, Bengal Cong chief sticks to his anti-Mamata stance

Hours after Kharge''s snub, Bengal Cong chief sticks to his anti-Mamata stance In a veiled reference to West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish him politically and his party in the state. His comment comes hours after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that Chowdhury is no one to take a decision on whether Banerjee would be part of the INDIA bloc in the event of the anti-BJP alliance coming to power after the Lok Sabha polls. Asked about Kharges statement, Chowdhury, who is seeking re-election from Baharampur on a Congress ticket, said, I cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish me politically and our party in Bengal. This is a battle for every Congress worker. I have spoken on their behalf. Stating that his opposition to Banerjee stemmed from his principled stance, not from his interest, Chowdhury said There is no personal grudge but I question her political ethics.'' Asked about Mamata Banerjee's comment that she will support the INDIA bloc government from the outside and Chowdhury's remark that the Bengal CM cannot be trusted and she might go with the BJP, Kharge told reporters, ''Mamata Banerjee is with the alliance. She has recently said that she will join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary will not take the decision. The decision will be taken by me and the high command those who don't agree will go out.'' Chowdhury also alleged that Banerjee had ''taken Maoists' help to discredit the Left in Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram and then abandoned them. I dont want the state Congress to be used for her personal agenda and then finish the organisation. If Kharge ji speaks against my views, I will continue to speak for Congressmen at the grassroots in the state. The TMC is contesting the Lok Sabha elections alone in the state, while the Congress and the Left are jointly fighting.

LS polls: 49 constituencies in eight states and UTs to vote in fifth phase on May 20

LS polls: 49 constituencies in eight states and UTs to vote in fifth phase on May 20 People from 49 constituencies across eight States and Union territories will be voting in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 20, during which several key candidates will be in the fray. The states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal will be going to polls in the fifth phase, along with two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir; and Ladakh. Notably, the fifth phase is the smallest in terms of number of seats being polled across all seven phases. The following seats will vote on May 20 across the eight states and Union Territories: Maharashtra: Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central and Mumbai South. Uttar Pradesh: Mohanlalganj, Lucknow, Raebareli, Amethi, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Barabanki, Faizabad/Ayodhya, Kaiserganj and Gonda. Bihar: Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran and Hajipur. Jharkhand: Chatra, Koderma, Hazaribagh. West Bengal: Barrackpur, Bangaon, Howrah, Uluberia, Sreerampur, Hooghly and Arambagh. Ladakh: The sole constituency of Ladakh, will go to polls first time since the abrogation of Article 370. Jammu and Kashmir: The Baramulla constituency will go to polls first time since the abrogation of Article 370. From Rahul Gandhi to Smriti Irani, from Karan Bhushan Singh to Chirag Paswan; many big names will have their fate at stake during the fifth phase of general elections. Other big names like Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, Ujjwal Nikam, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Omar Abdullah, and RJD leader Rohini Acharya will also be seeking electoral success. Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma, the Gandhi family's close aide, has been fielded against Smriti Irani in Amethi. Being tasked with wresting power from the BJP, KL Sharma has exuded confidence in winning the polls. He is up against incumbent MP and Union Minister Smriti Irani. She ended the Gandhi family's stint in 2019 by defeating Rahul Gandhi by over 55,000 votes. Rahul Gandhi, who also contested from Wayanad, will be aiming to retain the lone standing bastion of the party in the state -- Raebareli. On Friday, Sonia Gandhi in her public address, had urged people to vote for her son, Rahul Gandhi. I am handing over my son to you, you have to accept him just like you accepted me, he won't disappoint, she said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be aiming for a third straight win in Lucknow. He will face Samajwadi Party candidate Ravidas Mehrotra in this seat Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time is up against Congress' Bhushan Patil from the Mumbai North seat. BJP has fielded 26/11 special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, replacing two-time MP Poonam Mahajan against Congress' Varsha Gaikwad from Maharashtra's Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat. After much contention, BJP dropped Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh from Kaiserganj after sexual harassment allegations by female wrestlers. The party has fielded his son Karan Bhushan Singh from the seat, who will be seeking to retain his family stronghold. LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan is aiming to carry forward his father Ram Vilas Paswan's legacy. He is pitted against RJD's Shiv Chandra Ram. Rohini Acharya, the daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, is contesting against BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy who registered resounding wins against Lalu Prasad's kin in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the first general elections in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, Baramulla will go to polls on May 20. National Conference (NC) leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah is pitted against Sajad Lone of the Peoples Conference (PC) and Mir Mohammad Fayaz of the Peoples Democratic Party. Ladakh is going to polls as a separate union territory for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 bifurcated the erstwhile state into UTs J-K and Ladakh. BJP's Tashi Galsyan is pitted against Congress candidate Tsering Namgyal. The general elections are being held across seven phases. The first four phases were held on April 19, April 26, May 7, and May 13, while the subsequent phases are scheduled on May 20, May 27 and June 1. The counting of votes will happen on June 4. While Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term in power, while the Opposition INDIA bloc is aiming to wrest back power from the incumbent BJP. (ANI)

Surveillance on 350 Female MNC Staff as ISIS Targets Women Employees

NEW DELHI: In a massive operation, security agencies have mounted surveillance on as many as 350 women employees in the critical security verticals of multinational companies, mostly American in origin. Sources privy to the development said these women, handling sensitive roles in the security architecture of multinational companies, are being targeted by international terror outfits like ISIS with the ulterior motive of exploiting them for future sinister plots. A banned terror outfit from Kerala has reached out to these women under the guise of similar jobs or being employed by such companies. They have also taken accommodations in proximity to their residences, the sources said. The Kerala-based terror group, which subsequently shifted its headquarters to Shaheen Bagh in the national capital over a decade ago, has planted its handlers to tap female employees who might be oblivious to the insidious terror tactic. While the activities of the local terror outfit were first noticed by the agencies about six months ago, the surveillance net was cast about two months ago. The women being targeted by the terror groups are mostly employed in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal. Besides surveillance, the agencies are also investigating their family backgrounds to enlist support in persuading the women from going astray. ISIS is estimated to have targeted the Indian diaspora in West Asia, who in turn identified gullible women professionals back home to enlist them for their insidious agenda. These women could be used to cause major operational disruptions in the MNCs, potentially affecting consumer interests and damaging India's brand image. Through surveillance, the agencies aim to unravel the larger network of terror groups and their expansive footprint to secure national interests, the sources said. While ISIS has no intention of holding territory in India, they aim to recruit cadres to further the Jihadi agenda in the outfits theaters of influence. Without divulging specifics, a source in the Delhi police said, We do keep a watch on such suspects through technical and human means when we get specific leads. What has worried the agencies is that technically proficient youths have joined ISIS ranks. The recent conviction of a professionally qualified Kashmiri couple, the husband being an engineering graduate with an MBA and the wife having an IT background, who joined ISIS and were recently convicted in a terror case registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), highlights this trend. The Kashmiri couple was linked to the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, a front group of ISIS, despite holding degrees like B.Tech and MBA. Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife, Hina Bashir Beigh, moved to the national capital in 2019 from Jammu and Kashmir. Jahanzaib was employed at a United Kingdom-based company, and his spouse had a bachelors degree in computer applications with an MBA. She served at some banks before taking a break for her wedding on October 6, 2019, when Srinagar was still under lockdown after Article 370 was repealed by the Centre on August 5 that year. The couple was convicted on terror charges on May 6 in the 2020 case originally registered by the special cell of the Delhi police and subsequently taken over by the NIA. The couple was convicted on terror charges on May 6 in the 2020 case originally registered by the special cell of the Delhi police and subsequently taken over by the NIA.

Sandeshkhali TMC worker detained for molesting girl

Sandeshkhali TMC worker detained for molesting girl The police on Saturday detained a TMC worker of Sandeshkhali after he allegedly molested a teenage girl there, an officer said. Allegations of sexual abuse and land grab have been levelled against TMC leaders of Sandeshkhali area in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. According to the complaint lodged by the mother of the girl, the accused on Friday night ''somehow'' entered her house in a village in the area, and molested her. The girl, who is a class 8 student, managed to escape and started shouting for help when family members and neighbours came out. By then, the accused who is around 20 years old managed to flee, the police officer said quoting the complaint. The father of the accused alleged that his son has been framed because they were TMC supporters. ''The girl's family members are BJP supporters. They have been pressuring us to join the party. Since we didn't follow their diktat, this dirty allegation was levelled against my son,'' the father said. An officer of Basirhat Police District said that the accused is being questioned. A medical test has been conducted on the girl, he said, adding that its report has been awaiting. The riverine Sandeshkhali area situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, about 100 kilometres from Kolkata had been on the boil in February with protests over allegations of sexual abuse and land grab against now arrested TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters.

EC issues show cause notice to West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar over ads targeting TMC

EC issues show cause notice to West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar over ads targeting TMC The Election Commission of India on Saturday issued a show cause notice to West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar and asked him to submit a reply by May 21 in regards to a Trinamool Congress complaint to the poll body that the BJP was publishing false, unverified, malicious allegations and stoking communal disharmony to appeal for votes on religious grounds in its advertisements. ECI said that the transcript has been obtained by the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal for the alleged advertisement published by the Bengal BJP, mentioned, The Sanatan Dharma (traditional religion) has been defamed in this land of Swami Vivekananda and Shri Ramakrishna times and again in these thirteen years. The immersion (Visarjan) of the idol of Ma Durga has seen to be delayed due to the vote bank politics in this Bengal. The worship of Bagdevi is also seen to be impeded. The Ram mandir is considered unholy, and the chanting of 'Jai Shree ram' is regarded as abusive remarks in this state. This Bengal is a witness of comparing the idol of Shree Ram with a 'show piece'. The poll body has asked West Bengal BJP chief Majumdar to explain as to why such content shall not be treated as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. In the event of no response from your side within the stipulated time, it will be presumed that you have nothing to say in the matter and the Election Commission will take appropriate action or decision in the matter without making any further reference to you, the poll body said in its notice. The Election Commission also censured TMC MLA Humayun Kabir for his 'throw BJP supporters in Bhagirathi river' remarks made at a booth meeting. The Commission has carefully gone through the contents and averments made by Humayun Kabir in the aforesaid rally in context with all relevant records and provisions and is convinced that he has made the said statement and thus violated the aforesaid provisions of the Model Code Commission without prejudice to any order or notice issued or to be issued subsequently to him in the matter relating to MCC violations, hereby, strongly condemns the impugned statement made by Humayun Kabir, MLA, during an election rally in Kazipara, Murshidabad for the above-mentioned misconduct and censures him for the above-mentioned misconduct, the poll body said. Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal are being held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The counting of votes will be done on June 4. (ANI)

INDIA bloc to win LS polls, BJP will not even cross 200 seats: Mamata

Goghat (WB): West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday claimed that the INDIA bloc will come to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and BJP will ot cross the 200 mark in the polls. She accused Congress, and CPI(M) of having entered into a nexus with BJP in the state to discredit the state government and asked the electorate not to vote for any non-TMC parties which will benefit the saffron camp. Addressing an election rally at Goghat under the Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency, Banerjee said I had coined the name INDIA and at the national level we the coalition partners are all working together to resist the autocratic, demonic Narendra Modi government. TMC will play its role in installing the INDIA bloc to power. See what Modi is telling now he is no more making tall '400 paar' seats by BJP. He can read the writing on the wall already. BJP will not cross even 200 tally. BJP will bite the dust, she said. Banerjee alleged that CPI(M), Congress and other Left partners in West Bengal have entered into a 'mahaghot' (unprincipled nexus) with communal, undemocratic, autocrat BJP just to discredit the ruling TMC which is only waging the war against Narendra Modi and Amit Shah in the state. The TMC supremo also slammed CPI(M) for allegedly committing mass murders at places like Goghat and Sihar during its rule and claimed only she as then opposition leader had dared to face the Marxist terror at that time braving her life. I know the true face of CPI(M) in Bengal, she added. Describing Modi and Shah as anti-Bengal, she said, His issuing advertisements in media to profess his love for the state won't cut much ice with the residents of the state who knows these BJP heavyweight leaders will never understand our ethos and sentiments. Banerjee accused Modi and Shah of using doctored, false image of Matuas in one such ad gloating over CAA benefits. Reiterating her allegations about BJP concocting the charges of atrocities against TMC leaders on women of Sandeshkhali, she said, They made some of the poor, unsuspecting women sign on blank papers and incorporated charges of sexual misconduct in the complaint later. She cautioned the voters and the security personnel by alleging that BJP had planned to remove idols from temples in Sandeshkhali and elsewhere and engineer riots to get votes by dividing people. In a conciliatory tone, she added: If there had been stray incidents of mistake, those have been rectified and corrective actions taken on our part. Todays generation might not be aware of the magnitude of atrocities committed on people and political opponents by the CPIM in its reign which had never been addressed by their administration.The goons of the CPI(M) have changed colours and now working for the BJP, the TMC supremo claimed. At the second rally in Bishnupur Lok Sabha seat, Banerjee mentioned Modis comments on alleged consumption of fish by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav during Navratri. She said, Who are you (Modi) to lecture us whether to eat meat, fish or egg? Let everyone eat what he/she likes. Banerjee said every state has its own culinary and dietary tradition and the PM and his party have no right to impose diktat on the people of a region in a country like India. Claiming that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been asking people to invest in shares to boost the stock market, she accused the BJP heavyweight of violating the model code of conduct (MCC).Terming Modi as a jumla PM who only spreads misinformation and gives false promises, she said he had promised two crore jobs in every year in the last polls. So the total number would go up to 10 crore. How many actually get jobs promised by Modi? Why is he not repeating the same promise this time?... I have not seen such a jumla government in my entire political life, Banerjee said. She accused the prime minister of plotting to divide the nation along religious lines and plundering assets of the country.Banerjee charged Modi with trying to change the pluralistic values and secular ideals enshrined in the constitution and change the name of India to Bharat. This has become more pronounced since we named the opposition bloc INDIA, she said.Banerjee also promised once the INDIA bloc comes to power after the polls, measures will be initiated to scrap CAA and NRC and Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Accusing BJP of using central agencies to frame TMC leaders in coal and cattle smuggling cases, she said, Who is in charge of border security? Why will Union Home Minister Amit Shah not be arrested if there are such cases of smuggling? Banerjee alleged that BJP is trying to influence monks but that plan will not succeed. Stating that her government had helped Rama Krishna Mission to renovate the ancestral home of Swami Vivekananda in north Kolkata, she said, I have regular contacts with monastic organizations and that will remain forever. I have great respect for them. In a dig at sitting BJP MP from Bisnupur and partys candidate Saumitra Khan, Banerjee accused him of amassing huge properties during his five-year tenure but not doing anything to secure the money under 100 days central project for the job card holders in three years. Modi, like an emperor, comes to campaign in a luxury aircraft and leaves while she uses a small hired helicopter, she claimed.

West Bengal: NIA team arrives Purba Medinipur to investigate BJP booth presidents murder

The News Mill

Phase 5 of Lok Sabha polls to decide fate of Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani, Rajnath Singh among others

Phase 5 of Lok Sabha polls to decide fate of Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Irani, Rajnath Singh among others Voting for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 will be held on May 20, which will cover 49 seats across 6 States and two Union Territories. Of the 49 Lok Sabha seats, 14 are from Uttar Pradesh, 13 from Maharashtra, 7 from West Bengal, 5 from Bihar, 3 from Jharkhand, 5 from Odisha and one each from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The fifth phase will witness key contests in various constituencies. Leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Piyush Goyal, Ujjwal Nikam, Karan Bhushan Singh, LJP (Ramvilas) chief Chirag Paswan, JKNC chief Omar Abdullah, and RJD leader Rohini Acharya will be looking for electoral success. Key candidates and constituencies in Phase 5 polls Raebareli Rahul Gandhi, who also contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, is facing Congress defector and three-time MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh of the BJP in Raebareli. Rahul represented Amethi from 2004 until 2019. In her first public address in the ongoing election campaign for the Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader and AICC President Sonia Gandhi urged the people of Raebarelli to accept his son Rahul Gandhi just like they accepted her, while assuring that he won't disappoint them. I am very happy that I got the opportunity to come among you after so long...You all gave me the opportunity to serve you as an MP, this is the biggest treasure of my life. For the last 100 years, the roots of our family have been connected to the soil of this land. This relationship is as pure as Ganga Maa. It started with the farmer's agitation for Awadh and Raebareli, Sonia Gandhi said, addressing the public meeting. Sonia Gandhi held the seat for four consecutive terms since 2004, before she took the Rajya Sabha route to the Parliament this year. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday expressed confidence that BJP candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh will defeat Rahul Gandhi here and took a dig at the Congress leader, stating that he should have told people of Wayanad in Kerala that he will contest from two seats. Anyone can contest from anywhere but Rahul Gandhi should have said before the elections that he is going to contest on two seats. I think, from a democratic point of view, it is not right to hide it. He should have told the people of Wayanad about it and then asked them to make their choice. When you see a threat in a post-poll survey, and then you come to Raebaerli, I think it is not correct, he said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Uttar Pradesh paves the way for the country and BJP will face its heaviest defeat here. INDIA Alliance and Akhilesh Yadav are going to win here. I give it to you in writing, a storm of INDIA Alliance is coming to Uttar Pradesh. I give it to you in writing, BJP is going to face its biggest defeat in the country, here in Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi said. Uttar Pradesh has made up its mind that a change has to set in here, that a change has to set in in India and that is why the decision has been made. The public has made up its mind, he added. Amethi Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma, also the Gandhi family's close aide has been fielded against Smriti Irani in Amethi. Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma has expressed confidence in winning the polls.Not contesting to lose. I have faith in the alliance, Sharma said in an interview with ANI. He said that the Amethi constituency was developed by the Gandhi family and urged voters to vote for the INDIA bloc based on their development work.The Gandhi family developed this constituency. Vote for us based on our development work and our (the Gandhi family's) legacy. Vote for them (BJP) for development work they have done, he said. Kishori Lal Sharma, a close associate and loyalist of the Gandhi family, is originally from Punjab's Ludhiana. He has been working for the Congress Party in Amethi for years. BJP candidate Smriti Irani said that people in the constituency have understood that development is possible when the leader has good character and the government has clarity in its policies. The people of Amethi have accepted me as their family. I am a voter in Amethi now. The people have understood that if the government is clear with its policy and the leader has good character, then a lot of development is possible in very little time, Smriti Irani told ANI here on Monday. The Amethi seat has been represented by Rahul since 2004, and he remained a member of Parliament from the constituency until 2019. His father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, too, was an elected member of Amethi in the Lower House from 1981 till his death in 1991. Sonia Gandhi contested elections from there in 1999 before passing the baton on to Rahul in 2004. Lucknow Defence Minister and BJP candidate Rajnath Singh will face Samajwadi Party candidate Ravidas Mehrotra in this seat. Rajnath Singh will be aiming for a third straight win in Lucknow. Rajnath Singh in 2019 had defeated Samajwadi Party Poonam Shatrughan Sinha with over 6.3 lakh votes. He had defeated Congress candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi by a margin of 2,72,749 votes in 2014. Rajnath Singh said that he tried to fulfil the dreams of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and left no stone unturned for the city's development. We have diligently worked towards realising Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji's vision for Lucknow, and we remain committed to advancing it further in the future. Lucknow currently ranks tenth globally, and we aim to elevate it to the fifth position, Singh said. Mumbai North The BJP has fielded Union Minister Piyush Goyal against Congress' Bhushan Patil from the Mumbai North seat. Union Minister and BJP candidate from Mumbai North, Piyush Goyal expressed confidence in the party's victory.I have faith in the work done under PM Modi's 10 years of governance. The public has made up its mind to give 400+ seats to PM Modi and the Mumbai North parliamentary seat will be won with a record margin, Goyal said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gopal Shetty from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Lok Sabha seat, defeating Congress actor-politician Urmila Matondkar by over 4.65 lakh votes. There were 16.47 lakh eligible voters in the 2019 elections from this constituency. Congress candidate Bhushan Patil said that him being a local will benefit his constituency. There are a lot of issues which need to be solved in my constituency. Piyush Goyal is a high-profile personality and meeting him is a bit difficult for common people I am local and connected to the people of the area, which will be a beneficial thing for me, he said. Mumbai North Central In a bid to retain the sitting seat, the BJP has fielded 26/11 special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, replacing two-time MP Poonam Mahajan against Congress' Varsha Gaikwad from Maharashtra's Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat. Varsha Gaikwad is currently serving as Dharavi MLA. Nikam, a senior Public Prosecutor, has appeared for the government in several high-profile cases, including the 26/11 Mumbai attack case. On his candidature, Nikam called it an important step in his life. For the common masses, Prime Minister Modi has worked a lot. He has increased the prestige of the country around the globe and he wants to contribute to his vision. No one can call our nation a banana country. I am not in politics for any gain. I have fought against organised crime, I have never fought from the accused side ever. A post as public prosecutor was not even well known in those days. I am glad I could put a stamp on it, Ujjwal Nikam told ANI during one of his campaigns. Kaiserganj After dropping sitting MP Brij Bhushan Singh from the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat and going with his son Karan Bhushan Singh, the move from the Bharatiya Janata Party retains the seat's contest within the family, highlighting the influence of the six-time Member of Parliament. The 67-year-old BJP's strong man was not given a ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as the former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief has been accused of sexual harassment by six women wrestlers, who had protested against him for a long period last year. Earlier this month, a Delhi court ordered that charges be levied against him. Brij Bhushan Singh's son Karan Bhushan Singh is in the electoral fray against the Samajwadi Party's candidate Ram Bhagat Mishra, the elder brother of Shravasti zila panchayat president and former BJP MP from Shravasti, Daddan Mishra, while Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded Narendra Pandey. Karan, Singh's younger son, will look to keep the family's hold on the seat tight, with his father Brij Bhushan having won from there six times, while his mother Ketaki was also a former MP from Gonda. Brij Bhushan's elder son, Prateek, was also an MLA from Gonda twice. In the 2019 election, Brij Bhusan Singh got 5,81,358 votes, beating BSP candidate 3,19,757. Hajipur LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan is aiming to carry forward father Ram Vilas Paswan's legacy. He is pitted against RJD's Shiv Chandra Ram. From 1977 to 2014, the seat was won eight times by Ram Vilas Paswan, who lost only twice, in 1984 and 2009. Chirag's decision to shift his constituency from Jamui to Hajipur, which has been a stronghold for the LJP, is aimed at asserting his position as the political heir to his father. In the 2019 elections, LJP candidate and Chirag Paswan's uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras emerged victorious, securing the seat for the first time, defeating RJD's Shiv Chandra Ram with a margin of 2,05,449 votes. Saran Rohini Acharya, the daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, is contesting against BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy. BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy recorded resounding wins against Lalu Prasad's kin in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In 2014, he defeated former CM Rabri Devi, wife of Lalu Yadav, from Saran. In the 2019 polls, he trounced Chandrika Rai, the father-in-law of Lalu's son Tej Pratap Yadav. Dismissing the Opposition claims, the BJP's Saran Lok Sabha candidate and former Union Minister, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, said the electoral outcome in Bihar was a foregone conclusion as his party was well on course to win all 40 seats in the state. As far as I can see, there is no election in Bihar as we are well on the way to winning all 40 seats in the state and are also confident of sailing past 400 seats across the country, he said. Meanwhile, RJD leader Rohini Acharya has criticised BJP's manifesto saying the issue of employment has disappeared from it. They should raise the issues of the people. The issue of employment has disappeared from the BJP's manifesto. They are only targeting Lalu Prasad's family, she said. Baramulla National Conference (NC) leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah is pitted against Sajad Lone of the Peoples Conference (PC) and Mir Mohammad Fayaz of Peoples Democratic Party. People's Conference President Sajad Lone slammed the National Conference leader, Omar Abdullah, and urged the people of Kashmir to stop him from humiliating the region by defeating him from the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat. Lone said, Let him stop humiliating the people of Kashmir. I am 100 per cent sure that for all this humiliation, he will get a gift on the result day. If there has been a saffron debut, then it was for Omar Abdullah. He was a minister whose party had passed an autonomy resolution that the Vajpayee government rejected in Parliament and he still stayed as a minister for two years. (ANI)

EC issues notices to West Bengal BJP chief over advertisements 'targeting' TMC

EC issues notices to West Bengal BJP chief over advertisements 'targeting' TMC The Election Commission (EC) issued two separate show-cause notices to West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar on Saturday for his party allegedly issuing advertisements targeting the state's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The poll panel has sought Majumdar's explanation on why two advertisements of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should not be treated as violative of the Model Code of Conduct, which is in force for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, and its advisory to political parties. The BJP leader has been asked to respond by 5 pm on May 21. According to an English transcript provided in the notices, one advertisement is titled ''Trinamool is root cause of corruption'' while the other is titled ''Anti-Sanatan Trinamool''. The first one alleged that West Bengal has become a cradle of corruption due to the state government. The other one, besides raising other issues, alleged that the Ram temple in Ayodhya is considered ''unholy'' in ''this state''. The TMC had approached the EC against the advertisements, dubbing those as ''misleading''. While issuing the notices, the poll watchdog reminded Majumdar about the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct, which deals with criticism based on unverified allegations, and its recent advisory to political parties that says unverified and misleading advertisements should not be published in the media.

'Resolve the issue amicably or else we'll intervene,' SC tells WB govt, governor on row over appointment of VCs

NEW DELHI: As the ongoing row between the West Bengal government and Governor C V Ananda Bose came knocking at its doors, the Supreme Court warned both the parties to resolve the issue relating to appointing VCs amicably between them, or else the court would have to intervene. Please try to resolve your (State Government VS Governor) differences, amicably, in appointing VCs, else, we will come in picture and appoint, a two-judge bench of the top court led by Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justice KV Vishwanathan said. The apex court made these remarks, after hearing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the State govt challenging the June 2023 judgment of the Calcutta High Court upholding the interim vice-chancellor appointments made by the State Governor, in 13 universities, in his capacity as the chancellor of the institutions. The Supreme Court on April 17 had directed West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, who is also the chancellor of state-run universities, to appoint six suitable persons as vice-chancellors from a list of candidates provided by the state government within a period of 7 days. The Attorney General (AG) R Venkataramani, the top law officer of the Union of India (UOI) appearing for the chancellor, in one of its hearings in the apex court had submitted to it that he has approved six names from the list sent by the TMC's Mamata Banerjee government. But so far, the entire appointment process in the state Universities have not fructified fully. During the hearing on Friday, the top court was informed that the State Government had given a list of fifteen candidates for appointment as VCs for fifteen universities. However, the Chancellor found seven persons out of this list to be unsuitable, and the rest were not considered. The top court had also indicated that if an amicable solution to the tussle between the parties was not reached soon in the matter, then the bench might consider in setting up a search committee to shortlist candidates for appointment as vice-chancellors in the remaining state-run universities.

Fire breaks out in Gurugram slum, 65 shanties gutted

Fire breaks out in Gurugram slum, 65 shanties gutted About 65 shanties were gutted after a major fire broke out in local slum cluster in sector 65 here on Saturday, a fire official said. Initial investigations have revealed the cause of the fire was a cooking gas leakage, the official said. According to police, a fire broke out in the sector 65 area around 10 am. Five fire engines were immediately pressed into the service, they said, adding that the blaze was brought under control but 65 shanties were gutted. There were no casualties or burn injuries reported, the police said. After receiving the information, DCP South Siddhant Jain and his team reached the spot and evacuated many people, including small children, from the shanties. A senior police officer said these shanties were built by three persons -- Ombir, Shyambir and Sagar, residents of Ramgarh village -- who later handed them over to contractor Hamid, a native of West Bengal. Hamid used to rent out these shanties to migrants, charging Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 per month, the officer said. ''During investigations, it was revealed that this entire construction was done illegally and no safety norms were followed. This incident happened due to the negligence of these people and an FIR has been registered against these four individuals under the relevant sections of the IPC at sector 65 police station,'' DCP Jain said. Two weeks back, 300 huts in sector 54 were also gutted in a similar incident.

Poll Body Notices To Bengal BJP Chief Over Misleading Ads Targeting Trinamool

The Election Commission on Saturday issued two separate show-cause notices to West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar for misleading advertisements targeting the state's ruling TMC.

EC censures TMC's Humayun Kabir for threatening rivals, voters

EC censures TMC's Humayun Kabir for threatening rivals, voters The Election Commission on Saturday censured TMC leader Humayun Kabir for allegedly threatening voters and rival party workers through statements based on religious lines. Responding to a show-cause notice issued to him on the matter, Kabir had defended himself and said his remarks were deliberately taken in isolation to make it seem as a threat and a violation of the model code of conduct. While delivering a speech in the Kazipara area of West Bengal's Murshidabad district, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader had threatened the voters and the workers of rival parties and the Election Commission believed that his remarks sought to create religious divide. According to the English transcript provided by the Election Commission, Kabir had said, ''If you think that 30 per cent people reside in Murshidabad and you constitute the 70 per cent if you think as you constitute the major chunk of the population in Kamnagar, so you are entitled to demolish the mosque in Kajipara and the Muslim brethren in the rest of the area will sit idle, you are mistaken. I am warning the BJP that it wont happen ever.'' The poll panel reminded the TMC legislator of the poll code provision, which states that no party or candidate will indulge in any activity that may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic. The poll authority said it is convinced that he made the statement and thus violated the provisions of the model code of conduct. Dubbing his remarks as misconduct, the commission ''strongly condemned'' and censured him.

INDIA bloc betting big on Maharashtra, Kharge and Pawar predict 46-seat tally

MUMBAI: A confident Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge declared on Saturday that the INDIA alliance is poised to secure 46 out of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Thirteen seats in the state, including six in Mumbai, are scheduled for polling In the upcoming fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. Kharge was addressing a press conference alongside his Maha Vikas Aghadi partners, former Union Minister and NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar and former Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray. Looking at the current hawa (wind), we will win 46 of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, said Kharge. LS Polls: Clash of surprise picks in Mumbai North Central Sharad Pawar, who had previously estimated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi would secure 30 to 35 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, endorsed Kharge's revised projection of 46 seats, citing the improved political landscape in the state. Kharge also asserted that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would join the INDIA alliance. He noted Banerjee's transition from offering external support to expressing intent to actively participate in the government. Regarding policy proposals, Kharge pledged to fill 30 lakh government vacancies, provide social security for gig workers, and offer vocational training for urban youth akin to the MNREGA program for rural labourers. We will train the urban youth and give them work like we did through MNREGA for rural workers. We will give Rs l lakh as stipend for these workers besides Rs 25 lakh insurance. We will also remove the GST on the agriculture equipment like tractors, and fertilizers, Kharge reiterated. Uddhav faces tough test in old Maharashtra bastion Kharge also took aim at Prime Minister Modi's recent remarks, urging him to be consistent and clear in his messaging. He highlighted the PM's contradictory statements linking the Congress manifesto to disparate groups. I urge Modi to adhere to a coherent agenda and ensure clarity in his communications, the Congress President said. Ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray, meanwhile, predicted the imminent downfall of the ruling NDA coalition post-June 4 , heralding the advent of eal acche din or good days. He pledged to restore Mumbai's glory, which he claimed had been tarnished by the BJP-led government's relocation of projects and institutions. Responding to allegations of being a duplicate Shiv Sena, Thackeray retorted that instead BJP will soon be labeled a duplicate RSS.

Massive protests erupt in West Bengals Dhupguri after 4 Hindu temples vandalised, idols broken on the same night

On Friday night (17th May) unknown miscreants ransacked 4 Hindu temples and vandalised idols in Kholai gram, Dhupguri of Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal

Phase 5 Lok Sabha polls: Campaigning concludes; focus on high-profile seats

Polling will be held in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, J-K, and Ladakh on Monday.

EC issues notices to BJP's West Bengal chief Sukanta Majumdar over ads targeting TMC

The Election Commission on Saturday issued two separate show-cause notices to West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar for misleading advertisements targeting the state's ruling TMC. The poll watchdog has sought his response as to why the two advertisements should not be treated as violative of the model code of conduct and its advisory to political parties.

Man falls ill at rally, Mamata stops speech to order medical treatment

Man falls ill at rally, Mamata stops speech to order medical treatment West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered immediate arrangement of medical treatment for a person who fell ill during her speech at an election rally in Bankura district on a hot Saturday afternoon. While addressing the gathering, the TMC supremo found someone collapsing to the ground in front rows and fainting. She stopped her speech midway and told party workers: Sprinkle water on his face, make an ambulance ready to rush him to a nearby hospital. Banerjee waited patiently while he was being attended to. As the ailing person regained composure and was back on his feet, she directed that he be taken to his residence in an ambulance. Such oppressive heat, it is obvious someone could fall sick in such hot and humid conditions. Please ensure he is checked by a doctor, Banerjee asked health department officials and trauma care personnel present there. Banerjee then resumed her speech.

Northeast braces for downpours, IMD issues orange alert for Assam & Meghalaya

Guwahati: Northeast India braces for a week of wet weather as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts widespread rainfall across the region. While light to moderate showers are expected across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, some areas will see significantly heavier downpours, Weather Channel [] The post Northeast braces for downpours, IMD issues orange alert for Assam & Meghalaya appeared first on NORTHEAST NOW .

Fifth phase: Campaigning ends for 49 seats; Amethi, Rae Bareli, Baramullah in limelight; WB sees highest security deployment

Fifth phase: Campaigning ends for 49 seats; Amethi, Rae Bareli, Baramullah in limelight; WB sees highest security deployment Campaigning concluded on Saturday for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls covering 49 constituencies in six states and two UTs including the high-profile Rae Bareli and Amethi seats from where former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister Smriti Irani are in the fray respectively. In Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla, former chief minister Omar Abdullah, who is among 22 candidates in the fray, held a roadshow in Soibugh - a central Kashmir village that was once a hotbed of militancy- on the last day of campaigning. While temperatures soared across the country, there was no let up in the campaign heat as the Lok Sabha election season entered the last fortnight. The Election Commission on Tuesday said it expects star campaigners, particularly of the national parties, to lead by example in the remaining three phases of the Lok Sabha polls and not vitiate the delicate fabric of society. With over 40 of these seats with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Prime Minister Narendra and other BJP leaders tried to fend off the challenge posed by the INDIA bloc parties by raising the pitch on issues of appeasement, dynastic politics, Ram temple, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), corruption and welfare initiatives taken by his government. ''If the SP and the Congress come to power, they will send Ram Lalla back to the tent and bulldoze the temple,'' Modi claimed. He also alleged that the opposition wanted to bring back Article 370. The Congress and other INDIA bloc parties accused the BJP of polarising voters with its ''Hindu-Muslim politics'', and not focusing on issues like unemployment and inflation. They also persisted with their offensive on the issues of reservations and protecting the Constitution. On Monday, polling will be held in 13 seats in Maharashtra, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, seven in West Bengal, five in Bihar, three in Jharkhand, five in Odisha and one each in J-K and Ladakh. This round covers the least number of seats (49) in the seven-phase election. The parties also wrapped up canvassing in 35 assembly constituencies in Odisha, where BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is among the candidates. Among other prominent candidates in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls are several Union ministers including Rajnath Singh (Lucknow, UP), Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North, Maharashtra), Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (from Fatehpur, UP) and Shantanu Thakur (Bangaon, WB); LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan (Hajipur, Bihar), Shiv Senas Shrikant Shinde (Kalyan, Maharashtra ), and BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy and RJD president Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya (both Saran, Bihar). Gandhi, who has contested from Wayanad in Kerala, is also in the fight for Rae Bareli, a Nehru-Gandhi family pocket borough that was represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi since 2004. The BJP has fielded UP minister Dinesh Pratap Singh. On Friday, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi tried to strike an emotional chord as she said at a rally that she is giving her son to the people of Rae Bareli and ''Rahul will not disappoint you''. ''My everything is all given by you. So, brothers and sisters, I am giving you my son'' said Sonia Gandhi, as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stood by her side on the stage at the rally. Speaking before his mother, Rahul Gandhi said the ''youth across the country have made up their mind that they don't want Narendra Modi''. ''Narendra Modi will not remain prime minister after June 4 and the INDIA coalition government will be forme,'' he said. In Amethi, Union minister Smriti Irani, who had defeated Rahul Gandhi in 2019, is seeking a second term, while KL Sharma, an aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded by the Congress. From Lucknow, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is eyeing a fourth term. He is up against sitting SP MLA (from Lucknow Central) Ravidas Mehrotra. During a rally in Lucknow, Singh said, ''These elections are also to see who has raised the country's stature in the world.'' In the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which covers the temple town of Ayodhya, the electoral contest is mainly between sitting BJP MP Lallu Singh, who is seeking a hat-trick, and Awadhesh Prasad, the SP MLA from Milkipur (SC) assembly constituency in Ayodhya. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on May 15 announced that if the INDIA bloc is voted to power, it will double the quantity of free rations provided by the BJP government to the poor. Farmers' loans will be waived and Minimum Support Price will be guaranteed, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Tuesday. In Baramulla, besides Abdullah, former separatist Sajad Lone, former MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias 'Engineer Rashid', who is currently lodged in the Tihar jail, and the PDP's former Rajya Sabha member Fayaz Ahmad Mir are also contesting. With the separatist-sponsored boycott politics a thing of past now, the people are expected to participate in the elections in large numbers to chose their favourite. Political parties fielded their stalwarts as they gave the last push in Maharashtra where elections will conclude with polling in 13 constituencies in North Maharashtra and Mumbai Metropolitan Region on May 20. Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday addressed campaign rallies in Kalyan and Dindori in support of the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP Mahayuti coalitions candidates and also held a roadshow in northeast Mumbai. Modi was again back in Mumbai on Friday for a rally in the citys Shivaji Park. Opposition bloc INDIA also held a rally the same day at the city's Bandra Kurla Complex that was attended by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal. On the concluding day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held public meetings at Malegaon in Nashik district and Palghar to canvass for Mahayuti candidates. Security has been stepped up in West Bengal's seven constituencies, with over 57 per cent of the polling stations identified as sensitive in the fifth phase, the highest till now in this election. Over 60,000 personnel of central forces, besides around 30,000 personnel of the state police, have been deployed, which is more than in the four previous phases in the state, an official said. Star campaigners, including Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and her nephew and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, have held rallies for their respective party candidates. In Barrackpore, BJP candidate Arjun Singh is contesting against TMC's Partha Bhowmick and CPI (M)'s Debdut Ghosh. In Serampore, TMC's sitting MP Kalyan Banerjee is fighting against BJP's Kabir Shankar Bose. In Hooghly, actor-turned-politician Locket Chatterjee of the BJP is contesting against a fellow member of the film fraternity, Rachana Banerjee of the TMC. Voting will take place in Saran, Muzaffarpur, Hajipur, Sitamarhi and Madhubani Lok Sabha seats of Bihar. In Saran, former Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy's bid to score a hat-trick has been challenged by RJD president Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya, who had donated her kidney to her father. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, who has suffered a back injury, campaigned for his elder sister in Saran. The curtains also came down on Saturday over campaigning for three Lok Sabha seats and Gandey assembly by-poll in Jharkhand. With the conclusion of Phase 4, polling for general elections had crossed the halfway mark as it was completed in 23 states/UTs and 379 Lok Sabha constituencies out of 543. The sixth and seventh phases are on May 25 and June 1 respectively. The counting of votes is on June 4.

Poll Body Notices To Bengal BJP Chief Over Ads Targeting Trinamool

The Election Commission on Saturday issued two separate show-cause notices to West Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar for misleading advertisements targeting the state's ruling TMC.

Doctor's advice to cope with heatwave: Cover body parts while going out, keep yourself hydrated

Doctor's advice to cope with heatwave: Cover body parts while going out, keep yourself hydrated Amidst increasing mercury, Dr Deepak Maheshwari, Principal of SMS Medical College, has shared tips on how to protect oneself from heatwaves and rising temperatures, emphasising covering the body parts and staying hydrated. Speaking with ANI, Dr Deepak Maheshwari said, In such situation, small kids, old people, and those suffering from respiratory, cardiac or any other chronic issues are quite vulnerable. Hence, I would request everyone, common and vulnerable people to not go outside in extreme sunlight, unless and until it is necessary. He added further, If you want to go, then cover as much part of your body, wear full-sleeved clothes, white colour clothes, and caps. Stressing the importance of hydration, Dr Maheshwari said, Keeping your body hydrated will solve half of the problems... It is extremely important to keep yourself hydrated... Earlier in the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast a heatwave and a severe heatwave condition across vast swathes of North India, including several parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, between May 17 and 21. The premier weather forecasting agency said heatwave conditions were likely to prevail in parts of Uttar Pradesh from May 17-21; in isolated pockets of Gujarat between May 17 and 21; Bihar from May 17-20; Jharkhand between May 19 and 20; and north Madhya Pradesh from May 18-21; Gangetic West Bengal between May 18 and 20; and Odisha on May 20 and 21. While a red alert for severe heatwave was issued for west Rajasthan, an Orange alert was also out for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, East Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat. A yellow alert for a heatwave-like condition was issued as well for Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha. Rajasthan's Barmer recorded a maximum temperature of 46.5C on Friday, while Delhi's Ayanagar logged 46.2C. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh recorded 44.9C while Gujarat's Surendranagar and Punjab's Patiala logged 44.7C and 44.4C respectively. An area is considered to be in the grip of a heatwave if the maximum temperature at a weather station reaches at least 40C and at least 30C or more for hilly regions. (ANI)

Anti-Trinamool stand to keep Congress relevant in Bengal: Adhir Chowdhury

Kolkata : West Bengal Congress President and five-time Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said...

Nadda rejects opposition claims, says BJP will retain North in LS polls and will be ahead of Congress in South

Nadda rejects opposition claims, says BJP will retain North in LS polls and will be ahead of Congress in South BJP president JP Nadda has hit out over south mein saaf and north mein haaf' jibe at the party by some opposition parties and asserted that the BJP will retain its Lok Sabha seats in north India while having a lead over Congress in the southern states. In an interview with ANI, Nadda expressed confidence of the BJP winning the Odisha assembly polls and also forming a government in Andhra Pradesh with its allies. He said the BJP will sweep Lok Sabha polls in Odisha and will achieve a landslide victory with its allies in parliamentary polls in Andhra Pradesh. The BJP is in alliance with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP) in Andhra Pradesh. Nadda said the BJP will sweep the northern parts of the country in Lok Sabha polls as it did in the 2019 elections. We are keeping ourselves intact in the North and will retain (tally in) Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal, Jammu, Haryana, and Delhi, Nadda said. In Andhra Pradesh, we are going to form a government and in the parliamentary election, BJP and TDP are going to sweep. In Telangana, we are getting more than double (of the seats won last time), and in Tamil Nadu also we are getting a good start. We are also opening our account in Kerala and will maintain our seat share in Karnataka, Nadda. The BJP had done very well in Karnataka in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and won 25 of 28 seats. Asked if BJP will retain an equal number of seats, Nadda said they would get 25 and plus, minus one seat might happen. That's why in the South as well, we will have a lead over Congress in the tally. And in East as well we will maintain our tally Nadda said. Leaders of Congress and some other opposition parties have taken south mein saaf and north mein haaf' (wiped out in the south, half in the north) jibes at BJP, claiming that the party will not perform well in the Lok Sabha polls. Asked if Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is allergic to him and Home Minister Amit Shah, Nadda said she has sensed that Bengal is getting out of her hands. She is allergic to everyone, this time Mamataji has sensed that Bengal is getting out of her hands. We will win a good number of seats in Bengal. They (TMC) will be in a minority, we will have a majority, Nadda said. We will form government in Odisha and BJP will have a landslide victory in the parliamentary election, Nadda said in response to a question. Asked about BJD leader VK Pandian's remarks that BJP does not have a CM face against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Nadda said the party did not have a CM face in states such as Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and emerged victorious in assembly polls. We did not have in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and in Chhattisgarh, he said, adding that the party did not take long to decide its CM candidates after victory in assembly polls. On poll-related violence in West Bengal, Nadda said law and order is a state subject. We (the centre) can support them but Mamata Banerjee's intentions are not clear. Her intention is dubious. He slammed the West Bengal CM over the Sandeshkhali violence and accused her of being silent. She was silent on the case of Sheikh Shahjahan, the High Court had to give the inquiry to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Women were shouting and you even didn't bother, he said. Asked about the allegations of Mamata Banerjee that the Sandeshkhali incident was a conspiracy of the BJP, Nadda said, Dishonest administrator, dishonest politician. If I'm the CM and a case like this comes to me, I'll say that I'll investigate into this. I'll go into the details of it. Why was she quiet at first and later she blamed the BJP. She compromised with the nation for a vote bank. TMC is providing shelter to infiltrators and giving them ID cards and ration cards, making them voters, this is anti-national activitiy They also give protection to such people, Nadda added. BJP President further accused Mamata Banerjee of spreading misinformation regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act. She is spreading misinformation about CAA. She's doing anti-national things. CAA will not be given to someone who is coming from outside. Doesn't Mamata understand this, is she so illiterate? No. She understands everything. But she is trying to misguide the innocent people. (ANI)

BJP Uses Photo Of Singapore Metro On Poster Hailing PM Narendra Modis Contribution In Developing Metro Connectivity

Claim BJP West Bengal tweets out a poster hailing PM Narendra Modi for his contribution towards developing Indias Metro rail network, using a photo of an elevated Metro line. The archived version of the tweet can be seenhere. Fact Newschecker noticed that multiple users in the comments had pointed out that the photo used in []

West Bengal Gears Up for Fifth Phase of Lok Sabha Elections with Heavy Security

West Bengal Gears Up for Fifth Phase of Lok Sabha Elections with Heavy Security Campaigning for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections to seven parliamentary constituencies in West Bengal ended at 6 pm on Saturday, a poll official said. Voting will be held in Bangaon, Barrackpore, Howrah, Uluberia, Serampore, Hooghly and Arambag Lok Sabha seats on Monday from 7 am till 6 pm. A total of 1.25 crore voters, including 63.51 lakh men, 61.72 lakh women and 348 persons of the third gender, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 13,481 polling stations. The poll body has identified over 57 per cent of the polling stations as sensitive and decided to deploy over 60,000 personnel of central forces, besides around 30,000 personnel of the state police, he said. The number of security forces deployed for this phase is higher than any of the four earlier phases in the state. Also, the percentage of polling stations identified as sensitive is much higher than the corresponding figure of 23.5 per cent in the fourth phase, he said. A total of 88 candidates are in the fray in the fifth phase, with the highest of 15 in Bangaon, where Union minister Shantanu Thakur is contesting against TMC's Biswajit Das for the second term. In Barrackpore, BJP candidate Arjun Singh is contesting against TMC's Partha Bhowmick and CPI (M)'s Debdut Ghosh. A total of 14 candidates are in the fray in Howrah, where TMC's Prasun Banerjee is fighting against BJP's Rantidev Sengupta. In neighbouring Uluberia, TMC's Sajda Ahmed is contesting against BJP's Arun Uday Pal Chaudhary and Congress's Azahar Mollick. In Serampore, TMC's sitting MP Kalyan Banerjee is fighting against BJP's Kabir Shankar Bose. In Hooghly, actor-turned-politician Locket Chatterjee of the BJP has locked horns with fellow member of the film fraternity, Rachana Banerjee of the TMC. Star campaigners, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and her nephew and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, have held rallies for their respective party candidates.

BJP-led NDA govt at Centre will expire soon: TMC's Abhishek

KOLKATA: Asserting that electors of the country will teach a lesson to the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday claimed that the term of the saffron party-led NDA government at the Centre will expire soon. Addressing a rally in Kultali in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district in support of Trinamool Congress candidate from Jaynagar Pratima Mandal, Banerjee blamed the BJP for making the lives of poor people miserable. A right lesson has to be taught to the BJP which always makes empty promises. The saffron party has stopped making payments to West Bengal under various central schemes like 100-day work and housing programmes, he said. Banerjee, also the nephew of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, said the central government every year takes away Rs 1.20 lakh crore from West Bengal and the state owes Rs 1.65 lakh crore from the Centre on account of various schemes. He also claimed that though the Centre is ot making payments under various schemes, the West Bengal government is meeting up all these monetary dues of the poor from its exchequer. The TMC has accused the BJP-led NDA government of withholding dues to Bengal under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Gramin Awas Yojana. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 aims at enhancing the livelihood security of households in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year. The time has come to secure the basic rights of the people, Banerjee said. The state government, through various social welfare schemes like the Laskhmir Bhandar, is making efforts to help the people of West Bengal financially, he said. 'Lakhir Bhandar' is a popular welfare scheme of the TMC government, which provides a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for general-category women and Rs 1,200 for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women in the state. The Trinamool Congress MP also alleged that under the present dispensation at the Centre, the poor are becoming poorer and the rich getting richer. The term of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre will expire soon, which will be evident once the Lok Sabha election results are out on June 4. He claimed that the INDIA bloc will form the government and that the Trinamool Congress will play a decisive role, he claimed. He also accused the saffron camp of orchestrating a conspiracy to defame the women of Sandeshkhali by paying them to make false rape allegations. Also see, how Tamluk BJP candidate Abhijit Gangopadhay had made obnoxious comments against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The BJP should be thrown away into the Bay of Bengal, the TMC leader said at the rally. A purported video in which BJP nominee and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay was heard wondering about the amount at which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is getting sold, triggered a row with the TMC labelling it as BJP's guarantee of disrespecting women, while the saffron party raised doubts about the clip's authenticity. PTI, however, couldn't verify the authenticity of the video. Banerjee said that the BJP always delves into divisive politics and is ot bothered about social and economic uplift of the poor.

Assam: Bus crashes onto highway divider in Kokrajhar, 18 injured

Guwahati:At least 18 peoplewere injuredafter a bus they were travelling in met with an accident inKokrajhar, AssamonSaturday. A police sourceinformed thatthe bus (AS01PC5625) as heading to Guwahati from Alipurduar in West Bengal. Itwasnot knownhow the accident took placebutthe police said that the driver may have dosed off due to tiredness and crashed onto a divider [] The post Assam: Bus crashes onto highway divider in Kokrajhar, 18 injured appeared first on NORTHEAST NOW .

West Bengal: Three Hindu temples desecrated in Dinajpur, BJP slams Trinamool Congress

This violent act is a direct consequence of TMCs relentless appeasement politics, which perpetually endangers the Hindu community, tweeted BJP Bengal.

'Mamata Will Never Be PM': TMC Turncoat Tapas Roy Tells News18 He Will Snatch Kolkata Uttar Seat for BJP from Trinamool's 5-time MP

The BJP candidate denied TMC allegations that he recently switched parties because he was on the Enforcement Directorate's radar. He also said that Kolkata Uttar incumbent MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay has never done anything for West Bengal and thats why he will win the seat for the BJP by more than 1 lakh votes

Back to fold? Trinamool is with INDIA bloc at national level, says Mamata Banerjee

Days after saying that the Trinamool Congress would extend outside support to the INDIA bloc if it is elected to power at the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday gave a subtle hint about Trinamool's participation in a new government by them in Delhi.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall to continue over south Peninsular India till May 23: IMD

Heavy to very heavy rainfall to continue over south Peninsular India till May 23: IMD Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to continue over south Peninsular India till May 23 with extremely heavy falls during May 19-21, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Southwest Monsoon is very likely to advance into the South Andaman Sea, some parts of Southeast Bay of Bengal and Nicobar Islands around May 19, the IMD said. It further said that a cyclonic circulation lies over south interior Tamil Nadu and neighbourhood in low and mid-tropospheric levels. A trough runs from south Chhattisgarh to South Interior Karnataka and another trough runs from Marathwada to a cyclonic circulation over south interior Tamil Nadu in lower tropospheric levels. As per the IMD, under the influence of the cyclonic circulation, fairly widespread to widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (40-50 kmph) is likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe, Lakshadweep, south Karnataka and Isolated to scattered light/moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning & gusty winds (30-40 kmph) over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Telangana and Rayalaseema during next 7 days. The IMD has also predicted isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Coastal Karnataka from May 19-22, South Interior Karnataka from May 21-22, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema on May 18 and Lakshadweep from May 18-21. Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe on May 18 and 22 and South Interior Karnataka during May 18-20. Isolated extremely heavy rainfall also very likely over Tamil Nadu and Kerala during May 19-21, it added. Isolated light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds is very likely over Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Madhya Pradesh on May 18 and 19. Further, according to an IMD release, a cyclonic circulation lies over northeast Assam and the neighbourhood in lower tropospheric levels. The IMD said that under the influence of the cyclonic circulation, scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds very likely over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during the next seven days. Isolated heavy rainfall likely over Sikkim during May 18-20, Arunachal Pradesh on May 18-19, Assam and Meghalaya during May 18-20, Nagaland, Manipur on May 18. Isolated very heavy rainfall also likely over Meghalaya on May 19 and 20, it said. The IMD also said strong surface winds very likely to prevail in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during the next five days. (ANI)

NEET Exam Fraud: Four Arrested in Paper Solver Scam

NEET Exam Fraud: Four Arrested in Paper Solver Scam Four people including two MBBS students were arrested for allegedly running a paper solver gang for NEET exams here, police said on Saturday. The matter came to the fore on May 5 when a student's biometric data was mismatched during the NEET exam at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan Mehta Vidyalaya located in Tilak Marg area, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said the two proxy students Sumit Mandoliya and Krishan Kesarwani, were caught from the centre. Given the seriousness of the offence, the case was transferred to the Special Staff of New Delhi District and a dedicated team led by Inspector Sanjay Kumar Gupta was formed to conduct the investigations, the DCP said. During sustained interrogation, Sumit Mandoliya and Krishan Kesarwani, both MBBS students, revealed the names of their handlers -- Prabhat Kumar, 27, and Kishor Lal, 37 -- who were nabbed from a hotel in Noida on Friday. The officer said Kumar and Lal are residents of Rajasthan and Bihar, respectively. The duo, who works as medical school admissions consultants, would charge the amount of Rs 20 to 25 Rs lakhs from the aspirants to provide them proxy students for the NEET exams. They would also mix the photos of the proxy and original students to create another photo digitally to paste on the form. This helped them to mislead the examiners, the officer said. Another officer said, that Mandoliya and Kesarwani, hailing from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, respectively, are MBBS students from different colleges. Mandoliya is a second-year MBBS student at a Medical College in West Bengal and Kesarwani is a first-year student of MBBS at a Medical College in Uttarakhand, he said. The police have recovered four mobile phones and one Kia Seltos car from their possession. The police said the accused were further interrogated to know their involvement in previous exams. Investigation into the matter is underway.

INDIA bloc will win LS polls, BJP will not even cross 200 seats: Mamata Banerjee

GOGHAT: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday claimed that the INDIA bloc will come to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and BJP will ot cross the 200 mark in the polls. She accused Congress, and CPI(M) of having entered into a nexus with BJP in the state to discredit the state government and asked the electorate not to vote for any non-TMC parties which will benefit the saffron camp. Addressing an election rally at Goghat under the Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency, Banerjee said I had coined the name INDIA and at the national level we the coalition partners are all working together to resist the autocratic, demonic Narendra Modi government. TMC will play its role in installing the INDIA bloc to power. See what Modi is telling now he is no more making tall '400 paar' seats by BJP. He can read the writing on the wall already. BJP will not cross even 200 tally. BJP will bite the dust, she said. Banerjee alleged that CPI(M), Congress and other Left partners in West Bengal have entered into a 'mahaghot' (unprincipled nexus) with communal, undemocratic, autocrat BJP just to discredit the ruling TMC which is only waging the war against Narendra Modi and Amit Shah in the state. The TMC supremo also slammed CPI(M) for allegedly committing mass murders at places like Goghat and Sihar during its rule and claimed only she as then opposition leader had dared to face the Marxist terror at that time braving her life. I know the true face of CPI(M) in Bengal, she added. Describing Modi and Shah as anti-Bengal, she said, his issuing advertisements in media to profess his love for the state won't cut much ice with the residents of the state who knows these BJP heavyweight leaders will never understand our ethos and sentiments. Reiterating her allegations about BJP concocting the charges of atrocities against TMC leaders on women of Sandeshkhali, she said hey made some of the poor, unsuspecting women sign on blank papers and incorporated charges of sexual misconduct in the complaint later. Be alert about BJP's sinister plan to remove some of the idols from temples (in Sandeshkhali and elsewhere) and engineer riots to get votes on polarization plank, she cautioned the voters and the security personnel. Banerjee further accused Modi of attempting to change the Indian constitution. She alleged Modi was trying to change the pluralistic values and secular ideals enshrined in the constitution and change the name of India to Bharat. This has become more pronounced since the coinage of INDIA name by us, she said. Banerjee also promised once the INDIA bloc comes to power after the general polls, measures will be initiated to scrap CAA and NRC.

Severe Heat Wave Grips Northwest India: Health and Productivity at Risk

Severe Heat Wave Grips Northwest India: Health and Productivity at Risk The extreme heat scorching large parts of northwest India will continue for another five days, with Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh predicted to bear the maximum impact. A brutal heat wave swept swathes of north India on Friday, with the maximum temperature soaring to a scorching 47.4 degrees Celsius in southwest Delhi's Najafgarh, the highest this season in the country so far. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday predicted a severe heat wave over the plains of northwest India during the next five days and a heat wave over the east and central regions during the next three days. The Met office also issued a red warning for Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and west Rajasthan, stressing the need for ''extreme care for vulnerable people''. It issued an orange alert for east Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and emphasised ''high health concern'' for vulnerable people, including infants, the elderly and those with chronic diseases. The Met office said high humidity could add to people's inconvenience in Goa and sub-Himalayan West Bengal. The IMD also said warm night conditions are likely in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and west Rajasthan over the next two-three days. High night temperatures are considered dangerous because the body doesn't get a chance to cool down. Increasing nighttime heat is more common in cities because of the urban heat island effect, in which metro areas are significantly hotter than their surroundings. In view of the general elections in India, experts have warned of an increased likelihood of heat-related illnesses in people exposed to the sun for prolonged periods or engaging in heavy work. Researchers at Climate Central, a US-based group of climate scientists, said 543 million (54.3 crore) people in India will experience at least one day of extreme heat during May 18-21. ''Human-caused climate change has made this intense heat much more likely. The high overnight temperatures make this event particularly alarming,'' said Andrew Pershing, vice-president for science at Climate Central. Heat waves can be deadly, with the elderly and children particularly at risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,66,000 (1.66 lakh) people died as a result of heat waves between 1998 and 2017. Extreme temperatures can also impact economies. People are less productive during hot weather, even if they work indoors, while children struggle to learn in extreme heat. A 2022 study said extreme heat resulted in labour productivity loss of USD 2.1 trillion equivalent in 2017. On Friday, maximum temperatures surged to 47.4 degrees Celsius in Najafgarh and 47.1 in Haryana's Sirsa. According to India Meteorological Data (IMD) data till 7:30 pm, Najafgarh was the warmest place in the country. Before this, Kalaikunda in the Gangetic West Bengal region had recorded a high of 47.2 degrees Celsius on April 30. The threshold for a heat wave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches. A severe heat wave is declared if the departure from normal exceeds 6.4 notches. April witnessed record-smashing maximum temperatures in east, northeast, and southern peninsular India, prompting health warnings from government agencies and a few states to suspend in-person classes in schools. Several places recorded their highest-ever April day temperatures, with the mercury soaring to 47 degrees Celsius. At least two people died in Kerala due to suspected heatstroke during this period. On Wednesday, a group of leading climate scientists said similar heat waves could occur once every 30 years, and these have already become about 45 times more likely due to climate change. The scientists from the World Weather Attribution group emphasised that heat waves intensified by climate change are making life much tougher for people living in poverty across Asia. The IMD had earlier warned of extreme heat in India during the April-June period, coinciding with the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections that end on June 1.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Kharge`s ULTIMATUM To Adhir Ranjan On Mamata: `One Who Doesn`t Listen, Will Have To Leave`

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had targeted that statement of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in which she had said that if the INDIA alliance forms the government, then TMC will also join the power.

Mamata Banerjee Predicts INDIA Bloc Victory in 2024 Lok Sabha

Mamata Banerjee Predicts INDIA Bloc Victory in 2024 Lok Sabha West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Saturday claimed that the INDIA bloc will come to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and BJP will ''not cross the 200 mark'' in the polls. She accused Congress, and CPI(M) of having entered into a nexus with BJP in the state to discredit the state government and asked the electorate not to vote for any non-TMC parties which will benefit the saffron camp. Addressing an election rally at Goghat under the Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency, Banerjee said ''I had coined the name INDIA and at the national level we the coalition partners are all working together to resist the autocratic, demonic Narendra Modi government. TMC will play its role in installing the INDIA bloc to power.'' ''See what Modi is telling now he is no more making tall '400 paar' seats by BJP. He can read the writing on the wall already. BJP will not cross even 200 tally. BJP will bite the dust,'' she said. Banerjee alleged that CPI(M), Congress and other Left partners in West Bengal have entered into a 'mahaghot' (unprincipled nexus) with communal, undemocratic, autocrat BJP just to discredit the ruling TMC which is only waging the war against Narendra Modi and Amit Shah in the state. The TMC supremo also slammed CPI(M) for allegedly committing mass murders at places like Goghat and Sihar during its rule and claimed only she as then opposition leader had dared to face the ''Marxist terror at that time braving her life.'' ''I know the true face of CPI(M) in Bengal,'' she added. Describing Modi and Shah as ''anti-Bengal'', she said, ''his issuing advertisements in media to profess his love for the state won't cut much ice with the residents of the state who knows these BJP heavyweight leaders will never understand our ethos and sentiments.'' Reiterating her allegations about BJP concocting the charges of atrocities against TMC leaders on women of Sandeshkhali, she said ''they made some of the poor, unsuspecting women sign on blank papers and incorporated charges of sexual misconduct in the complaint later.'' ''Be alert about BJP's sinister plan to remove some of the idols from temples (in Sandeshkhali and elsewhere) and engineer riots to get votes on polarization plank,'' she cautioned the voters and the security personnel. Banerjee further accused Modi of attempting to change the Indian constitution. She alleged Modi was trying to change the pluralistic values and secular ideals enshrined in the constitution and change the name of India to Bharat. ''This has become more pronounced since the coinage of INDIA name by us,'' she said. Banerjee also promised once the INDIA bloc comes to power after the general polls, measures will be initiated to scrap CAA and NRC.

Stifling heat in northwest India to continue for five more days

NEW DELHI: The extreme heat crippling large parts of northwest India will continue for another five days, with Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh predicted to bear the maximum impact. Swathes of north India stewed in brutal heat on Friday, with maximum temperatures soaring to a scorching 47.4 degrees Celsius in west Delhi's Najafgarh, the highest this season in the country so far. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday predicted severe heat wave over the plains of northwest India during the next five days and heat wave over east and central regions during the next three days. The Met office also issue a ed warning for Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and west Rajasthan, stressing the need for extreme care for vulnerable people. It issued an orange alert for east Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and emphasised high health concern for vulnerable people, including infants, the elderly and those with chronic diseases. In view of general elections in India, experts have warned of an increased likelihood of heat-related illnesses in people exposed to the sun for prolonged periods or engaging in heavy work. A US-based group of climate scientists called 'Climate Central' said 543 million people in India will experience at least one day of extreme heat during May 18-21. Human-caused climate change has made this intense heat much more likely. The high overnight temperatures make this event particularly alarming, Andrew Pershing, VP for science at Climate Central, said. Heatwaves can be deadly, with the elderly and children particularly at risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,66,000 people died as a result of heatwaves between 1998 and 2017. Extreme temperatures can also impact economies. People are less productive during hot weather, even if they work indoors, while children struggle to learn in extreme heat. A study in 2022 said extreme heat resulted in labor productivity loss of USD 2.1 trillion equivalent in 2017. On Friday, the maximum temperature surged to 47.4 degrees Celsius in Najafgarh and 47.1 in Haryana's Sirsa. Before this, Kalaikunda in Gangetic West Bengal had recorded a high of 47.2 degrees Celsius on April 30. The threshold for a heat wave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches. A severe heat wave is declared if the departure from normal exceeds 6.4 notches. April witnessed record-smashing maximum temperatures in east, northeast, and southern peninsular India, prompting health warnings from government agencies and a few states to suspend in-person classes in schools. Several places recorded their highest-ever April day temperatures, with the mercury soaring to 47 degrees Celsius. At least two people died in Kerala due to suspected heatstroke during this period. On Wednesday, a group of leading climate scientists said similar heat waves could occur once every 30 years, and these have already become about 45 times more likely due to climate change. The scientists from the World Weather Attribution group emphasised that heat waves intensified by climate change are making life much tougher for people living in poverty across Asia. The IMD had earlier warned of extreme heat in India during the April-June period, coinciding with the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections that end on June 1.

No One Has Right To Assault Woman: Adhir Ranjan On Swati Maliwal Case

West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has said that a strict probe must be conducted in the Swati Maliwal assault case and no one has the authority to violate any woman's rights.

Tourist from Kolkata among 2 killed as taxi falls into river in Sikkim

A tragic incident near Singtam in Sikkim resulted in a taxi plunging into the Rani river, claiming the lives of two individuals, including Rabindra Nath Paul. The family of five tourists from Kolkata, including Tapas Paul, Krishna Paul, Mira Paul, and a four-year-old girl, sustained injuries and were hospitalized in Gangtok.

LS polls: BJP counts on CAA to retain Matua stronghold Bongaon, TMC sets hopes on former turncoat

LS polls: BJP counts on CAA to retain Matua stronghold Bongaon, TMC sets hopes on former turncoat The Centre's much-debated Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), by which members of religious minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who settled in the country as refugees after fleeing alleged persecution in their homelands, are to be given permanent Indian residency; could well tip the scales when it comes to deciding the electoral outcome in the Bongaon Lok Sabha constituency of North 24 Parganas district. Reason? The constituency is largely inhabited by the Matuas, a community of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, who came to settle in the district after fleeing alleged religious persecution on their native soil. The constituency, currently held by BJP leader and Union Minister Shantanu Thakur, is considered a Matua stronghold, with the members of the community often ending up as the arbiters of who prevails and who bites the dust. The Matuas identify themselves as Namashudras, Chamars, and Malis, claiming to be treated once as untouchables by upper-caste Hindus in undivided Bengal. The community migrated to West Bengal to escape religious persecution in the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) over decades, starting from the Partition in 1947. Wary of attempts by the ruling TMC to wrest the Matua stronghold, the BJP, which is believed to be a resurgent force in the state amid polling for the 18th Lok Sabha, has given a fresh ticket to Shantanu Thakur, a descendent of Harichand Thakur, the founder of the Matua sect. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Thakur trounced his aunt and TMC candidate Mamata Bala Thakur by a margin of 1,11,594 votes. However, the ruling party in the state won Bongaon in the 2014 polls, with the TMC's Kapil Krishna Thakur prevailing over his closest rival by a margin of 1,46,601 votes. Thakur, who holds the portfolio of Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, voiced optimism over his prospects of securing a fresh term in the Lok Sabha from Bongaon, adding that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) will give the long-desired citizenship rights to members of the Matua community. This decision has overjoyed Matua devotees across the country and West Bengal as they begin a new journey, following the battle being fought since the 20th century, the Union Minister posted from his official X handle. This after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the rules for implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), days ahead of the announcement of the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while campaigning for Shantanu earlier, accused CM Mamata of 'spreading lies' with regard to the Citizenship Amendment Act, while assuring members of the Matua community that they would get permanent residency under the CAA. Shah said that no power in the world can stop the people of the 'Matua' community from becoming bonafide Indian citizens. Mamata Banerjee is lying that those applying for citizenship under CAA will face problems. I am here to assure people from the Matua community that no one will face any trouble (applying for citizenship). You will get citizenship and will be able to carry on with dignified living. No power in the world can stop my refugee brothers and sisters from becoming Indian citizens. It is one of PM Modi's solemn guarantees to the people, the Union Home Minister said. However, Mamata, who has been a fierce critic of the Citizenship Amendment Act, described it as a 'dangerous ploy' by the BJP to push and peddle their polarising and 'divisive' agenda. The CM also questioned why the Matuas were being allegedly asked to bring their parents' certificates from Bangladesh for them to be accorded permanent Indian residency. If you love the Matuas so much, then why are you not making it (granting of citizenship under the CAA) unconditional? Why are you claiming to have empowered them? Why are you asking them to bring certificates of their mothers and fathers from Bangladesh? Mamata said while campaigning at Bangaon earlier this week. Earlier, in February, the CM accused the ruling BJP at the Centre of deactivating the Aadhar Cards of the Matuas in her state. How can they deactivate the Aadhaar cards of the Matuas? No one knows why they did it. They struck off their names just so they could be considered foreigners. After five years, the Matuas still have to stomach the insult of being called foreigners. Then they (BJP) will say that cards (attesting to their citizenship of the country) will be given to them. This is a political ploy aimed at mopping up the Matua votes, the chief minister said. The TMC has fielded Biswajit Das, a former turncoat of the ruling party who switched over to the BJP, from Bangaon. Das resigned as a BJP MLA in April and returned to the TMC fold. The switchover happened in the run-up to the 2021 assembly elections. The Congress, which is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in the state in alliance with its INDIA partner CPI(M), has fielded Pradip Biswas from Bangaon. West Bengal, which sends 42 MPs to Parliament, is voting across all seven phases of the ongoing general elections. Polling for six Lok Sabha seats in the state was held across the first three phases on April 19, April 26, and May 7. The remaining parliamentary seats will go to polls on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. The counting of votes for all phases is scheduled for June 4. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC bagged the majority of the electoral spoils in the state, winning 34 seats while the BJP had to be content with just 2 seats. The CPI (M) won 2 seats while the Congress bagged 4. However, the BJP came up with a much-improved showing in the 2019 polls, winning 18 seats against the TMC's 22. The Congress's tally dropped to just 2 seats, while the Left scored a blank. (ANI)

PM Modi provoking people, EC should take action: Mallikarjun Kharge

PM Modi provoking people, EC should take action: Mallikarjun Kharge Reacting to the charge of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that, SP, Congress will run bulldozer over Ram Temple if voted to power, Congress president Malliakarjun Kharge said that the former is provoking people and the Election Commission should take action. He also accused PM Modi of supporting the illegal Mahayuti government in Maharashtra. We have not used bulldozers to date... The Election Commission should take action against those who make instigating speeches. The Prime Minister himself is doing it. He is provoking people. After our government comes, everything will be protected as per our Constitution, we will follow the Constitution, Kharge told reporters here. He was speaking at a press conference in Mumbai. Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Sharad Pawar and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackery were also present. INDIA bloc will win 46 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. People are saying this themselves. Our alliance will win maximum seats and defeat BJP..., Kharge claimed. The Congress chief also lamented that the party symbol was aken away from the eal parties in Maharashtra, referring to Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party and given to parties supporting the BJP. The illegal 'Mahayuti' government of Maharashtra was formed on the basis of betrayal and conspiracy and the Prime Minister himself is supporting it and his rallies are also being held in Maharashtra and wherever he goes, he tries to create a rift among the people..., he alleged, adding, The party symbol was taken away from the real parties and given to the parties supporting BJP. This is the decision of the court, ECI but everything happens on the instructions of Modi ji.... PM Modi is saying that he is providing 5 kg ration to 80 crore poor. We will give 10 kg after forming the government..., he added. Speaking on the alliance between the Aam Admi Party and Congress in the National Capital for the May 20 Lok Sabha elections and the two parties' decision to go solo in Punjab, the Congress chief said, We have alliance only on 3 seats in Delhi, there is an alliance in Chandigarh, we have given them seats in Gujarat and Haryana, we will work there only. But we are fighting against each other in Punjab. This is a democracy, it is not autocracy. We will do whatever has to be done to defeat BJP, he said. The Congress also said that West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who recently announced to provide outside support to the INDIA bloc government if it is voted to power after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, is naturally with the anti-BJP front. Mamata ji, first she said that they will support from outside. Recently she has said that if the INDIA government is formed then she will join the government, so, naturally, she is with the alliance, Kharge said. Elections in 6 Lok Sabha seats of Mumbai are scheduled for Phase 5. The seats going to polls are Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South and Mumbai South Central. The other constituencies of Maharashtra that will be part of the ongoing election in the fifth phase include Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Kalyan, Palghar, Bhiwandi and Thane. Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second largest after Uttar Pradesh. Voting for the first four phases has concluded and for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls, polling is set to be held on May 20. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases running from April 19 to June 1. The counting and results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)

West Bengal will avenge injustice by BJP: Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Vows Bengal's Justice Against BJP: A Call to Action

Mamata Vows Bengal's Justice Against BJP: A Call to Action West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the state will avenge the ''injustice'' of the BJP and the ''anti-Bengalis will be washed away for sure.'' Banerjee in a post on her X handle said, ''It is a sin to block the funds earmarked for development of the poor but continue splurging money on spreading propaganda''. The TMC supremo had been vocal about alleged non-payment of Central dues to the state under various schemes like MNREGA (100 days work) and PM Awas Yojana (housing) for the last three years totalling more than Rs 1.65 lakh crore. ''Bengal will avenge this injustice by the BJP'', she said, adding ''The people of Jhargram, Ghatal and Medinipur have given a clear message --the Bishorjon of Bangla-Birodhis is certain!''.

Elephant in the Room: Political Power Plays in Bengal's Jangal Mahal

Elephant in the Room: Political Power Plays in Bengal's Jangal Mahal Sixty-something Parikala Mahato trembled in fear as she tried to recount the horrors of the attack of a stray tusker in the Nayagram-Murakata forest that borders her village Metala. Although Parikala barely managed to escape the attack, her neighbour Urmila Mahato wasn't as lucky. Urmila, crushed under the feet of the rogue pachyderm on May 15, was the latest victim of an elephant attack in the Medinipur forest range where deaths and destruction from instances of man-animal conflict continue to take place at regular intervals. ''Three of us were returning home after collecting Kendu leaves from the forest. There was a faint sound of rustling of leaves from behind. I only saw the beast from the corner of my eye, then heard Urmila's scream and ran for my life,'' Parikala said in disjointed sentences before breaking down. ''We had no idea that an elephant was roaming in the vicinity. No one told us,'' added Kalpana Mahato, the third member of the ill-fated group. Located on the edges of a forest some 22 km from Medinipur town with no metalled road in about the last five, Metala is home to a handful of Kurmi-Mahatos, a scheduled caste community who barely make ends meet from forest produce like Kendu and Sal leaves. Villagers said they would vote on May 25 when the Medinipur Lok Sabha seat goes to the polls, but had little hope about the government finding a permanent solution to their perpetual fear of elephant attacks they have to live with. Dhanapati Mahato, the victim's younger son and a daily wager, said he heard that the family would be given compensation of Rs 5 lakh, and some money by the state to conduct his mother's last rites, although he wasn't sure of it. ''I lost my mother. How can money compensate for that loss?'' he asked, stressing on the family's dire need for a government job. ''I will vote since everybody else in this village will. But, I don't think my vote will help end our woes. The circumstances here are quite hopeless. The government must find a way to restrict elephant movement from Jharkhand to this side in Bengal. Even electrical fences around human habitations are not being put up,'' he said. The villagers of Metala revealed how an elephant herd raided a neighouring settlement some months ago and destroyed huts. They grudged having perpetually remained in the blind spot of political parties who allegedly never lent an ear to their woes. ''Who should we raise our concerns with? No candidate has ever set foot in our village. Not even before the elections. We have never seen our representatives we have voted for year after year. Who will listen to our anguishes?'' Sachin Mahato, a village elder, rued. Some 7 km away in Murakata village, 40-year-old Debkumar Ghorai recounted how a bull impaled his mother, Shila Ghorai, with its horn when she had gone to the adjacent forest in the early hours of March 26 last year. ''She was alive till we took her to the hospital. But her wounds were so severe, she succumbed,'' he said, fighting his tears. Besides receiving ex gratia, Ghorai now has the casual job of a forest 'volunteer', earning Rs 12,000 a month, as part of the solatium package. A father of two school-going children who keep straying into the forest-covered neighbourhood while playing outdoors, Ghorai said that he keeps his fingers crossed against a repeat of the tragedy that struck his family. ''Not just human lives, instances of elephant herds raiding farmlands and crop godowns have also increased manifold, causing financial losses to farmers in this region,'' he said, advocating for the need to put up steel wire fences around villages to deter both humans and animals from straying into each other's territory. Rakesh Singha Dev, a primary school teacher in Salboni, said incidents of man-animal conflict in the Medinipur-Jhargram belt have shot up in recent times on account of the unbridled expansion of human footprint in forest areas and significant growth of elephant population, estimated to be at two-three times the count recorded in the last elephant census that took place in 2017. ''Unofficial estimates put human casualties on account of elephant attacks in the Jangal Mahal region at 25-30 a year,'' Dev claimed. ''The corresponding figure for the pachyderms stands at around 10, for a variety of reasons, including electrocution, poisoning and railway track accidents,'' he added. Dev explained that the forests of Jangal Mahal are ''mono-culture'' in character where only a single variety of trees like Sal and Eucalyptus grow, and largely prove to be deficient as food sources for large animals. An adult elephant requires around 1 quintal of food and some 150 litres of water daily to sustain itself, he said. ''Elephants are a highly intelligent species and have learned from survival experiences that they can make do with less food if they consume man-grown crops and vegetables which have higher nutrient value than what is available in forests. Hence, there is a greater tendency among the animals to raid farmlands and villages even if that means taking greater risks,'' he added. Deepak M, the divisional forest officer of Medinipur range, said that both human and elephant deaths have sharply reduced in West Bengal in the last five years on account of the state's twin focus on increased monitoring of herd movements inside forests and awareness campaigns among locals on how to stay away from their route. ''Currently there are some 220 elephants in the Medinipur range. We are using technology such as drone monitoring as well as local sources to keep track of the herds. Villagers are constantly alerted in the eventuality of the animals coming close to human habitats,'' he said. Asserting that ''awareness is the key'' to reducing fatalities, the DFO said that the only sustainable solution to the conflict is ''man learning to live together with the animals''.