India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
West Bengal SIR: South 24 Parganas district tops among the 24 districts in West Bengal in terms of exclusion of names of voters in the draft voters' list in the state published by the Election Commission of India (ECI) earlier on Tuesday. A total of more than eight lakh voters from the previous list as of October 2025 have been excluded from the draft voters' list for South 24 Parganas. On the other hand, the minimum number of voters' names has been excluded from the hill district of Kalimpong, where the figure is a little less than 18,000. North 24 Parganas district has witnessed an exclusion of around 7.93 lakh voters in the draft voters' list, making the district the second highest after South 24 Parganas on this count. Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district is in the distant third position, where the number of excluded voters is standing at around 4.47 lakh. Kolkata (Uttar) is in the fourth position, where the number of excluded voters is standing at around 3.91 lakh. Hooghly district is in the fifth position where the number of excluded voters is standing at around 3.18 lakh. West Burdwan district is in the sixth position where the number of excluded voters is standing at around 3.06 lakh. More than two lakh of voters have been excluded from districts like Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Kolkata (Dakshin), West Midnapore, and East Burdwan. More than one lakh of voters have been excluded from districts like Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North Dinajpur, East Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura. Less than a lakh of voters have been excluded from districts like South Dinajpur, Alipurduar, and Jhargram. With the publication of the draft voters' list, the first stage of the three-phase Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, which began on November 4, ended on December 16. Thereafter, the second phase of the SIR will commence, which will involve filing claims and objections, and the notice phase -- issuance, hearing, verification, and decision on enumeration forms and disposal of claims and objections -- to be done concurrently by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). The final voters' list will be published on February 14, 2026. In the case of West Bengal, the ECI will, after the publication of the final voters' list, announce the dates for the Assembly elections scheduled next year.
New Delhi [India], July 16 (ANI): The Indian government expressed regret on Tuesday over the reported demolition of the ancestral property of celebrated filmmaker and writer Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh and expressed its willingness to extend cooperation in its restoration. "We note with profound regret that the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, belonging to his grandfather and eminent litterateur, Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished," the Ministry of External Affairs said. Also Read | India Urges Bangladesh ...Read More >
In a key pre-festive announcement, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday declared that nearly 40,000 Durga Puja committees across the state would receive a grant of ₹1.10 lakh each from the state government. This marks a significant increase from last year's grant of ₹85,000 and comes before the election year. While addressing a gathering of Puja organisers, Banerjee said, "The government stands by the people. Durga Puja is not just a religious celebration; it is a cultural ...Read More >
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026 Live Updates: The 2026 West Bengal Assembly election is set to be a key political contest, with voting scheduled in two phases on 23 and 29 April and counting on 4 May. All 294 seats are at stake, and parties will need 148 seats to form the government. The battle is mainly between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state under Suvendu Adhikari. Tight Contest and Key Issues: The campaign is marked by strong political rivalry, welfare promises, and questions over governance and voter lists. Emp ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jun 27 (PTI) The IMD on Friday forecast heavy to very rainfall in some districts of West Bengal, owing to a low-pressure area that is likely to form over north Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal areas of the state. Heavy rainfall is likely in the south Bengal districts of North 24 Parganas, Purulia, East and West Bardhaman, Jhargram, Bankura and Hooghly till July 1, it said in a bulletin. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast very heavy rainfall in South 24 Parganas on June 29, and in East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Bankura and Hooghly on June 30. The sub-Hi ...Read More >
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch multiple development projects worth several thousand crores and address public meetings in Bihar and West Bengal on Friday. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 7,200 crores in Bihar's Motihari. He will also unveil multiple development projects worth over Rs 5,000 crores at Durgapur in West Bengal. In Bihar, Mr Modi will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation development projects catering to rail, road, rural development, fisheries, el ...Read More >
MUMBAI: The Indian equity indices opened lower on Friday as heavyweights like Axis Bank and Bharti Airtel were among the top losers in the BSE benchmark. At 9.25 am, Sensex was down 171 points or 0.21 per cent at 82, 087 and Nifty was down 35 points or 0.14 per cent at 25, 075. In the Sensex pack, M&M, Tata Steel, Power Grid, L&T, UltraTech Cement, Infosys, Tata Motors, BEL, NTPC, TCS, Trent and Maruti Suzuki were top gainers. Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tech Mahindra , HDFC Bank, Eternal (Zomato), HUL, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, Titan and Bajaj Finserv ...Read More >
PM Modi said that in six states in eastern India, gas pipelines are being laid. ShowQuick Read Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed * Prime Minister Modi launched development projects worth Rs 5,400 crore in West Bengal * Laid foundation for BPCL's Rs 1,950-crore City Gas Distribution project in Bankura and Purulia * Dedicated Rs 1,190-crore Durgapur-Kolkata natural gas pipeline under Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Did our AI summary help? Let us know. Durgapur: Prime Minister Narendra ...Read More >
Hyderabad, July 18 (UNI) In view of the ongoing heavy rains in Hyderabad, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed all concerned departments to stay on high alert and ensure swift response to public grievances. The Chief Minister instructed officials from GHMC, HMDA, Water Works, Electricity, and Police departments to work in close coordination to prevent any rain-related disruptions. He also emphasised the need for immediate action in areas facing waterlogging, power outages, or other rain-induced issues. CM Revanth Reddy further directed the deployment of SDRF, NDRF, Hydra teams, and ot ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has reaffirmed that the personal liberty of two consenting adults to marry and live together peacefully is protected under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. In a recent ruling, the court emphasised that family opposition cannot override this autonomy. Justice Sanjeev Narula stated that the Supreme Court has consistently upheld this principle, directing law enforcement to protect couples from threats or coercion. In this case, the court ordered police protection for a young couple who feared harassment from the woman's family. The couple had solemnised the ...Read More >
Kolkata, Dec 16 (SocialNews.XYZ) South 24 Parganas district tops among the 24 districts in West Bengal in terms of exclusion of names of voters in the draft voters' list in the state published by the Election Commission of India (ECI) earlier on Tuesday. A total of more than eight lakh voters from the previous list as of October 2025 have been excluded from the draft voters' list for South 24 Parganas. On the other hand, the minimum number of voters' names has been excluded from the hill district of Kalimpong, where the figure is a little less than 18,000. North 24 Parganas district has wit ...Read More >
Kolkata: The Election Commission has deleted around 58.20 lakh invalid voters' names after conducting the first phase of its special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in poll-bound West Bengal. The exact figure of the deleted voters' names is 58,20,898, according to the SIR draft roll published by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal on Tuesday. It included 127 electors at a booth in Bhowanipore of South Kolkata where chief minister Mamata Banerjee casts her vote in every poll. With the exclusion of around 58.20 lakh invalid names from the voters' list, the to ...Read More >
Kolkata School Holiday on Sept 24, 25 Due to Rain: West Bengal state Education Minister Bratya Basu announced that all government-run educational institutions in West Bengal will remain closed on September 24 and 25, following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to keep students off waterlogged roads and prevent electrocution-related accidents. Teachers and non-teaching staff have been directed to work from home to complete pending tasks during this period, before the holidays for Durga Puja take into effect, later-on this week. Basu stated that the decision was taken in view of the 'unpr ...Read More >
Kolkata, along with West Midnapore, Jhargram, Howrah, Nadia, Murshidabad and Birbhum, is also likely to be hit by heavy rain, with estimates between 7 cm and 11 cm. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a severe weather alert, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall across multiple districts of West Bengal, with the downpour expected to peak on October 2 - the day of Dashami, which marks the climactic end of the Durga Puja celebrations. According to a report by The Indian Expres ...Read More >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 18 (ANI): Reacting to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announcement of free electricity up to 125 units, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that whatever schemes the Congress party is giving in Karnataka, the entire country is following it. Speaking to the media, Shivakumar emphasised that in the entire country, Congress Party has stood for the welfare of the people. After independence, till today, whenever the Congress Party is in power, either in the Central or state government, it has given various schemes, such as pension, woman and ch ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, Oct 27: The Congress on Monday accused the Election Commission of colluding with the Modi government to carry out a "game of vote chori (voter theft)" across 12 states under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party alleged that after Bihar's revision drive, which it claimed led to the deletion of 69 lakh names, the same "exercise in voter manipulation" was now being expanded nationwide. Soon after the Election Commission on Monday announced holding Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in 12 states, the Congress questioned the exercise, and said the ...Read More >
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released its fourth list of 13 candidates for the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026, including Soma Thakur, the wife of Union Minister of State Shantanu Thakur, from the Bagda seat in the North 24 Parganas district. With this, the saffron party has named 287 candidates for the West Bengal polls, for which the polling will be held in two phases. The party has also replaced its candidate in the Maynaguri constituency, fielding Dalim Roy in place of Kaushik Roy. The party has fielded Shyamal Hati from Howrah Dakshin, Girija Shankar Roy from Natabari ...Read More >
A severe cold wave, comparable to the intensity of summer heat, is expected to sweep across West Bengal. How long will these frigid conditions persist? A severe winter is approaching, with temperatures expected to drop sharply across West Bengal. The Meteorological Department has forecast a cold wave from December 13 to 15, marking the onset of intense winter conditions. Dry weather is likely to persist until December 18, accompanied by northerly winds sweeping across the state. Light fog is ex ...Read More >
Bareilly (UP), Jul 17 (PTI) A teacher from Bahedi district, who went viral recently after reciting a poem mentioning Kanwar Yatra, approached the police on Thursday stating a threat to his life from anti-social elements. A case has been registered at Bahedi police station based on a complaint from Dr Rajneesh Kumar Gangwar, a teacher at MGM Inter College in the district. According to Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, Gangwar's complaint says that ever since his recitation of the poem 'Tum Kanwad Lene Mat Jana, Gyaan Ka Deepak Jalaana' (You don't go get Kavad, light the lamp of knowledge inste ...Read More >
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal government on Monday announced the transfer of over 500 bureaucrats amid the rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. In one of the largest reshuffles on a single day, 67 IAS and 460 West Bengal Civil Services (Executive) officers were transferred, according to a slew of notifications issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) Department. The transfer notifications were dated October 24, even as they were uploaded on the department's website in batches before and after the announcement of SIR by the Electio ...Read More >
The Election Commission has scheduled polling in West Bengal in two phases - April 23 and 29 With Assam voting on Thursday (April 9), the Bharatiya Janata Party is shifting its focus to West Bengal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to hold seven major rallies this week ahead of the first phase of polling on April 23. Party insiders claim that PM Modi's campaign blitzkrieg will help the BJP convert its strong vote-share performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election into an Assembly breakthro ...Read More >
Durgapur, July 18 (UNI) Hours ahead of his visit to this industrial hub of West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, saying the state is suffering due to the alleged misrule of the ruling party. The PM said the people of the state are looking at the BJP with hope and are convinced that the saffron party can deliver on development. "West Bengal is suffering due to TMC's misrule. People believe that only the BJP can deliver on development," Modi said on his X handle before arriving at the industrial city of East Bardhaman. He also ...Read More >
A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is set to intensify into a cyclonic storm. This weather system will bring heavy rain to several districts across West Bengal. The India Meteorological Department has issued advisories for fishermen. Light to moderate rain is expected to begin in south Bengal districts from October 27. A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, which is in the process of intensifying into a cyclonic storm, will bring heavy rain in some districts of West Bengal from October ...Read More >
Shimla, Jul 17 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to remove encroachments on forest lands, including the fruit-bearing trees, all across the state and not limit it to some areas. The order was passed by a division bench consisting of Justices Vivek Thakur and Bipin C Negi on Wednesday after the Advocate General placed on record fresh instructions issued by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, informing that 2,456 apple and other fruit trees have been felled from forest lands in Chaithla village, and 713 and 490 trees in Rohru and Kotgarh forest divisions, r ...Read More >
Durgapur (West Bengal) [India], July 18 (ANI): In a veiled take on the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Puri reiterated that petrol and diesel prices in non-BJP states are ruling above that of BJP-run states. Speaking in Durgapur, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside on the dais, Minister Puri said petrol and diesel prices are Rs 7-8 per litre lower in BJP-ruled states. Also Read | WWE SmackDown Tonight, July 18: Undisputed Champion John Cena & Cody Rhodes SummerSlam 2025 Contract Signing and Other Exciting Matches on WWE Fri ...Read More >
Kolkata, Oct 2 (PTI) A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is very likely to bring heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts of West Bengal till October 6 morning, as various parts of the state witnessed showers on Thursday, dampening Durga Puja festival spirits on its culminating day on Bijoya Dashami. The IMD said that the system is very likely to move towards the shore and cross Odisha and adjoining Andhra Pradesh coasts between Gopalpur and Paradip by Thursday night. An overcast sky and moderate rain with a spell of intense downpour from Thursday seemed to have dampened the sp ...Read More >
Kolkata: Kolkata and several south Bengal districts could be lashed by thunderstorms and gusty winds on Oct 28 and 29 under the impact of a cyclonic storm, which is set to form over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal on the morning of Oct 27. The system, which is now brewing over the southeast Bay of Bengal, turned into a low-pressure area on Friday from an upper air circulation. It is slowly moving west-northwestwards and seemed headed towards the Andhra-Tamil Nadu coast, said a private weather forecasting service. Kolkata meteorologists, however, said it was too early to ...Read More >
She cited credible reports indicating that BJP agents submitted a large number of Form 6 applications for the enrolment across districts. "These do not seem to be routine applications for voter inclusion but a mischievous ploy to include non-residents in the electoral roll," Banerjee wrote to Kumar. "There are serious concerns that these applications may pertain to individuals who are not genuine residents of Bengal and have no legitimate connection to the state. Similar patterns were reportedly ...Read More >
Kolkata, Apr 3 (PTI) Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of causing hardships to people through "mishandling" of issues such as LPG supply, demonetisation, SIR hearings and the lockdown. Addressing an election rally in West Bengal's Purulia district in support of party candidate Arjun Mahato from Joypur Assembly seat, Banerjee alleged that prices of essential commodities have risen sharply under the present dispensation. "Prices of LPG cylinders have risen from Rs 400 to Rs 1,000, milk from Rs 28 to over Rs 60, kerosene from Rs 14 to Rs 40. Pric ...Read More >
Kolkata, May 20 (PTI) The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday forecast heavy rain in the northern districts of West Bengal, and thunderstorms in the state's southern parts till Friday. It said that an upper air cyclonic circulation over north Bangladesh, and presence of favourable wind pattern and moisture incursion from Bay of Bengal will lead to enhanced thunderstorms with gusty winds, accompanied with heavy rainfall over some districts of West Bengal. Thunderstorms with gusty winds, lightning and light to moderate rainfall are likely to occur in south Bengal districts, including Jh ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jul 18 (PTI) A three-storey chawl collapsed in the western suburb of Bandra here in the early hours of Friday, with at least 10 people feared trapped in the debris, civic officials said. As many as seven people have been rescued from the debris so far and admitted to the civic-run Bhabha Hospital, they said. According to preliminary information, chawl number 37 in the Bharat Nagar area of Bandra East collapsed around 5.56 am. Eight fire engines are at the spot along with teams from the Mumbai police and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's local ward machinery, an official from ...Read More >