Kolkata: It is a 'make-or-break' election for the ruling Left Front in West Bengal. Facing its toughest electoral battle in 34 years and knowing very well that the youth vote is crucial and potential game changer, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee himself is taking the lead to engage them, something he has rarely done before. Talking about the CPI-M's campaign of taking away land from the peasants, particularly from the minorities,...
07:38 AM, Apr 02, 2011
Kolkata: Asserting that the Left Front government in West Bengal would never accept the division of the state, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Wednesday said his government wanted a political solution to the Gorkhaland issue. "We want a political solution to the problems of the hills. Anarchy is going on in the hills for the last few months. We will never accept the division of the state," Bhattacharjee said. The...
04:31 PM, Mar 23, 2011
Kolkata: Three Trinamool Congress MLAs were suspended on Wednesday from the West Bengal Assembly till March 25 for indulging in unparliamentary behaviour and heckling Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim in July 2010. "Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas and Dibyendu Adhikari are suspended for three days from Wednesday," Speaker said. Incidentally, no Trinamool Congress member is attending the last Budget session before the coming Assembly elections. On July 29, 2010, the three Trinamool...
03:03 PM, Mar 23, 2011
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Wednesday ruled out arrest or harassment of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjeee before the upcoming Assembly elections in connection with a 17-year-old case. "There is no question of arresting or harassing Mamata Banerjee before the Assembly elections," Bhattacharjee told a press conference here. The CPM on Tuesday asked the Election Commission (EC) to execute all non-bailable warrants, including those issued in connection...
01:57 PM, Mar 23, 2011
Kolkata: Following finalisation of the seat-sharing deal between with Congress for the assembly polls, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she wants to work together to take on the ruling Left Front in the coming battle. "We all want to work together to bring back democracy by ending Left Front misrule in the coming elections," Banerjee told a press conference shortly after Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed announced...
05:54 PM, Mar 21, 2011
Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress's list of candidates for West Bengal's 228 assembly seats has its own share of singers, actors and artists who have been an unofficial part of the party for the last two years. Trinamool gave tickets to national award winning actress Debashree Roy, Bengali actor Chiranjeet, theatre personality Bratya Basu, singers Anup Ghosal and Parikhit Bala. Debashree Roy will contest from the Raidighi assembly constituency against Left...
05:32 PM, Mar 20, 2011
Kolkata: West Bengal's ruling Left Front on Wednesday asked its workers to rectify mistakes, check corruption, nepotism and misbehaviour with the masses. "The main reason behind the success of the Left Front is the Left movement. But there are a few flaws which we have committed. We need to check those flaws. We need to involve in an endless movement to eradicate nepotism, corruption and misbehaviour with the masses," said...
11:41 AM, Mar 17, 2011
Siliguri: Random checks of vehicles and frisking pedestrians in border areas are amongst the measures being taken as security forces in West Bengal go on high alert to foil any attempt by militants to disrupt the forthcoming assembly elections. The international borders in north Bengal with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh would be sealed 48 hours before polling day, April 18, North Bengal Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ranvir Kumar said....
11:16 AM, Mar 17, 2011
Kolkata: Reacting to the release of the list of Left Front candidates for the Assembly elections where 149 new faces have been included, Trinamool Congress general secretary Partha Chatterjee said it was a moral victory for his party. "It is a moral victory for Trinamool Congress as the Left Front has changed candidates in 149 seats out of fear, but this will not help it to avoid defeat in the...
12:52 PM, Mar 14, 2011
Kolkata: Facing its toughest electoral battle in 34 years, the ruling Left Front in West Bengal on Sunday dropped nine ministers and a sizable number of sitting MLAs in the list of candidates announced for the April-May Assembly polls. The list, which has a blend of experience and youth, shows that a little over 60 per cent of the 230 Left Front sitting MLAs, a majority of whom belonged to...
11:31 AM, Mar 14, 2011
In a revolution of sorts, at least in ticket distribution, the Left Front in West Bengal denied nominations to nine ministers and fielded 149 new candidates. ...
09:33 PM, Mar 13, 2011
The Left Front on Sunday released its list of candidates for the Assembly elections. Taking chances, the Left has fielded an unprecedented number of new candidates. ...
05:49 PM, Mar 13, 2011
Kolkata: Anger among the masses in West Bengal against Left Front's rule is more than the discontent during the days of the Emergency in the 1970s, says a senior Trinamool Congress leader, adding that Mamata Banerjee is the only alternative to break the three-decade-old Communist reign here. Subrata Mukherjee, a key West Bengal minister during the Emergency days, said: "People of Bengal are furious at the CPI-M (Communist Party of...
05:49 PM, Mar 13, 2011
Kolkata: The Left Front on Sunday released its list of candidates for the Assembly elections. Taking chances, the Left has fielded an unprecedented number of new candidates. In a revolution of sorts, at least in ticket distribution, the Left Front in West Bengal denied nominations to nine ministers and fielded 149 new candidates to fight a belligerent Mamata Banerjee and 35 years of anti-incumbency. Even the powerful speaker of the...
05:08 PM, Mar 13, 2011
Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader PK Kunhalikutty, a former Kerala minister, who has been the target of political attacks by the ruling Left Front on Sunday said he is now a much liked man by the public. "Seeing the massive crowds turning up to hear my speeches these days I feel that that people like me more and I am happy about the response from them," said Kunhalikutty....
04:58 PM, Mar 13, 2011
Kolkata: Creation of land banks, measures for land reforms and industrialisation will feature prominently in the election manifesto of West Bengal's ruling Left Front for the April-May assembly elections, according to a senior leader of one of the LF partners. "We are giving priority to land reforms and distribution of land to landless farmers and tillers. We had started the process of land reforms way back in 1977 when the...
04:14 PM, Mar 13, 2011
Kolkata: Women and fresh faces are likely to feature prominently alongside seasoned politicians when West Bengal's ruling Left Front on Sunday announces its candidates for the upcoming April-May assembly polls. The Front's constituents are scheduled to meet here on Sunday, as it aims to retain power in a state it has ruled uninterrupted since 1977. The Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front, facing its stiffest electoral fight in 34...
04:06 PM, Mar 13, 2011
Kolkata: As the countdown to the West Bengal assembly elections begins, the latest allegations brought against the Left Front government were that the comrades were violating the model code of conduct. As a result the doubts were there if an old election trick is being repeated behind the walls of Writers Building in Kolkata. Just a month before the elections, there are allegations that the CPI(M) is clearing appointments, and...
06:06 PM, Mar 05, 2011
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress has unleashed its campaign with fiery rally in Kolkata on Sunday. A chronology of violence revisited as victims of political violence - from Netai to Nandigram to Singur - came together lending support to Mamata's cry for justice. They were compensated - TMC gave Rs one lakh each to the families of the dead and Rs 25000 to those injured at Netai. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee said,...
09:52 PM, Feb 20, 2011
Dhola: Charging Trinamool Congress with corruption and inefficiency in running panchayats under its control, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday alleged the party was more interested in unleashing violence than working for the people. "I will like to urge those who had voted for Trinamool Congress in Panchayat elections to take note of its misdeeds in the local bodies which are plagued by rampant corruption particularly in South...
06:16 PM, Jan 29, 2011
