Category Archives: West Bengal

Politics, West Bengal

TMC glare on underperformers, meeting today on accountability with eye on 2026 Assembly polls

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A source said the meeting, scheduled at 3pm at Mamata Banerjee’s residence, 30B Harish Chatterjee Street, will take place in the presence of the party’s national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee

Snehamoy Chakraborty, TT, Calcutta, 08.06.24 : Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will meet the party’s 42 Lok Sabha candidates — both victorious and vanquished — and district presidents and coordinators at her Kalighat residence on Saturday to brief them on the party’s strategies inside and outside Parliament.

A source said the meeting, scheduled at 3pm at Mamata’s residence, 30B Harish Chatterjee Street, will take place in the presence of the party’s national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee.

Abhishek has begun playing a larger role at the all-India level after the Lok Sabha polls in which Trinamool bagged 29 of the 42 parliamentary seats in Bengal.

“Apart from congratulating the new MPs and complimenting the defeated candidates for putting up a good fight, Didi and Abhishek are likely to give directions to the party leaders for the future course of action. As the party will begin preparations for the next Assembly elections without wasting time, the meeting will be very important,” said a TMC source.

A senior TMC leader said that Abhishek wants to change the existing practice of political activism by the TMC leadership only ahead of the polls.

Abhishek considers that the battle with the BJP, which has a robust election machinery, cannot be won unless a system is put in place in which Trinamool leaders remain active 24/7 through the year.

“The party wants to keep its leaders active throughout the year…. Political activities will certainly increase during the election period, but there will be no leisure window,” the leader said.

Sources in the TMC’s election management team said that the party has already taken note of the detailed poll outcome, which has revealed that it was ahead in 192 Assembly segments, which was 21 less than the actual number of Assembly seats it had bagged in the 2021 polls.

A senior TMC leader said that though the party is in a celebratory mood after the June 4 results, its leadership is not taking this statistic — the lower number of leads in Assembly segments — lightly.

Abhishek, who met with leaders in most districts before this crucial Lok Sabha election, had warned that if they failed to give a lead to the Lok Sabha nominees from their areas, they would lose their posts.

He had also mentioned in a few review meetings of the election committees that those MLAs who do not manage to give a lead from their constituency, would not be given poll tickets in the 2026 Assembly polls.

He proposed the same strategy for public representatives in rural and civic bodies.

“In Purulia, the Trinamool candidate, Santiram Mahato, was defeated by a margin of 17,000 votes. In Purulia town, Trinamool trailed by over 20,000 votes. The chairman of the Purulia municipality has to accept responsibility for this defeat,” a TMC leader explained.

Amid the buzz on whether the party would take action against its leaders for failing to provide leads in their respective segments, some heads have already begun rolling.

On Friday, the chief and deputy chiefs of four gram panchayats in Hooghly’s Chinsurah submitted their resignations to the local BDO, a party source said.
Crime, Politics, West Bengal

Cal HC allows affected people to submit poll violence plaints with DGP

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MP, 7 June 2024, Kolkata: Expressing concern over alleged post-poll violence in certain areas of Bengal following the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday issued a directive allowing affected people to submit complaints to the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) via e-mail. 

The order came following a petition in the high court seeking direction to police to ensure protection to opposition party workers in the wake of alleged post-poll violence in some places of the state following the elections. 
The court cautioned that if the state machinery fails to protect the lives and property of the citizens, appropriate orders will be passed on the next date of hearing.
The division bench presided by Justice Kausik Chanda said the matter will be taken up for hearing again after 10 days. 
The bench, also directed that complaints can be e-mailed to the DGP by persons allegedly affected by incidents of post-poll violence, apart from the normal process under the CrPC. 
It directed that in the event the complaints disclose any cognizable offence, the DGP will immediately direct the police station concerned to register an FIR under relevant provisions of law. 
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/cal-hc-allows-affected-people-to-submit-poll-violence-plaints-with-dgp-567065
Politics, West Bengal

Daggers drawn in Bengal BJP after poll debacle as seniors allege inexperienced leaders calling shots

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PTI, Kolkata, Jun 6, 2024 :  Several West Bengal BJP leaders have blamed the dismal performance of the party in the Lok Sabha polls in the state on “inexperienced leaders” ruling the roost and hinted at “conspiracy” behind the loss of seats where winning chances were high.


The Trinamool Congress led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee swept the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, winning 29 of the 42 seats in the state. The BJP’s tally, on the other hand, dropped to 12 from 18 in 2019.

The outcome has raised questions regarding the party’s campaign strategy, organisational effectiveness, and narrative coherence.

“When those without any proper political experience of fighting elections call the shots in the organisation, this is the result that you get. There has to be some sort of accountability of the state leaders who decided everything in this election,” newly elected BJP MP Saumitra Khan told reporters.

Khan managed to hold on to his Bishnupur seat by a slender margin. The state unit also struggled to reach double digits, winning several seats by narrow margins.

Former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, who lost from the Bardhaman-Durgapur seat to TMC’s Kirti Azad by nearly 1.38 lakh votes, hinted at a “conspiracy” to ensure his defeat.

“A conspiracy was hatched to ensure that I got defeated or why else would I be sent to Bardhaman-Durgapur. It seems the party had sent me to Bardhaman-Durgapur from Medinipur to ensure that I lost the elections,” he said.

Ghosh, while speaking to a Bengali news channel, said there has been no proper introspection in the party after the 2021 assembly poll debacle.

“No one was held accountable for the loss in 2021. If there is no course correction or introspection even now, this debacle will be repeated in 2026. In the last few years, the party did not have any growth in West Bengal; rather its support base has eroded in the last five years,” he said.

Ghosh, former MP from the Medinipur constituency, was relocated to Bardhaman-Durgapur, a seat where the battle against TMC was perceptively tough, where he replaced outgoing MP SS Ahluwalia.

The latter, in turn, was moved to Asansol. The party’s sitting MLA from Asansol Dakshin, Agnimitra Paul, replaced Ghosh at Medinipur. All three BJP candidates were trounced by their TMC counterparts in the recently concluded polls.

Former BJP MP from Hooghly Locket Chatterjee, who failed to win the seat for the second consecutive time, sought a proper introspection in the party.

West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, although agreed that there is a need for introspection, said the party has increased its vote share by one per cent as compared to the 2021 assembly polls.

“It is not that the party is not moving ahead. Our vote share has increased when compared to the 2021 assembly elections, although it has gone down when compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls,” he said.

The Trinamool Congress registered a 45.77 per cent vote share in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, up by more than two per cent from the 43.7 per cent vote share it received in 2019.

The BJP, on the other hand, registered a vote share of 38.73 per cent in the state this time which, unlike what the pollsters had predicted, was down by over two per cent as compared to the 40.6 per cent votes it received five years ago.

The TMC alleged that the saffron camp has realised that it could not fight the Mamata Banerjee-led party in the state.

“It is good that they have at least realised that they can never fight Mamata Banerjee in the state. I hope they will convey this message to their central leadership,” TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said.
Economy, West Bengal

State government to send letters to vehicle owners asking them to clear pending dues

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 Those who don’t comply can find their vehicle’s registration locked for non-payment and will not be able to ply on roads

Kinsuk Basu, TT, Calcutta, 07.06.24 : The state government has decided to send letters to individual vehicle owners asking them to clear their pending dues and taxes.

All regional transport offices under the transport department have been asked to prepare a list of tax defaulters and send out letters to the vehicle owners, officials in the department said.

The trigger: the state government wants to explore all possible avenues to improve revenue collection, and transport is among the departments tapped.

Letters to the defaulters would be sent by post and the process would begin soon, officials said.

The letters will specify a time limit within which the dues should be cleared. Those who don’t comply can find their vehicle’s registration locked for non-payment and will not be able to ply on the roads, officials said.

“The regional transport officials have been tasked with the job of shortlisting tax defaulters from the list of registered vehicle owners under their respective jurisdictions,” a transport department official said.

“The data would be culled from the Vahan software that has the names of all registered vehicle owners and an update of their taxes either paid or pending to date.”

The list would include those with their dues pending for the last two years and extend to those who have not paid the taxes for over a decade. While the tax component for commercial vehicles includes permit fees and certificate of fitness, individual car owners have to pay road tax, depending on the time frame they have opted, between five years and a lifetime.

Officials said they have observed that many individual car owners are oblivious to the deadline for paying road tax. By the time they realise, the payable amount becomes so big that many choose to sit on it before disposing of the old vehicles.

“The road tax component for individual car owners is 5.5 per cent of the recorded base value of the vehicle. A year’s delay invites another 5.5 per cent as penalty. Over a few years, this figure can snowball into a significant amount,” the official said.

Transport department officials at the regional transport offices have observed that several cars that are over a dozen years old are no longer in use and their owners are not keen on clearing the pending road tax dues.

Some of them have said they want to either scrap the vehicle or replace it with a new one.

The state government has decided that such owners would be asked to pay up irrespective of whether they are using the vehicles or not.

“It is the government’s revenue and the owners are liable to clear the dues of the state government as law-abiding citizens,” the official said.

Between January and March this year, the transport department had undertaken a similar exercise when letters were sent to 39,600 owners asking them to clear their pending taxes. Officials said they collected over Rs 150 crores from the drive.
Crime, Politics, West Bengal

Calcutta HC expresses concern over post-poll violence allegations in Bengal, issues directive to submit complaints to DGP

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 The order came following a petition in the high court seeking direction to police to ensure protection to Opposition party workers in the wake of alleged post-poll violence in some places of the state following the elections

PTI, Calcutta, 06.06.24 : Expressing concern over alleged post-poll violence in certain areas of West Bengal following the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday issued a directive allowing affected people to submit complaints to the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) via email.

The order came following a petition in the high court seeking direction to police to ensure protection to Opposition party workers in the wake of alleged post-poll violence in some places of the state following the elections.

Stating that similar allegations had come up after the 2021 assembly elections, the court asked whether incidents of post-poll violence happened in any other state.

Expressing dismay at reports of post-poll violence following the general elections, the court emphasised the state’s responsibility to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

A division bench comprising justices Kausik Chanda and Apurba Sinha Roy directed that complaints can be sent to the DGP by email by persons who are allegedly affected by incidents of post-poll violence.If the complaint indicated a cognizable offence, the DGP would forward it to the relevant local police station for FIR registration.

The petitioner claimed that affected individuals were hesitant to visit local police stations to file complaints.

The court instructed the DGP to provide a report within 10 days detailing the number of complaints received, FIRs registered, and actions taken.

State counsels argued that the incidents mentioned by the petitioner might not be directly linked to the elections.

Following the conclusion of the Lok Sabha election process, the Election Commission decided to maintain a substantial presence of central forces in the state for some more time.

In August 2021, a five-judge bench of the high court had ordered a CBI probe into all cases of alleged murder and crimes against women, including rape or attempted rape, related to post-election violence in West Bengal following the state assembly elections. PTI AMR RBT NN The bench, in response to PILs seeking an independent probe into alleged violence following the assembly elections, had also ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three IPS officers of the West Bengal cadre to oversee investigations into all other cases.
Regional, West Bengal

Proposal for building 11 new jumbo sheds sent to govt

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MP, 7 June 2024, Alipurduar: A proposal for the construction of 11 new Pilkhanas (elephant rest sheds) for Kunki (trained captive elephants) has been sent to the state Forest department by the Jaldapara National Park division. 
Once the green signal is given by the state Forest department, the concrete-made, tin-roofed Pilkhanas will be constructed. According to the Forest department, a total of 11 points have been selected deep in the forest, adjacent to the beat offices, range offices and the watchtowers in Jaldapara National Park. 
Many of the old Pilkhanas have been destroyed by storms and rainwater. Then there are Pilkhanas where more than two elephants cannot be housed at a time in Jaldapara. 
The Pilkhanas that are to be constructed this time will be big enough to house three elephants each. Similarly, it will be possible to keep six elephants together in the larger Pilkhanas. This will ensure that elephants and mahouts do not face any problems during storms and rain. Being made of concrete will make each shed last longer.
Holong in the Jaldapara National Park has the largest Pilkhana in the state. This time, every small and large Pilkhana will be modeled after the Holong Pilkhana. Currently, there are a record 87 elephants in Jaldapara to protect the park, especially the one-horned rhinos. 
There are about 10 small and medium-sized Pilkhanas in Jaldapara National Park. This number is not adequate. 
If 11 more Pilkhanas are built, it will greatly benefit forest workers, mahouts and Patawalas (elephant caretakers). After the construction of the 11 Pilkhanas, additional Pilkhanas will be built in the next phase.
Navjeet De, Assistant Wildlife Warden of Jaldapara National Park, stated: “We have already sent proposals for a total of 11 new Pilkhanas. Once the proposal is approved, the work will commence in a step-by-step manner. 
If each shed is made of concrete, there is almost no chance of damage. Also, each shed will have facilities to house more elephants.” 
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/proposal-for-building-11-new-jumbo-sheds-sent-to-govt-566903
Politics, West Bengal

Dilip Ghosh’s oblique statement sparks speculations on inner-party factions in Bengal BJP

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PTI, Kolkata, Jun 6, 2024 : At a time when fissures within the BJP West Bengal unit have started to show in the wake of the party’s ‘disappointing’ performance in the parliamentary polls in the state, a social media post of veteran leader Dilip Ghosh sparked speculations on whether the ‘old-versus-new’ debate is about to get reignited.


Ghosh on Thursday posted on X a quotation of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee: “Keep one thing in mind, even one old Karyakarta of the party should not be neglected. If necessary, let ten new Karyakartas get separated. Because the old workers are the guarantee of our victory. Trusting new Karyakartas too quickly is not advisable.”

The post came in the wake of Ghosh’s shocking defeat from the Bardhaman-Durgapur seat in the hands of TMC’s Kirti Azad by nearly 1.38 lakh votes.

Ghosh also told reporters that it was now established that sending him to contest from his old constituency to a new one was “a mistake”.

While the BJP had publicly proclaimed its target of winning 30 Lok Sabha constituencies or more from Bengal this time, it had to ultimately settle for 12 seats, six less than its 2019 tally.

Ghosh, former party state president and MP from the Medinipur constituency, was relocated to Bardhaman-Durgapur, a seat where the battle against TMC was perceptively tough, where he replaced outgoing MP SS Ahluwalia. The latter, in turn, was moved to Asansol. The party’s sitting MLA from Asansol Dakshin, Agnimitra Paul, replaced Ghosh at Medinipur.

All three BJP candidates were trounced by their TMC counterparts in the recently-concluded polls.

The reshuffle of candidates, though finalised by the party’s central election committee, is widely believed to have been brought about at the instance of the state’s leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who jumped ship from the TMC ahead of the 2021 state polls.

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Ghosh said, “It’s established now that the decision to send me to fight from Durgapur was a mistake.”

“The party trusted me with the job of winning from Durgapur, which I failed. We will look into what went wrong. But I had come to this party empty-handed and the fortunes have turned a full circle with me getting empty-handed once more. Let’s see where things go from here,” he told the media elsewhere.

Ghosh, a leader with strong RSS roots, who had earlier shied away from questioning the party’s decision to change his seat and maintained he did his best to overcome the fresh challenge, sounded out of sync with his previous statements for the first time.

Speaking on the development, senior TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said, “I have always considered Dilip Ghosh a true BJP man. It’s unfortunate for him that his party failed to make a proper assessment of his qualities. It’s good for us since we defeated him but he deserved better from his party.”

Banerjee added, in tangential reference to Adhikari, that he was “certain” that the saffron party under its current state leadership would wither away during the 2026 state polls.
Politics, Regional, West Bengal

BJP’s attempt to govern the Opposition led to their downfall: Pol analyst

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 While the debate is still on about what caused the Trinamul Congress increase its tally of seats from the 2019 tally and why the Bharatiya Janata Party lose its share of seats

Ashok Chatterjee | SNS  |  Kolkata | June 6, 2024 : hile the debate is still on about what caused the Trinamul Congress increase its tally of seats from the 2019 tally and why the Bharatiya Janata Party lose its share of seats, Prof Asis Mistry, Calcutta University says there are that first-time voters have played a role, both in national and state level to defeat the BJP and the Trinamul Congress successfully managed to hold on to its women voters with the hike in Lakshmir Bhandar money.


Pointing out another important observation about the saffron party, Prof Mistry said, “In 2014, nationally BJP’s vote share was 31 per cent but they won with majority because they managed to ‘play’ with the Opposition. In 2019, they ‘managed’ the Opposition. This time, they wanted to ‘govern’ (or mal-govern) the opposition. Examples are, sending opposition CMs to jail and defending their own party leaders despite their glaring offences. This is called post-democratic syndrome. This was first coined in Britain by Colin Crouch. He said this is an evolving trend and it has now been seen in India. Institutions are being moulded. Within democracy, an undercurrent of authoritarian tendency could be seen. This is called ‘governing the Opposition’.”

Around 22 lakh first-time voters were added in the voters list in 2024. This section has not voted for the BJP, feels the political science professor.

He explains that there was 6 per cent addition of first-time voters (18-25 years). Their performance in the seats with less margin of victory played a major role. “The young voters were a lot influenced by YouTube influencers. This played a role in swinging votes against the BJP.”

Explaining further, the professor said that nationally, in the 2019 polls, there were 97 seats, where the margin of victory was less than 5 per cent. BJP won 41 of these seats. This time, of these seats, the BJP retained only seven. Taking a sample of 22 seats out of those 97 seats, the professor found that not only the BJP lost these seats, it lost by a good margin. And, he feels the young voters played a role in these seats.

“In the 2021 election, TMC’s vote share was 48.02 per cent. In this LS election TMC pooled 45.76 per cent votes share. So, we see TMC’S vote share has come down. In 2019 TMC’s vote share was 43.7 per cent, which means vote share rise for TMC is only 2.06 per cent. Whereas the Left and Congress combined vote share has been reduced by 1.4 per cent, while we were expecting Left vote share to go up this time. BJP’s vote share has remained more or less intact. They lost only 1.87 per cent,” said Prof Mistry.
Politics, West Bengal

Strategic moves, welfare schemes and minority consolidation help TMC seal huge win

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PTI, Kolkata, Jun 5, 2024 :  The TMC’s victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal was facilitated by strategic manoeuvring, welfare schemes, consolidation of minority support and division of votes.

    
The result solidified the party’s hold over the state ahead of the assembly polls to be held two years later.

Three years after halting the BJP’s advancement in the state in the assembly election, the TMC coasted to another memorable victory in parliamentary elections, defying exit-poll predictions, securing triumph in 29 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal.

Despite facing numerous challenges including internal conflicts and scandals such as the school jobs scam and the Sandeshkhali issue which threatened the party’s image, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) secured a striking victory.

Apart from strategic manoeuvring and minority consolidation, the TMC leaders attributed a critical factor in its success to welfare schemes targeting women like ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ and ‘Kanyashree’, pivotal in securing support from female voters, which compromise 50 per cent of the state electorate, and mitigating the repercussions of corruption allegations while bolstering grassroots backing.

“The people of Bengal restored faith in the developmental politics of the state government. The schemes aimed at the women of the state yielded positive results for us,” TMC MP Sougata Roy, who got elected for the fourth term, told PTI.

Out of the 29 newly TMC MPs, 11 are women which make up 38 per cent of the total party representatives in Lok Sabha.

According to a TMC leader, with the BJP’s tally going down both at the state and its government at the Centre likely to be dependent on allies, “the TMC will further solidify its stronghold over Bengal ahead of the assembly polls in 2026.

A significant aspect of the TMC’s success was its strategic electoral manoeuvring. The breakdown of seat-sharing talks between the TMC and the Congress in January worked to the TMC’s advantage, setting the stage for a three-cornered contest.

This fragmentation of opposition votes allowed the TMC to consolidate nearly 30 per cent of the minority and anti-BJP votes, which proved decisive in many constituencies.

According to TMC leader Santanu Sen, the breakdown of the alliance enabled the party to emerge as the strongest alternative to the BJP in the state.

“The Left and the Congress were decimated. But as we emerged as the strongest alternative to the BJP in the state, we won even in seats which were considered BJP strongholds,” Sen said.

This strategic positioning helped the TMC capture votes that might have otherwise gone to the fragmented opposition.

Local issues like the cancellation of school jobs, and the contentious implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), significantly reshaped election dynamics as the BJP’s propagation of corruption allegations failed to resonate with voters, while the CAA, intended as a BJP electoral strategy, unexpectedly prompted minorities previously undecided between the TMC and the Left-Congress alliance to consolidate behind the Trinamool Congress.

“Once the tainted leaders including Partha Chatterjee, Sahajahan Sheikh, Jyotipriyo Mullick were put behind bars, the allegations of corruption subsided and took the winds away from the corruption narrative of the BJP,” political analyst Maidul Islam said.

Mamata Banerjee’s comments against certain sections of the Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha, and the OBC reservation issue, where the Calcutta High Court recently struck down the OBC status of several classes including 77 Muslim communities, helped solidify the TMC’s minority support base.

People belonging to the minority community helped TMC sweep Muslim-majority pockets in the southern region of West Bengal while the division of their votes facilitated BJP’s victories in the northern part of the state, political analysts said.

Several parliamentary seats in both north and south Bengal, such as Raiganj, Cooch Behar, Balurghat, Malda North, Malda South, Murshidabad, Diamond Harbour, Uluberia, Howrah, Birbhum, Kanthi, Tamluk, Mathurapur and Joynagar, have significant Muslim populations.

The BJP retained Balurghat, Raiganj and Malda North, riding on the division of minority votes between the Left-Congress combine and the TMC, an analyst said.

“In south Bengal, the TMC, as expected, performed well in minority belts. But in some seats in north Bengal, the party faced tough competition from the Left-Congress alliance for a bigger pie of the minority votes,” Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said.

Although these issues intensified communal polarization, they also helped the TMC reach out to liberal and elite Bengalis who had been drifting towards the Left and Congress.

“These issues also helped the TMC reach the 2-3 per cent Bengali elite and liberals, which just like 2021 in 2024 helped the TMC in the fight against the BJP,” Islam said.

The Trinamool Congress registered a 45.77 per cent vote share in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, up by more than two per cent from the 43.7 per cent of votes it received in 2019.

The BJP, on the other hand, registered a vote share of 38.73 per cent in the state this time around which, also unlike what the pollsters had predicted, was down by over two per cent compared to the 40.6 per cent votes it received five years ago.
Politics, West Bengal

Mamata to hold meeting with newly elected Trinamool MPs on Saturday

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PTI, Kolkata, Jun 5, 2024 :  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called a meeting of newly elected Lok Sabha MPs of TMC on Saturday, party sources said.

    
The TMC maintained its dominance in the state as Banerjee led her party to a resounding victory by bagging 29 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, whereas the principal opposition BJP was down to 12 and the Congress to one seat.

“The party supremo has convened a meeting of our newly elected MPs on Saturday. During the meeting, the political situation will be discussed,” a TMC leader said.

Banerjee had walked out of the INDIA bloc in West Bengal in January but asserted that the TMC would continue to be part of the opposition alliance at the national level.
Politics, West Bengal

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Sweeps Bengal: Claims 29 Seats Out of 42, Deals Blow to BJP

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Despite its tall claims about ‘uprooting’ the Trinamool Congress from Bengal and getting ’30-plus seats’, the BJP ended a poor second with 12 seats and 39 per cent votes

Devadeep Purohit, TT, 5.06.24 : Trinamool has vanquished the BJP in Bengal cornering around 46 per cent votes and bagging 29 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, cementing Mamata Banerjee’s position as the country’s most formidable Opposition leader for the second time in three years after the 2021 Assembly polls.

Despite its tall claims about “uprooting” the Trinamool Congress from Bengal and getting “30-plus seats”, the BJP ended a poor second with 12 seats and 39 per cent votes.
As in 2021, Mamata has beaten heavy odds at a time when most pundits and pollsters had written her off following the corruption scandals engulfing her party and the Sandeshkhali charges of atrocities on women.

The chief minister braved age and injury to crisscross the whole of Bengal, addressing 107 rallies and 20-odd road shows, to eventually have the last laugh.

“Bengal was tortured the most…. They inflicted the CBI, ED, income-tax department and even the media,” Mamata said at a news conference at her 30B Harish Chatterjee Street home on Tuesday evening, while listing the challenges she had been up against.

“They used the courts to take away the jobs of 26,000 people. Then the OBC certificates of about 15 lakh people were cancelled.”

She also cited other constraints, from the central agencies’ role to the money power the BJP brought into play against her party.

“They threatened my ministers, my MLAs, my councillors…. They sent money to buy us, but still couldn’t do anything,” she said, with nephew and political heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s all-India general secretary, by her side.

This election has witnessed Abhishek’s rise as Trinamool’s principal poll strategist, a task performed by Prashant Kishor in 2021. Abhishek played a key role in picking the candidates and working out the campaign planks.

The Bengal verdict holds significance for both the state and beyond. It means the BJP, which won just 77 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections, will have to make a fresh start for the 2026 battle.

The BJP had fielded its topmost leaders in the Bengal campaign, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself addressing 22 rallies since the polls were announced.

While Modi’s personal appeal didn’t work, the results also flagged the BJP’s organisational weakness in Bengal.

Multiple sources in the BJP said the murmurs of discontent against senior state leaders, heard in the party office on Tuesday afternoon, would only grow louder now with demands for some heads to roll.

“Our organisational weakness, caused by factionalism, is well-known. This drubbing will surely make things more difficult for us as factionalism will intensify in the coming months,” a BJP insider said.

The Bengal outcome is likely to have ripples in Delhi, too. Although Mamata made it clear she “didn’t want anything” — pre-empting questions on whether she wanted to lead the INDIA bloc if the NDA failed to form the government — her growing stature in national politics is beyond doubt. “I will certainly help the INDIA team. I have already spoken to so many people. I invite others to the INDIA team. I will try to see Modi is out. I want to keep the country safe,” she said.

Mamata is unlikely to go to Delhi in a hurry to meet the INDIA partners: she is sending Abhishek to Wednesday’s huddle in the capital. But there is little doubt that the next steps taken by the fledgling alliance would bear a strong Kalighat imprint.

Reason for win

After analysing the state and national poll outcomes through the day with Abhishek, Mamata emerged for the news conference immediately after Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge wrapped up their media interaction in Delhi.

In her trademark style, she was at her humble best, quoting from Tagore in her opening remarks. “I thank the people of Bengal and will forever be indebted to all of you,” she said with bowed head.

She also thanked the voters for not giving any credence to the BJP’s narrative of sexual abuse of women in Sandeshkhali. “They tried to defame Bengal in front of the country on the Sandeshkhali issue…. I thank the people for foiling their plan,” she said.

She cited no specific reasons for the Trinamool sweep. Several analysts said that Lakshmir Bhandar — the Rs 1,000 monthly assistance scheme for general-caste women and Rs 1,200 for SC/ST women — was a big reason for her victory.

That Mamata had the women voters’ support was apparent from the turnout data released by the Election Commission, which showed 81.22 per cent women, against 77.96 per cent men, had voted in the first six phases.

When this correspondent asked Mamata whether she owed the victory to this specific scheme, her reply implied she owed it to all sections of society. “Lakshmi, Saraswati, Rehana, Maria, they all are my friends,” she said, underscoring the inclusive character of her politics.

Mamata’s tireless attempt at projecting a secular and inclusive model of governance has been an important reason behind her party’s success in a state with around 30 per cent Muslim voters.

“The fishermen, the workers, the youths, they all are my friends. I have earmarked 10 lakh jobs for the people of the state,” she said, stressing her commitment to job creation.

Another reason could be the state government’s decision to use its own money to pay the over 59 lakh MGNREGA workers denied wages because the Centre had frozen funds over alleged irregularities.

Trinamool’s narrative was that the Centre had stopped sending funds under various schemes out of anger at failing to win the 2021 Assembly polls.
Politics, West Bengal

Krishnanagar Seat Landslide Victory for Mahua; Reclaims Honor Post Parliament Suspension

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MP, 5 June 2024, Kolkata: The electoral battle in Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday ended with the people of the constituency rejecting ‘regality’ as the BJP’s candidate ‘Rajbarir Rajmata’ Amrita Roy was trumped by Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Mahua Moitra who had vowed to avenge her “wrongful suspension” from the “saffron brigade-dominated Parliament”. 

For Amrita Roy, who belongs to the Krishnanagar royal family, the proverb ‘morning shows the day’ apparently eluded her. Roy, though was leading from the constituency in the morning, quickly fell behind as Mahua Moitra’s vote began to climb. 
By afternoon, Moitra was leading with 57,083 votes and she eventually emerged victorious with 56705 votes compared to Roy who gained 5,67,628 votes. A
With her party workers raising slogans, Moitra told the media that she is happy that the BJP received a “deserving blow” in Bengal. She said only the people of Bengal can teach the (PM) Modi-led BJP a lesson. 
“The country does not deserve such a Prime Minister who is a liar,” Moitra said. Criticising the BJP’s “regal invocation” by choosing to field a candidate from a royal family, Moitra, during her campaign earlier, had said: “We are living in an independent democratic country where people of Bengal only recognise one “raja” (king) which is Raja Ram Mohan Roy and one “rani” (queen) Rani Rashmoni. 
Apart from them, who is a king or queen in this independent democratic country I do not know.” Political analysts pointed out that BJP’s trump card of getting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call his party’s candidate Amrita Roy did little to propel her in her first quest to win an electoral battle. 
In the telephonic conversation that was made viral, PM Modi was purportedly heard promising that he would return all the money that was looted from the poor and attached by the Enforcement Directorate. 
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/mahua-sweeps-the-krishnanagar-seat-avenges-wrongful-suspension-from-parl-566614
Politics, Regional, West Bengal

Bengal chooses Mamata’s ‘guarantee’, rejects BJP’s ‘divisive politics’

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Pradip Chatterjee, MP, 5 June 2024, Kolkata: Pro-people schemes of the Mamata Banerjee government particularly ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ ensured a decisive mandate against the BJP in Bengal with Trinamool Congress surging much ahead, winning 29 Lok Sabha seats out of 42 constituencies. 

The BJP won 11 seats and was leading in 1 seat at the time of filing this report, while the Congress party managed to bag Malda South, as per the data provided by the Election Commission website. 
State’s ruling party registered a vote share of about 46 per cent, whereas the BJP recorded a vote share of 38 per cent. 
Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee is set to leave for Delhi on Wednesday to represent Trinamool Congress in the INDIA block meeting. 
Trinamool’s performance in these LS polls marked its second-best showing in the state since the 2014 elections, where it secured 34 seats. 
TMC’s relentless campaign against the Centre for its deprivation to the state government by stopping funds might have also contributed to the party’s result in the state. 
Trinamool candidate from Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency Abhishek Banerjee registered the second-highest victory margin in Lok Sabha polls in the country. 
Banerjee, who is the national general secretary of the party won by a margin of over 7.1 lakh votes breaking the previous record held by Anil Basu of CPI(M) who had won the Arambagh seat by a margin of 592,502 votes during the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. 
This is the third consecutive Lok Sabha win for Banerjee who had won in 2014 in 2019. Banerjee bagged over 68.5 per cent of the total votes. 
With the TMC on the verge of sealing a spectacular victory, the party supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday demanded the resignation of PM Modi on ‘moral grounds. 
She also sent out a strong signal that the opposition parties, more specifically the INDIA bloc will never allow the Modi government free hands to pass bills arbitrarily if it forms the government at the Centre. 
The BJP’s top leadership had relied heavily on Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari but the results may now change the equation with the saffron brigade expected to make certain reshuffles within its state unit. 
Further, political analysts believe this result is also likely to affect Adhikari’s political ambitions in the upcoming state elections in 2026. 
Trinamool Congress also retained its seats in the two Kolkata constituencies with both Mala Roy and Sudip Bandyopadhyay winning by a comfortable margin from the Kolkata South and Kolkata North Parliamentary constituencies respectively. 
Sudip won by a margin of 92560 votes while Roy won by 187231 votes. 
The electoral battle in Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat ended with the people of the constituency rejecting ‘regality’ as the BJP’s candidate ‘Rajbarir Rajmata’ Amrita Roy was trumped by Trinamool Congress’ Mahua Moitra. 
TMC candidate Basirhat Haji Nurul Islam won by a margin of 3,33,547 votes as he secured 8,03,762 votes. Sandeshkhali which was the epicenter of the electoral faceoff between the ruling TMC and the BJP, dashed hopes for the BJP candidate in Basirhat Rekha Patra. 
TMC candidate from Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency Partha Bhowmick scripted a historic victory over his nearest rival BJP’s Arjun Singh by demolishing the latter’s ‘Bahubali’ myth. 
Ex-cricketer Yusuf Pathan and TMC candidate from Berhampore won by a margin of 85,022 votes as he secured 5,24,516 votes while Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury came second. 
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee slammed the BJP in reference to the exit polls forecast. She once again stated that the BJP had prepared the fake exit polls three months ago. 
She once again warned that her party may file a defamation suit as the BJP had published fake advertisements to malign Trinamool Congress by pumping huge money. In the by-elections, TMC’s Sayantika Banerjee won from the Baranagar Assembly seat and Reyat Hossian Sarkar won from the Bhagabangola seat. 
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bengal-chooses-mamatas-guarantee-rejects-bjps-divisive-politics-566661
Politics, West Bengal

Results in Bengal on expected lines, people have voted

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PTI, Kolkata, Jun 4, 2024 : The TMC on Tuesday hailed the trends that reflected that the party was racing ahead of its rivals in 30 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats.


The TMC said the results are a reflection of people’s faith in the “pro-people policies” of the Mamata Banerjee government and a decisive mandate against the BJP in the state.
    
The TMC was leading in 31 seats after several rounds of counting, while the BJP was ahead in 10, and Congress in one, according to the Election Commission website at 12:30 PM.
    
“The results are a reflection of people’s faith in the pro-people policies of the TMC government led by our supremo Mamata Banerjee. The people through this decisive mandate against the BJP have defeated the anti-Bengal forces. The results have also proved that the exit polls were a farce by the pro-BJP media,” TMC spokesperson Santanu Sen told PTI.
    
In 2019, the TMC had won 22 seats, whereas the BJP had won 18, and the Congress had bagged two seats.
    
Ecstatic TMC activists started celebrating by dancing to drum beats and smeared each other with ‘green’ gulal as the trends across West Bengal poured in.
    
“Joy Bangla (Hail Bengal)”, “TMC Zindabad,” BJP Hai Hai” slogans rented the air as thousands of TMC supporters hit the streets in Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, Kolkata Uttar, Diamond Harbour, Barrackpore, seats in the city and its neighbourhood.
    
Jubilant party supporters also gathered in large numbers in Asansol, Durgapur-Bardhaman and many other parts and exchanged sweets.
    
Many of them held pictures of the TMC supremo and cutouts of the party symbol.
    
“The celebrations have just started. The consistent campaign by the outsider BJP against Bengal, and the comments by the Prime Minister against the eating habits of people have been rebuffed by the voters. People have voted for Didi and Abhishek Banerjee,” said a TMC activist in Jadavpur.
    
Trends from the counting of votes on Tuesday threw up disappointing results for the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections, which appears to be losing heavily in its strongholds of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.
    
Speaking about BJP’s performance at the national level, Sen said the people have voted against the arrogance and misrule of the saffron camp..
    
“The results reflect that the BJP has been defeated morally and also politically,” he said.
Politics, West Bengal

Mamata ‘magic’ continues in West Bengal, BJP misses target

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 Despite facing a barrage of challenges including corruption allegations and internal conflicts, the TMC stood strong, even after opting to go solo post its withdrawal from the INDIA bloc in the state

PTI, Kolkata,  Jun 04 2024 : Defying all exit-poll predictions, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has surged ahead in 29 of West Bengal’s 42 Lok Sabha seats, dealing a blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) target of securing 35 seats as they just managed to reach just double digits.
The BJP was leading in 12 seats according to the EC website.
Three years after putting a halt to the BJP’s advances in Bengal, the TMC, led by Mamata Banerjee, again proved its mettle by thwarting the BJP’s formidable campaign, spearheaded by PM Narendra Modi himself.
Despite facing a barrage of challenges including corruption allegations and internal conflicts, the TMC stood strong, even after opting to go solo post its withdrawal from the INDIA bloc in the state.
Political observers note that the BJP in West Bengal had set an ambitious goal of securing 35 Lok Sabha seats, banking on the implementation of the CAA as a potential game-changer and leveraging Hindu polarisation, which fell flat on their face.
Despite their fervent efforts, they failed to gain substantial ground, primarily due to internal divisions, organisational frailties, and the formidable impact of the Left-Congress alliance, analysts said.
“Internal divisions, organisational weaknesses, and the impact of the Left-Congress alliance all contributed to the BJP’s difficulties in garnering anti-TMC votes,” political analyst Maidul Islam said.
The BJP’s tally is likely to decline by six seats, with its vote share dropping by three percentage points to 37.
In contrast, the TMC’s vote share increased to 47 per cent, up from 43 per cent in 2019.
In the last Lok Sabha polls, the TMC had won 22 seats, the BJP 18, and the Congress two.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) led Left Front failed to win any seats in 2019 and appears to be repeating that performance, not leading in any of the 42 constituencies. The Congress is leading in one seat.
The breakdown of seat-sharing talks between the TMC and the Congress in January appeared to benefit Mamata Banerjee’s party, setting the stage for a three-cornered electoral contest and providing a strategic advantage to the TMC.
According to TMC sources, this breakdown allowed the party to consolidate nearly 30 per cent of the minority and anti-BJP votes in the absence of another credible “secular and stronger force.”
“The breakdown of the alliance worked well for us,” said TMC leader Santanu Sen, adding, “The Left and the Congress were decimated. But as we emerged as the strongest alternative to the BJP in the state, we won even in seats which were considered BJP strongholds.”
The consolidation of anti-TMC votes had previously led to a significant rise in the BJP’s vote share from 17 per cent in 2014 to 40 per cent in 2019, increasing its seat count from two to 18.
Left-Congress alliance also led to TMC’s defeat in three seats in North Bengal where the vote share of the alliance was more than the victory margin of the BJP.
However, political analysts suggest that local issues, such as corruption allegations, the cancellation of SSC jobs, and the implementation of the CAA, reshaped the election dynamics this time around.
The implementation of the CAA, along with Banerjee’s comments against certain sections of the Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha, and the OBC reservation issue where the Calcutta High Court recently struck down the OBC status of several classes including 77 Muslim communities, helped solidify the TMC’s minority support base.
Although these issues intensified communal polarisation, they also helped the TMC reach out to liberal and elite Bengalis who had been drifting towards the Left and Congress.
Welfare schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar and Kanyashree, aimed at women, also helped solidify the TMC’s base among women voters, who comprise 50 per cent of the electorate.
Despite corruption charges, the SSC scam, and the Sandeshkhali issue where TMC leaders were accused of sexual abuse and land grab, the TMC’s performance remained strong.
The BJP, hoping to make a strong statement in the Basirhat constituency which includes Sandeshkhali, saw its candidate Rekha Patra defeated by TMC veteran Haji Nurul Islam by nearly two lakh votes.
For the BJP, many factors did not work in their favour, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the charge with around 19 rallies.
Political analysts noted that the CAA did not resonate with voters as expected, instead prompting minorities, who were previously undecided between the TMC and the Left-Congress alliance, to consolidate behind the TMC.
“We emphasized the ideological significance of the CAA, likening it to the Ram Mandir issue at the national level and asserting that the CAA would help the party sweep elections in the state,” said a BJP leader who requested anonymity.
“However, our poor organisational strength and failure to counter the TMC’s campaign against the CAA on the ground were significant drawbacks.”
Internal challenges also plagued the BJP, including dissatisfaction among cadres over ticket distribution, leading to possible losses in Junglemahal and North Bengal, where the party is set to lose four seats. Both regions had rewarded the BJP in the last Lok Sabha polls.
Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty said the lack of a “Modi wave” and the BJP’s organisational weaknesses were critical factors in its poor performance.
The TMC’s victory in the West Bengal Lok Sabha elections showcases its adept strategic maneuvering and capacity to unify support amidst obstacles, while the BJP’s losses emphasise the imperative for bolstered organisational prowess and a compelling campaign approach to rekindle momentum in the region.
Sikkim, West Bengal

Alert to avert deaths, losses: Sikkim and Bengal governments keep watch on rainfall and Teesta

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 On one hand, they have initiated round-the-clock monitoring of rainfall and surge in water levels to pass alerts in advance
The Teesta river near Teesta bazar: File picture

TT Bureau, Siliguri/Jalpaiguri, 04.06.24 : The Bengal irrigation department and the Sikkim government have swung into alert mode at the onset of the southwest monsoon in the sub-Himalayan region and particularly after last year’s flash flood on the Teesta river.

On one hand, they have initiated round-the-clock monitoring of rainfall and surge in water levels to pass alerts in advance.
On the other hand, they have taken initiatives to mitigate the loss of lives and property in case there is a flash flood due to incessant downpours. Over the past few days, it has rained heavily in a number of areas of Sikkim and sub-Himalayan Bengal.

On June 1, the irrigation department opened a Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition (SCADA) room in Jalpaiguri. It will work round the clock throughout the monsoon months to gather data on rainfall and rise in water levels of the Teesta and other rivers through automated rain gauge stations and satellite, said Krishnendu Bhowmik, the chief engineer (northeast) of the department.

According to him, in sub-Himalayan Bengal and Sikkim, data on rainfall and water levels of rivers are collected from 30 rain gauges of the regional Met office of Gangtok, 28 rain gauges of the central water commission and 12 rain gauges of the Bengal irrigation department which have been installed in different locations of the region.

The official mentioned that due to the flash flood which occurred in the Teesta in October last year because of the outburst of South Lhonak Lake, there had been huge deposition of silt and debris downstream.

“As a result, the river bed has risen by one-and-half metres. If it rains heavily along the Teesta catchment areas of the hills and plains, there is a risk of flash flood. That is why we are putting all efforts to gather information in advance so that people living closer to the banks and in low lying areas, can be shifted in advance,” said Bhowmik.

This year, the department has also decided to issue primary (yellow) and secondary (red) alerts along both banks of the Teesta before the water level touches the necessary mark.

“As the river bed has increased, it is evident that the river will swell in a short time during the monsoons. Thus, the alerts would be issued in advance,” Bhowmik added.

Ahead of the monsoons, the department has carried out maintenance and repair works in the banks to prevent breach of embankments.

“However, for the long-term solution, we have to wait for completion of the survey that is being conducted by the River Research Institute (headquartered in Haringhata of Nadia). Only then, plans can be drawn for flood control,” said the official.

Meanwhile, in Sikkim, senior officials of Namchi and Pakyong districts, which are in the southern parts of the mountain state, have visited a number of locations which are on the banks of the Teesta to check out the situation.

“Last week, joint inspections were conducted in Melli, Rangpo Mamring, Adarsh Gaon, Balutar and some other areas to assess the situation. Some vulnerable spots have been identified and instructions were given to carry out immediate restoration works,” said a source.

The state water resources department has been directed to take preventive measures erecting Gabion baskets along the river bank to prevent flooding.

“To ensure that people don’t venture into vulnerable areas, the spots would be barricaded with red ribbons by local authorities. Further, official instructions have been passed to restrict access of people to areas on the Teesta river bank which can cave in because of rise in water levels,” the source added.

As a part of preventive measures, the forest department of Sikkim has mandated closure of quarries after 5pm to ensure the safety of workers.

“The Met office, state department and central agencies are regularly exchanging information to act well in advance,” said a source
West Bengal

Temp likely to go up by 30 Celsius before Friday, says weatherman

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MP, 4 June 2024, Kolkata: The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore has predicted that the temperature may go up by 3 degree Celsius before Friday. 

Discomfort will prevail in South Bengal districts. Southwest monsoon has entered North Bengal but it remained stationary in the same spot for nearly three days. 
A low pressure has formed in south east Bay-of-Bengal Western disturbances will enter north west parts of the country on Tuesday. 
The city on Monday registered its lowest temperature at 27.9 degree Celsius while the highest temperature of the day was registered at 34.4 degree Celsius in Kolkata on Sunday. 
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore had predicted scattered rainfall may happen in several parts of South Bengal. 
Yellow alert had been issued for the districts like North and South 24-Parganas, East Midnapore, Birbhum, Murshidabad and Nadia which would receive moderate to heavy rainfall on Tuesday, on the day of election counting. 
A gusty wind of 40-50 kmph may be sweeping through the regions. The MeT office said that rains will continue in South Bengal till Tuesday while there is a heavy rain forecast in the North. Kolkata, however, will continue to experience dry weather. 
After 15 years, Bengal has witnessed the entry of monsoon rains in the month of May this year. 
The state had registered a similar situation in 2009 when the monsoon entered north Bengal on May 25. In 2006 and 2007, monsoon entered North Bengal in May. Monsoon entered North Bengal on May 31 this year. 
But the pre-monsoon season is going on in the south. The normal monsoon onset date for Kerala is June 1 and for Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur and Assam is June 5. 
According to weather scientists, El Nino conditions are prevailing at present and La Nina may set in by August-September. 
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/temp-likely-to-go-up-by-30-celsius-before-friday-says-weatherman-566467