Bongaon: Contrasting scenes marked the second phase of the assembly elections across the Matua heartland in Bongaon on Wednesday, where a family contest unfolded alongside voter discontent over exclusions from the roll.At the centre of attention was the face-off within the Thakur family. Trinamool candidate and MLA Madhuparna Thakur locked horns with BJP nominee Soma…
Kolkata: For electors with disabilities, polling arrangements in Kolkata during the second phase drew mixed reactions. While some praised the EC efforts to improve accessibility, others flagged missing ramps at several booths, making entry difficult for wheelchair users.Disability rights activist Jeeja Ghosh, who was born with cerebral palsy, said arrangements were significantly better this year…
Kolkata: A strong sense of political awareness and civic duty brought large numbers of first-time voters out of their daily routines and into queues at polling stations across the city on Wednesday. For many, it was not just about casting a vote but about participating in a process they had long heard about from elders.Those…
Kolkata: An 85-year-old voter who conscientiously voted in all previous elections was denied the opportunity to do so on technical grounds on Wednesday despite her name being there on the voter list. Anuradha Dasgupta, who lives in Bansdroni under the Tollygunge assembly constituency, went to the polling booth at Khanpur Primary School for Boys around…
Kolkata: Polling booths a few steps down, gated communities woke up to ‘Duare vote’ on Wednesday when the state went to poll in its second phase. For a majority of residents, it was the first time that they got to cast votes on their own campuses. With the convenience of polling at doorsteps, the residents,…
Kolkata: Come rain or shine, voters on Wednesday did not seem bothered by the weather, the sense of unease following the SIR exercise apparently being a stronger motive. Picnic Garden resident Gouri Routh, who was released from hospital two days ago, did not think twice about going to vote, even when it rained. Gouri and…
Kolkata/Lucknow: Bengal’s record turnout left both Trinamool and BJP claiming the mandate on Wednesday, with CM Mamata Banerjee predicting a two-thirds majority for Trinamool and PM Narendra Modi expressing confidence that BJP will form govt in the state for the first time.A Trinamool senior said the party is internally projecting a tally north of 230…
Srinagar/Kolkata: Lending support to Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee‘s charge that the only thing left to be deployed in Bengal for elections were naval warships and Rafale fighter jets, netas like former J&K CM Farooq Abdullah and Aaditya Thackeray also questioned it.“Are Bengalis not being trusted,” asked National Conference president Abdullah on Wednesday while…
Gaighata: A controversy erupted during polling in the Gaighata Assembly constituency in North 24-Parganas after central forces personnel prevented several elderly men from entering a booth allegedly for wearing lungi, prompting charges of harassment and raising questions on the security forces’ role.This took place at Kuchulia Primary School in Kuchulia village near Gobardanga.Villagers claimed a…
KOLKATA: Bhowanipore, long known for its quiet polling days and indifferent turnout among its affluent voters, witnessed an unusually charged election on Wednesday, as high drama, heavy security presence and an energised electorate reshaped the constituency’s voting culture.The upscale pockets of the VIP seat – home to upper- and upper-middle-class residents who traditionally treated polling…
