Kolkata: After two years of rule, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appears to have squandered the overwhelming mandate voters gave her, but as West Bengal gears up for panchayat polls, it seems that the TMC has the advantage as the Left is yet to regroup.
Rattled by the Saradha meltdown and a spate of suicides, Trinamool faces the uphill task of addressing cries of lakhs of anguished investors and agents. With allegations of Trinamool patronage to the ponzi scamsters, Mamata's only advantage is that the Left in disarray.
"There is no major challenge to Trinamool. CPM hasn't got its act together in Bengal, it is true that collapse of ponzi schemes particularly Saradha has created a crisis," TMC MP Saugata Ray....
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07:59 AM, May 20, 2013
Chandigarh: Amid sporadic violence, nearly 70 per cent of 1.1 crore rural voters on Sunday exercised their franchise for Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad elections in Punjab. An estimated 70 per cent polling was reported as per initial reports, State Election Commissioner SS Brar said. The elections were by and large peaceful and no major incident of violence was reported from any part of the state, he said. However, skirmishes...
08:50 PM, May 19, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal State Election Commission on Saturday wrote to the state government seeking a change in the schedule for the panchayat polls and the bunching of districts in each phase. The state government had issued a notification on Friday proposing three-phase polls. Nine districts are to go to the hustings July 2, and four each July 6 and July 10. The SEC's latter has sought a regrouping of...
04:15 AM, May 19, 2013
Chandigarh: Amid tight security, the stage is set for Sunday's elections to Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads in Punjab, the campaigning for which was marred by violence in which four persons were killed. Security force personnel had been deployed in strength to ensure smooth, free and fair elections, said state Election Commissioner SS Brar. As many as 760 candidates were in fray for elections to 331 zones of 22 Zila...
07:40 PM, May 18, 2013
Kolkata: Opposition parties in West Bengal on Friday demanded deployment of central paramilitary forces in an all-party meeting convened by the State Election Commission to ensure proper, free and fair panchayat elections. "We need adequate protection for candidates and the voters though every state of the polls - filing of nomination, campaigning, polling day as also counting. The ground situation is not conducive for that. In various local elections across...
04:47 AM, May 18, 2013
Sources said that one of the two players is an Indian while the other is an international player. ...
10:38 PM, May 17, 2013
Chandigarh: A day after one person was killed immediately after an election rally in Bhatinda district, two more were gunned down on Friday in a village in Amritsar in an exchange of fire between two groups, pushing the toll in the run up to the May 19 panchayat polls in Punjab to four. Tension was brewing between two groups in Chak Mishri Khan village over a consensus to elect the...
05:43 PM, May 17, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal Election Commission on Friday announced dates for the Panchayat elections in the state. The elections will be held in three phases on July 2, 6 and 10. The results will be announced three days later. The state government's demand for a two-phase polling was earlier shot down by the Calcutta High Court. The state election commission though said that the court order was not clear on...
04:55 PM, May 17, 2013
Bathinda: Over a dozen armed men opened indiscriminate fire at a Congress-PPP election rally, killing one person and injuring at least three others in Rampura Phull area of the district. Around 15-16 armed men opened fire at the rally in Adampur village here organised ahead of May 19 panchayat polls. Congress activist Jasvir Singh was killed in the attack while Lakhbir Singh alias Lakha Sidhana, a prominent PPP leader and...
09:59 PM, May 16, 2013
Kolkata: There were differences at a meeting on Thursday between the State Election Commission (SEC) and the West Bengal government over fixing dates for the three-tier panchayat elections after the Calcutta High Court's direction that the two mutually agree on it. "We suggested certain dates and they (state government) also placed some dates for the panchayat election to be held in three phases as per the High Court order," State...
06:10 PM, May 16, 2013
Kolkata: A day after the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government and the State Election Commission to mutually decide on dates for the panchayat election, a move has been initiated by both to hold a meeting on Thursday. The meeting will take place amidst a deadline set by the High Court to complete the poll process by July 15. SEC secretary Tapas Roy told reporters that the meeting...
05:56 PM, May 15, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Tuesday hailed the Calcutta High Court order on panchayat elections as "historic." "This is a historic order of the hon'ble High Court and we are very happy," state panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said. A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday rejected the State Election Commission (SEC) order for 800 companies of central forces to man the panchayat polls, and directed that...
03:46 PM, May 14, 2013
Kolkata: In a breather for the Mamata Banerjee government, the division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday said that it is not mandatory to deploy central paramilitary forces for the upcoming Panchayat polls. The West Bengal government had appealed the higher bench after a single bench upheld the State Election Commission's plea for three-phase polling and deployment of central forces. The State government wanted two-phase polling and security...
01:11 PM, May 14, 2013
Kolkata: Hearing will continue on Tuesday in the Calcutta High Court on the standoff between West Bengal government and the state Election Commission (EC) over panchayat elections. On Monday, the WB government filed a fresh appeal to a higher bench against the old judgement of the Single bench in favour of the EC. The court directed the state poll panel to make a proper assessment over need for security for...
08:08 AM, May 14, 2013
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has deferred till Tuesday the hearing related to the tussle between West Bengal and the state election commission over the number of phases in the Panchayat election. West Bengal government on Monday filed a fresh appeal to a higher bench against an old judgement that upheld the supremacy of state election commission while conducting Panchayat polls. The crucial rural polls are slated in June this...
06:50 PM, May 13, 2013
Kolkata: West Bengal government will on Monday file a fresh appeal to a higher bench against an old judgement that upheld the supremacy of state election commission while conducting Panchayat polls. The crucial rural polls are slated in June this year. In a setback to the state government, the Calcutta High Court had Friday directed that these elections would be held in three phases using central armed forces on dates...
09:34 AM, May 13, 2013
Chakdah: Seeking to turn the tables on the Marxists for demanding CBI probe in the chit fund scam, Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy on Saturday night alleged that most of the chit funds came up during the Left front regime. "If the investigations start now, many CPI(M) leaders may come under net. The CPI(M) is demanding CBI inquiry to actually delay the probe process," the former union minister alleged at...
12:40 AM, May 12, 2013
Burdwan: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday slammed the Opposition for conspiring to prevent her government from holding panchayat polls on time and vowed that elections will be held at the appropriate time. "Panchayat polls will be held at the appropriate time. Work for panchayats and 100 days' will not be hampered", she said at a party rally here without elaborating. "We have been trying to hold panchayat...
01:59 AM, May 11, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal government would appeal against the Calcutta High Court order upholding the primacy of the State Election Commission and asking it to provide names of 400 observers for the panchayat polls by Saturday, Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said. "We will appeal against the order before a division bench as early as possible because it is unrealistic and will undermine the federal structure and the state's minimum powers,"...
07:55 PM, May 10, 2013
Kolkata: In a big blow to the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered three-phase Panchayat elections in the state. The order establishes the supremacy of the state Election Commission that had opposed the Trinamool Congress government's demand to conduct two-phase elections. The court also directed the government to furnish list of observors as asked by the SEC by Saturday. The government was also...
04:35 PM, May 10, 2013
