West Bengal

Kolkata, Feb 21 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that a special investigation team (SIT) will be formed to probe student leader Anish Khan's "mysterious" death that has sparked widespread protests by opposition parties.

Banerjee, who also holds the Home (Police) portfolio, said that the SIT will submit its report to her within 15 days.

She also claimed that the former Left leader, who later joined the Indian Secular Front, used to keep in touch with her party, the Trinamool Congress.

Kolkata, Feb 17 (PTI) Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, was greeted with pro-Mamata Banerjee slogans by Trinamool Congress workers on Thursday during his door to door campaign for the saffron party candidates in Contai Municipality area of Purba Medinipur district.

Kolkata, Feb 14 (PTI) Nine months after its landslide win in the West Bengal assembly polls, the Trinamool Congress on Monday reaffirmed its dominance among urban voters as it made a clean sweep in the elections to four municipal corporations.

The TMC retained control of Bidhannagar, Chandernagore and Asansol municipal corporations and wrested power in Siliguri from the CPI(M)-led Left Front.

Both the vote share and the number of seats for the TMC in these civic bodies were much higher than the last election held in 2015.

Kolkata, Feb 13 (PTI) Three BJP leaders, who had withdrawn their nominations for polls to the Garulia Municipality in West Bengal, on Sunday made their way back to the Trinamool Congress, voicing grievance over the saffron party's style of functioning.

Polls to 108 municipalities, including Garulia, are scheduled to be held on February 27.

The three leaders - former MLA Sunil Singh, his son Aditya and Garulia Municipality's ex-chairperson Saurabh Singh - had withdrawn their nominations on Saturday.

Kolkata, Feb 3 (PTI) The West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC) on Thursday issued a notification to announce that elections to 108 municipalities in the state will be held on February 27.

The notification, however, did not mention the date of vote counting, which, the officials said, will be declared later.

"Elections to 108 municipalities will be held on February 27. The date of counting will be announced later. The entire election process will be completed by March 8, an SEC official said.

Kolkata, Jan 24 (PTI) BJP Monday suspended its senior West Bengal leaders Ritesh Tiwari and Jaiprakash Majumdar, who were show caused on January 23, for violating the party discipline.

A statement issued by the West Bengal BJP unit said Tiwari and Majumdar have been suspended till the party's disciplinary committee completes its investigation under instructions of BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar.

Kolkata, Jan 13 (PTI) BJP's West Bengal unit president Sukanta Majumdar on Thursday dissolved all the departments and cells of the party in the state amid growing resentment among its leaders.

The BJP has 35 departments and 15 cells in West Bengal. Among these are the legal department and the refugee cell.

"As per instructions of Dr Sukanta Majumdar, all departments and cells stand dissolved till the time they are reconstituted, and new appointments are made," said a statement issued by the state BJP.

Kolkata, Jan 4 (PTI) In an embarassment to BJP, Union Minister and prominent member of the Matua community, Shantanu Thakur has quit all WhatsApp groups of the party.

Confirming it, Thakur, the union minister of state for shipping Tuesday told reporters "It seems the state BJP leadership does not think we (Matuas) have an important role within the organisation".

He also wondered if he has any importance in the BJP state unit any more.

Thakur, who refused to say anything else, did not take phone calls by PTI.

Kolkata, Jan 3 (PTI) Two more jute mills - India Jute and Gondalpara Jute Mills - shut down in the first few days of the new year.

The jute mills each employing 4,000 workers owned by the same group issued `suspension of work 'notices.

Jute industry officials on Monday claimed the mills each employing around 4000 workers each under the same management were forced to close down over raw material concerns. Earlier last year about ten mills had taken similar steps.

Kolkata, Jan 1 (PTI) Twenty-four years after Mamata Banerjee formed the Trinamool Congress on January 1, 1998 to unseat the Left Front from power in West Bengal, her party has transcended the geographical boundaries of the eastern state and now attempts to expand its footprint across the country to pose a direct challenge to the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.