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Jyoti basu is dead

Dr.B.R.Ambedkar

Thursday, June 3, 2010

DIDIGIRI Updates

DIDIGIRI Updates

No early assembly polls: Biman Bose

Sify - ‎10 hours ago‎
Kolkata: Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which spearheads the Left Front government in West Bengal, on Wednesday ruled out any possibility of an ...

Aha! Dr Bose catches a statistical straw

Calcutta Telegraph - ‎16 hours ago‎
Calcutta, June 2: A decisive drubbing in Calcutta and several other civic bodies across the state has forced the Left Front to dip into an innovative ...





Queen of Calcutta, not of Bengal yet
Buddha loses popular mandate

Calcutta, June 2: Repeating the trend of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Bengal has again voted decisively against the Left. The results of the civic polls across the state should leave Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in no doubt that he has lost the popular mandate to rule.

The verdict is yet another confirmation of the big political transformation that has been taking place in Bengal since the panchayat polls two years ago. At the centre of the change is the people's rejection of the Left. And it is growing stronger from election to election.

True, these were civic polls and the voters numbered about 16 per cent of Bengal's total electorate. Constitutionally, the government can last one more year. But these arguments do not alter the fact that the verdict has robbed Left rule of its political and moral legitimacy.

More than ever before, Mamata Banerjee's call for early polls would not only look justified but also have a wider popular appeal. In rejecting the idea for early polls, the CPM's politburo member M.K. Pandhe and Bengal unit secretary Biman Bose were utterly predictable, but that only seemed to highlight the hiatus between the party and the people.

The CPM's refusal to accept the people's verdict and seek a fresh mandate can only strengthen Mamata's resolve to force the issue. For, the people who voted overwhelmingly for her call for change could see in the CPM's refusal a brazen attempt to hold on to power.

The massive swing against the Left has been mostly her doing. The results show that her campaign to forge a broad unity against the Left has not only held but also intensified since the 2009 polls.

Nowhere was the popular mood stronger than in Calcutta, which has been her primary base for a long time. For all the CPM's campaigns against her over the recent train disaster, her party's alleged links with Maoists and other issues, the people seemed to have settled for just one thing — the ouster of the Left.

Mamata's massive victory in Calcutta has few parallels in recent politics in Bengal. Her break-up with the Congress makes it look ever more awesome.

But the results have another message that clearly makes Mamata's victory less than complete. She made a clean sweep of Calcutta, but failed to take the rest of Bengal.

The difference between Calcutta and the districts for the Trinamul Congress is a striking feature of the results. While Trinamul won Calcutta and Salt Lake overwhelmingly on its own strength, it could get only 25 of the 79 civic boards in the districts. Hidden under that tally is the fact that in at least seven of these municipalities, Trinamul's success was made easier by official or unofficial seat adjustments with the Congress.

An important tale thus hangs by the "hung" verdict in as many as 29 municipalities. Mamata was confident that Trinamul would form the board in most of these civic bodies and the party may well do so.

But that does not change the fact that she could not take the rest of Bengal the way she swept Calcutta. She would need the Congress to form the boards in the "hung" municipalities. This means that even such a massive wave against the Left is not enough for Trinamul to seize power in Bengal on its own. This may change but it is so at least at this moment.

It is entirely possible, though, that many Congress winners will leave the party and join Trinamul to help the latter form the boards. But the results in the districts prove beyond doubt that Mamata's run for Writers' Buildings could still be an open question without help from the Congress.

As for the Congress, the first look at the results could be somewhat misleading. With the break-up of the alliance, its chances never looked very bright. Mamata's campaign against the Left has always had another significant political angle — the spread of her area of influence had to be at the expense of both the Left and other non-Left parties such as the Congress.

It is still unclear how much the Congress vote queered the pitch for Trinamul in the municipalities in the districts where the two parties fought each other. What is clear, however, is that the Congress has held on to its traditional areas of strength, such as Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Malda, Murshidabad and parts of Burdwan and Nadia. And this too braving the double onslaught of the CPM and Trinamul.

While the Left may become yesterday's story, the Congress could be more relevant than Mamata would like to admit. To capture Bengal whenever the Assembly polls take place, she may need the Congress more than the latter may need her because it is she, more than the Congress, who wants to rule Bengal hereafter.

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-- http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100603/jsp/frontpage/story_12518150.jsp

Hung, it is time to reach out
29 municipalities tickle Trinamul and Congress

Calcutta, June 2: The elections have thrown up as many as 29 hung municipalities, prompting Mamata Banerjee to soften her stand on the Congress and say she would welcome its support to form civic boards.

In each of the 29 hung civic bodies, estranged allies Trinamul Congress and Congress can together form the board. Independents can also make a difference in some boards but they usually wait for the picture to become clear on who holds the edge before revealing their cards.

Mamata had dubbed the Congress "a party of betrayers" and its leaders "CPM agents'' during the campaign. Today, she said: "We have no complaints against any political party for the failure of the alliance in the municipal elections. They might have had some compulsions. But I am with the UPA and will continue to be part of the coalition at the Centre to serve the people."

She added: "If my UPA friend extends support to help us form civic boards in places where there is a hung verdict, I shall feel obliged to them."

Asked whether the Congress would offer support to Trinamul to form boards, state Congress working president Pradip Bhattacharya said: "We wanted an alliance with Trinamul though it didn't happen. But it's good that Mamata wants our support.

"I have talked to Pranabda (Pranab Mukherjee) today. The verdict across the state has been anti-Left, and the votes in the hung bodies went mostly in favour of Trinamul or the Congress. So, what's wrong in joining hands to form municipal bodies?''

In the past, the state has been witness to post-poll alliances between the Congress and Trinamul to form local bodies.

After the 2008 panchayat elections, there were such tie-ups in several districts, leading to the formation of non-Left gram panchayats and panchayat samitis.

North 24-Parganas, where 21 municipalities went to the polls on May 30, has the highest number of hung civic bodies: nine. Hooghly has four: Konnagar, Serampore, Rishra and Champdani.

In Maoist-hit West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, five of the 12 municipalities spread across the belt have witnessed hung verdicts.

In north Bengal, where seven municipalities went to the polls, only two have hung bodies. The fate of Cooch Behar's Mathabhanga municipality, where there's a tie between Trinamul and the Left, may be decided by a flip of the coin.

Of the 19 municipalities spread across Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia and South 24-Parganas, nine require the Congress and Trinamul to tie up to form the board.

Murshidabad, where six municipalities have held elections, is the only district without a hung verdict.


Jitters give way to shouts of joy

Rabi Mondol's eyes were closed and hands folded. Standing outside Hare School on College Street, the 32-year-old electrician from Tara Chand Dutta Street was praying.

"The initial trends are not encouraging. I hope my party maintains the momentum it gained in the Lok Sabha elections last year," muttered the die-hard Mamata Banerjee supporter around 9.30am, when Left Front candidates were going neck and neck with those of the Trinamul Congress.

M for mania: What Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya defined as "mob hysteria" for Trinamul, was evident in — (from left) a car near Nicco Park , a foam shower near Mamata's home and a bike brigade in Alipore. (Pradip Sanyal, Amit Datta, Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya)

An hour later, the picture had changed. A smiling Mondol reached into his trouser pocket. When he brought his hands out, he was holding a fistful of green abir.

"I bought abir yesterday but did not want to bring it out before becoming sure that my party was going to win the election. Now we are going to celebrate," said Mondol, before blowing a bugle.

Hundreds of Trinamul supporters who had been anxiously tracking trends erupted in jubilation at the sound. Huge party flags appeared from nowhere and covered the sky. Slogans like "Jidhar Mamata, udhar janta" and "Thanda thanda, cool cool, jeete gelo Trinamul" filled the air.

More youths arrived on motorcycles, carrying abir, flags and badges with Mamata's picture and distributed these among supporters.

The scenes in south Calcutta, Trinamul's bastion, were no different. The party supporters were celebrating outside every counting centre.

Those outside Ballygunge Government School — many were waiting since dawn with party flags and abir — were the most jubilant. The party won all the 11 seats, whose votes were being counted in the school. "We have won all the seats in borough VIII. It's a clean sweep for us," yelled Sayan Chakraborty to every familiar face he saw around him.

The party workers paraded a man in his mid-40s, wearing a garland of edible oil bottles and packets of cereals. "This is to say that the Left Front government is responsible for the price hike and the results reflect that," said Chakraborty.

Trinamul supporters outside Jodhpur Park Girls' High School, another counting centre, could scarcely believe the change in the party's fortunes. "Last time, we won only two out of the seven seats in borough XII. This time we won six seats in there," declared Pranab Dey, who had been standing outside the school for hours.

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100603/jsp/frontpage/story_12518104.jsp
Centre orders CBI probe into train crash

New Delhi, June 2: The UPA government today accepted Mamata Banerjee's demand and ordered a CBI probe into the Jnaneswari Express tragedy, the decision coming within hours of her party sweeping the Bengal civic polls.

The probe has apparently been ordered under a section of the law that doesn't require the consent of the state government, which had told the Centre two days ago that the CBI needn't step in as the state CID was on the job.

"The investigation will be done by the CBI because the incident happened on railway property. It will be a joint probe," a senior official of the Union home ministry said. Explaining "joint probe", he said it would be headed by the CBI, with the Bengal CID and the railway police as "associates". The notification for the CBI probe will be issued tomorrow.

Mamata suspected a political conspiracy in the disaster that killed 150 people. But Union home minister P. Chidambaram said the "needle of suspicion" pointed towards Maoists.

Publicly, however, the ministry claimed that it had the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government's "consent". "The state has consented," the official stressed. G.K. Pillai, the Union home secretary, spoke to Bengal chief secretary Ardhendu Sen and home secretary Samar Ghosh today, informing them about the decision.

The move came after the home department received a railway ministry letter saying the state's consent wasn't needed under Section 5 (1) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, which sets rules for CBI probes.

Trying to remove the impression of a U-turn, home ministry officials argued that they had sought the Bengal government's consent earlier this week under Section 6A of the same act, which makes such concurrence mandatory.

Section 5 (1) states: "The central government may by order extend (the) powers and jurisdiction of (a) member of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (in this case the CBI) for the investigation of any offences or classes of offences to any area (including railways areas) in a state."

In Calcutta, home secretary Ghosh said a letter from the Union home secretary's office had also reached Writers' Buildings today. "I have received the letter and also talked to him (Pillai) on the matter."

When it was pointed out that the CID was already probing the case, Ghosh said: "If it is found that the CBI will be probing the same issues and aspects of the sabotage, there will be no inquiry by the CID. Otherwise both inquiries may continue simultaneously."

State police chief Bhupinder Singh almost echoed him, saying that even if the CBI conducts an inquiry, it sometimes seeks help from the state government. "We will provide them (the CBI) with assistance if they require. Sometimes, they start from the beginning, sometimes they pick up from the point till which the CID has completed its inquiry," he said.

Why she can't do without Cong

Calcutta, June 2: Down in Calcutta, but very much a player out there in Bengal. That could sum up the state of the Bengal Congress after the verdict in the civic polls.

And no one would know this better than Mamata Banerjee.

Mamata's massive win in Calcutta may not show it, but the results in the districts tell a different story about the Congress's performance.

There were two aspects of the Congress's battle in these polls after the break-up of its alliance with the Trinamul Congress — how much of its own territory it could retain and what difference it could make to Trinamul's fortunes. Together, they added up to a battle for India's grand old party's survival in Bengal.

In Calcutta, the Congress may not have done anything to stop Mamata's unstoppable march for complete domination of the battle. But even in the city, its tally of 10 seems to suggest that its calculated risk of going it alone was worth taking. The alternative available to it was to accept Mamata's offer of 23 seats, of which at least 15 were unwinnable because of the huge margins by which the Left had always won them.

The results have proved the Congress's fears about these seats were entirely justified. According to Congress sources, the party could barely win five or six seats if it had accepted Mamata's "dishonourable" offer. Forced to fight on its own, the party has managed to win 10.

But the party's big satisfaction comes from the results in the districts. It has not only been able to retain its bases in districts like Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Malda, Murshidabad and some parts of Nadia and Burdwan but also improved on past performances.

It has not been even across the districts, with unforeseen ups and downs, but the overall tally keeps the party's hopes of survival alive. In Jalpaiguri, for instance, the party not only retained control of the civic board, but actually improved on its score of 2005, picking up 16 of the seats, as against Trinamul's one.

In the English Bazar municipality in Malda, it is the same story of the Congress of bettering its own record of 2005.

In Murshidabad, where the party has its strongest base among the districts, thanks to the combined efforts of Pranab Mukherjee and Adhir Choudhury, the party's score rose from two to three.

These are clear results and the Congress's performance is openly visible. What is not so open but politically significant is the Congress's help to Trinamul in municipalities that the latter won. Of the 25 bodies which Trinamul won on its own, there were official and unofficial seat adjustments with the Congress.

In several others, Congress nominees withdrew their candidatures by issuing leaflets, making Trinamul wins easier.

For example, Trinamul's successes in the traditional Red belt of Burdwan were due to the Congress in no small measure. In at least three civic bodies in Burdwan — Kalna, Memari and Daihat — and in Kharar in West Midnapore, there were official seat adjustments between the two.

In two other places in East Midnapore — Chandrakona and Khirpai — unofficial adjustments with the Congress helped Trinamul win them for the first time.

In Kharary, where there are 20 seats, the Congress did not put up any candidate. In many other places, especially in south Bengal, the Congress did not win but made Trinamul's wins possible.

But the success of the Congress's gamble showed best in the 29 "hung" boards, where the party proved it was still very much a player in Bengal politics. To put it from another angle, if Trinamul got only 27 boards out of the 79, barring Calcutta and Salt Lake, it had a lot to do with the Congress vote.

The Congress's show confirms that the party may be irrelevant in Calcutta but not in all Bengal. And it can help the party quote its part of the deal with Mamata in the 2011 Assembly polls. That the party's alliance with Trinamul would be revived for the state polls was not much in doubt.

The crucial question for the party in Bengal, said a senior leader, is whether its high command will emulate the state leaders' example of standing up on their own against a "humiliating" offer from Mamata again.

The party's leaders, including PCC working president, Pradip Bhattacharyya, today made it clear that they would help Trinamul in forming boards in all the hung municipalities.

What they didn't say in public but hoped was that Mamata would reciprocate the gesture not just now but also for the Assembly polls.

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The seven that withstood the winds of change: why and how they did it

June 2: The winds of change failed to have any major impact on the seven municipalities in north Bengal that went to the polls on May 30 along with 74 others across the state.

Although the Trinamul Congress made marginal gains in the four municipalities in Cooch Behar district, the status remains more or less the same in all seven in the region except for Mathabhanga. In Cooch Behar's Mathabhanga, the CPM and Trinamul won six seats each and the civic board will be determined by the toss of a coin.

The outcome in Dinhata, also in Cooch Behar, was particularly disappointing for Trinamul as it was there that the party had made its first major breakthrough by defeating the Forward Bloc on its home turf in the 2006 Assembly elections. Although there was a pro-Trinamul wave during the run-up to the polls, the party had little to show for it (see chart below).

The Congress, however, will have to fall back upon Trinamul in the two municipalities of Cooch Behar and Englishbazar in Malda to gain control of the respective boards as they do not have single majority in either.

So where were the winds that swept Trinamul into the Calcutta Municipal Corporation and many more municipalities in south Bengal?

"I noticed during the campaign by Trinamul leaders in north Bengal that they only harped on the issues of Singur and Nandigram and highlighted their allegations about the CPM's terror tactics. Frankly speaking, these events have been taking place too far away for the electorate here to sit up and notice," said Sanjoy Chakrabarty, the secretary of the Jalpaiguri Welfare Organisation, an NGO.

The people here, Chakrabarty felt, were habituated to seeing Mamata Banerjee jump into the fray whenever something cropped up in south Bengal but she rarely came to the north. "She visited the closed Kanthalguri tea garden in August 2007, five years after it had been shut down and toured the other estates too the same year," said Chakrabarty, who is not known to have any political leanings and is well-known in the district.

In fact, Chakrabarty said, north Bengal has been a traditional Congress belt, barring Cooch Behar district, where the Left Front has retained power in the three municipalities of Mathabhanga, Toofangunj and Dinhata. "The Left has retained the Old Malda municipality as well and the Congress fared marginally better in Englishbazar," he said.

Other observers pointed out that never during their campaigns did the Trinamul leadership touch upon issues like the situation in the Darjeeling hills, closed tea gardens and the overall underdevelopment of the region. "The Congress and CPM leadership mentioned these issues during their campaigns. Leaders like Nirupam Sen (CPM) and Deepa Das Munshi (Congress) were very prompt to raise these issues," the observer said.

Trinamul district leaders blamed the top brass for the poor show in north Bengal. A senior party leader in Cooch Behar said the state leaders paid scant attention to the party organisation in the district. "We had to put up with the money and muscle power of the CPM and the Congress during the campaign, very little was sent to us from Calcutta," a district leader rued.

"We would have certainly done better had the top party leadership concentrated a little more on Englishbazar rather than put in all their efforts behind Calcutta and south Bengal. We had Partha Chatterjee campaigning for the party on one occasion and it was plain that he was just going through the motions," said Babla Sarkar, a Trinamul state committee member in Malda.

He said the party's poor show in Englishbazar could also be attributed to very poor campaigning. "In some wards, the party had put up very weak candidates, like Dolly Chowdhury in ward 14. She is a greenhorn and she could not poll more than 574," Sarkar said.

Malda district president of Trinamul Gautam Chakrabarty alleged that unlike in Calcutta, where the absence of an alliance with the Congress did not affect the anti-Left votes, it was not the case in Englishbazar. "In many wards the anti-Left votes were split between us and the Congress," he said.

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Trinamul buzz ends in whimper in Dinhata

Cooch Behar, June 2: The buzz that the Trinamul Congress would make inroads into the Dinhata municipality had been born after the 2006 Assembly elections when the party sank its teeth for the first time into the traditional Forward Bloc bastion.

But despite the buzz, the Left Front retained the Dinhata municipality this time by winning 13 of the 15 wards. Trinamul could not increase its tally that stuck to two seats. The Congress that had won two wards in 2005 has been wiped out of the Dinhata civic body.

Trinamul's Ashok Mondol, who had defeated Udayan Guha, the son of late Bloc stalwart Kamal Guha, by 3,630 votes in the 2006 Assembly elections, won from ward 6. The other Trinamul winner is Rabi Dey in ward 11.

All Bloc candidates fielded in nine wards won. The CPM that had fielded five candidates and supported an Independent won in four wards.

Political observers here pointed out that after his defeat in the Assembly elections, Guha concentrated on strengthening the Bloc which had been riddled by factionalism, particularly after the demise of Kamal Guha.

"After tasting defeat in the hands of the Trinamul Congress, Udayan, instead of becoming aloof remained active in politics and continued to rally his forces. Another major factor was the close and coordinated strategies that he adopted with the CPM in the district, something that was rarely seen earlier," an observer said.

In fact, the killing of five Bloc supporters on February 5, 2008, in a police firing in front of the subdivisional office in Dinhata had left the two Left Front partners opposed to each other. "This had an effect on the May 2008 panchayat polls and Trinamul made inroads into panchayat samities where the Left had sitting MLAs," the observer said.

However, he said it was quite surprising to see the rapport Guha had built with the CPM in recent times so that the Dinhata municipality remained with the Left Front.

It is not that Trinamul had not gained in the district. "The party has won from three wards in Cooch Behar, six in Mathabhanga and four in Toofanganj taking its number up from six to 15 in all the four municipalities in Cooch Behar district.

"The Left Front will independently form the boards in the Dinhata and Toofanganj municipalities. We are satisfied with the results and the people have voted in our favour," Guha said after the results were declared.

The district president of Trinamul, Rabindranath Ghosh, did not have much to say. "We will have to analyse the results, that is all I can say at the moment," he said.


Hung verdicts trigger pact talk

Calcutta, June 2: The elections have thrown up as many as 29 hung municipalities, prompting Mamata Banerjee to soften her stand on the Congress and say she would welcome its support to form civic boards.

In each of the 29 hung civic bodies, estranged allies Trinamul Congress and Congress can together form the board.

Mamata had dubbed the Congress "a party of betrayers" and its leaders "CPM agents'' during the campaign. Today, she said: "We have no complaints against any political party for the failure of the alliance in the municipal elections. They might have had some compulsions. But I am with the UPA and will continue to be part of the coalition at the Centre to serve the people."

She added: "If my UPA friend extends support to help us form civic boards in places where there is a hung verdict, I shall feel obliged to them."

Asked whether the Congress would offer support to Trinamul to form boards, state Congress working president Pradip Bhattacharya said: "We wanted an alliance with Trinamul though it didn't happen. But it's good that Mamata wants our support.

"I have talked to Pranabda (Pranab Mukherjee) today. The verdict across the state has been anti-Left, and the votes in the hung bodies went mostly in favour of Trinamul or the Congress. So, what's wrong in joining hands to form municipal bodies?''

In the past, the state has been witness to post-poll alliances between the Congress and Trinamul to form local bodies. After the 2008 panchayat elections, there were such tie-ups in several districts, leading to the formation of non-Left gram panchayats and panchayat samitis.

North 24-Parganas, where 21 municipalities went to the polls on May 30, has the highest number of hung civic bodies: nine. Hooghly has four: Konnagar, Serampore, Rishra and Champdani.

In Maoist-hit West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, five of the 12 municipalities spread across the belt have witnessed hung verdicts.

Of the 19 municipalities spread across Burdwan, Birbhum, Nadia and South 24-Parganas, nine require the Congress and Trinamul to tie up to form the board. Murshidabad, where six municipalities have held elections, is the only district without a hung verdict.

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City changes colour as winds of change sweep wards of war
- Mamata the new queen of 'cool'

Mamata Banerjee may have earned herself a new moniker along with a mandate for change: "Didi Cool".

"Hain Didi, ekdom cool…ekhon porjonto dekhachhe aamra Calcutta-ey 92. Kintu chinta-r kono karon nei. Ekdom cool, aami aachhi, Mukul (Roy) aachhe (Ok Didi, absolutely cool…so far we have won 92 in Calcutta. Nothing to worry about. Absolutely cool…I am there, so is Mukul)," Trinamul Congress MLA Madan Mitra assures Mamata over the phone around 10.20am.

The railway minister has instructed Man Wednesday Mitra to make sure party cadres remain "cool" and do not make a show of what is turning out to be a red rout by the green army in the city.

"Didi ekhuni flight-e uthechhe. 12.30-er modhye neme jaabe (Didi has just boarded the flight. She will land by 12.30pm)," Mitra announces outside the Trinamul office on Harish Chatterjee Street.

A roar greets the announcement but the crowd falls silent as Mitra cautions them: "Please…please, we are under strict instructions from Didi not to shout slogans or celebrate at the airport or any other public place."

Sure enough, as Mamata walks out through the VIP enclosure of the airport at 12.45pm, she is greeted not by a crowd of delirious supporters but a muted group of party workers whose "cool" quotient on their day of triumph seems inversely proportional to the heat of the Celsius.

There are no slogans, no cries of "Didi…Didi", not even a wave of the party flag. Mamata, cellphone to the ear, smiles in approval.

"It's a historic victory…a victory for Maa, Mati, Manush. The CPM should leave on its own now," declares Mamata before getting into the front seat of her black Santro, accompanied at the back by her confidential assistant Ratan Mukherjee and a bodyguard.

As the five-car convoy speeds down the Rajarhat Expressway, party supporters who have got wind of Mamata's arrival are milling at the Chinar Park crossing to stop the vehicles and congratulate their leader. Mamata waves at them as her Santro slows down, then pleads with them to be "shanto (calm)". Another wave of the hand and a smile, and she is gone.

At Chingrihata, where the EM Bypass curves before straightening to hit the high-speed corridor, the sight of a white Maruti 800 with Mamata staring out of its rear windshield catches the lady's attention. The convoy slows down.

"Didi wants that car to be kept out of the convoy. This is not a victory procession," an aide conveys Mamata's wish to a Special Branch officer in one of the vehicles following the Santro.

Cool. Convoy moves again.

It is 1.32pm when Mamata reaches Harish Chatterjee Street, her home and party office. She is smiling but won't get off the car until the crowd of flag-waving supporters is pushed back. Today, she must play it cool.

"Apnara sorey jaan nahole Didi namben na (Didi won't get off if you don't move back a bit)," shouts Mitra before asking the Special Branch personnel to help clear the way.

The 1,000-strong crowd cools down, though not for long. "Mamata aaschhe...ma bonera hanschhe (Mamata's coming…mothers and sisters are smiling)," shouts a supporter.

Mamata doesn't complain, which is encouragement enough for another wisecrack slogan. "Didi tumi korle ki? CPM ebar khabe ki (Didi what have you done? What will the CPM eat now)?"

Mamata makes her way through the adoring crowd to reach her home, where mother Gayatri Devi is waiting for her. Daughter bends down to touch her feet and mother lifts her to give a big hug and a broad smile. The crowd cheers. Loud enough for Mamata to play the cool card again.

"Please be calm…I am requesting you with folded hands to be modest in victory," she beseeches.

The crowd goes quiet.

"I thank you for your tireless labour over the last two months, and I now ask you to go home, have a bath, have some food and sleep. There should be no celebration now. We will celebrate this victory in a big way on July 21," she announces.

A young, enthusiastic supporter with a Mamata sticker on his forehead and a flag in his hand looks disappointed.

"Lokkhi chhele, baba ebar tomra ghore jaao (Good boy, now you please go home)," Mamata pleads one last time.

She has her way. Yet again. It's her day.


Red bastion goes green
- Streets of revelry for one, roads to avoid for another

As the fate of the candidates was being sealed, Metro reporters scanned the mood at some of the counting centres across the city.

Where: Jodhpur Park Girls School, Jodhpur Park

Time: 8.20am-8.45am

Wards: 103 to 109 (Dhakuria and Kasba)

What we saw: Upbeat Trinamul supporters, carrying party flags and wearing headbands, had gathered around the school. CPM supporters were standing at a distance, quietly.

Where: Hare School, College Street

Time: 8am-9.30am, noon-1pm

Wards: 36-37, 40-45 and 48-50 (New CIT Road, CR Avenue, College Street, Amherst Street)

What we saw: Party workers and common people started trooping in even before the counting started. The initial drift was in the Left's favour but the trend reversed soon after. By afternoon, the area resembled a sea of green.

Where: Jadavpur Sanmilita Balika Vidyalaya, Baghajatin

Time: 9am-10am

Wards: 101-102, 110-114 (Tollygunge, Garia and Jadavpur)

What we saw: Around 150 CPM supporters had gathered beside the school, occasionally cheering as trends trickled out. Across the road, Trinamul supporters were seated in rows of chairs.

Where: Ballygunge Government High School, Beltala

Time: 10.30am-11.30am

Wards: 68-73, 84-87, 90 (Bhowanipore, Ballygunge, Deshapriya Park, Southern Avenue and other areas)

What we saw: Around 300 Trinamul supporters were dancing, shouting slogans and smearing one another with green abir as trends showed their candidates were ahead in all 11 wards. Not a single CPM supporter was around.

Where: Bethune Collegiate School, Bidhan Sarani

Time: 9.30am-10.30am

Wards: 21-28, 38 and 39 (Cossipore, BT Road, Posta, Sir Hari Ram Goenka Street, Kalakar Street and MG Road)

What we saw: Supporters of almost all parties were scattered around but once the trends started emerging, BJP and Trinamul workers hit the street, forcing police to divert traffic on Bidhan Sarani for almost an hour.

Where: Jaipuria College, Raja Naba Krishna Street

Time: 10.30am-noon

Wards: 10-12, 15-20 (Narkeldanga, Rajabazar, Beleghata, Maniktala)

What we saw: Police had to put up barricades to separate slogan-shouting supporters of the CPM and Trinamul. The CPM won two wards but its celebration paled when Trinamul broke into raptures, hailing their victory in the rest of the wards.

Caption

Where: Mahadevi Birla Girls High School, Darga Road

Time: Noon-1.30pm

Wards: 56-59, 63-67 (Tangra, Pottery Road, Christopher Road and other areas)

What we saw: Around 500 Trinamul supporters were inside the Park Circus maidan while the rival camp was represented by only five men near bridge No. 4. The Left Front ranks, however, swelled to 100 within minutes of Trinamul heavyweight Javed Khan's defeat being announced. Both groups headed for a face-off. The cops immediately took up position and RAF personnel started patrolling Darga Road. A showdown was averted.

Where: Barisha High School, Behala

Time: 9am-9.30am

Wards: 115-123 (east Behala, Roy Bahadur Road, Thakurpukur and Haridevpur)

What we saw: Trinamul supporters danced and shouted slogans every time there was an announcement that their candidates were leading. Traffic came to a standstill at times, as the Mamata brigade chose to celebrate its moment of glory bang in the middle of the road. CPM supporters, outnumbered, were standing across the thoroughfare. Forlorn.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100603/jsp/calcutta/story_12518114.jsp

Mamata as engine, She Express speeds into civic corridor
women won 68 wards out of 141

In the drawing room of Congressman Ram Pyare Ram, the seasoned politician is jubilant. Not because he has won, for a ninth time. But because his wife has won.

Hema Ram, 52, has been elected councillor from ward 80. This will be her second stint at the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC). She had first won in 2005. "Ward 80 became a woman's ward and my husband needed a candidate he could trust. So he chose me," she says.

"I knew I would win," she says. In fact, that was her first thought after the municipal poll results were announced on Wednesday. Two factors that she thinks helped her win in the Port area were "the years of good work put in by my husband and the help and efforts of the party-workers".

Hema is one of the 68 women who have won the municipal polls this year. But this time, the ward was not reserved for women. She seems to have come some way after being "chosen" to fill a seat.

So many women in the CMC — about a half of it is female. And about a third of the elected women won from unreserved tickets. For some of them, it's an achievement.

For 26-year-old Sweta Indoria, too, victory was never a doubt. She fought on a Trinamul ticket, from an unreserved ward. "I was pretty confident about the results," says Sweta, a resident of Zakaria Street near Mohammad Ali Park.

Not only is the political science graduate the only Hindu candidate in the Muslim-dominated ward 43, but also the only female contestant among the 12. She puts her second win on the trot down to her work with the women of the ward and her campaign to bring more young people in to vote.

CPM candidate Sheila Kapoor, who won from ward 46, contested from an unreserved seat, defeating 13 male candidates to be councillor for the second term. Her direct contact with people and her hard work are the primary reasons for her victory, feels Kapoor. Being a woman made her chances even better.

"My ward for me is an extension of my home and I treat the residents of my ward as my family members," says she, a painter and a homemaker.

But if a third of the women, such as Hema Ram, won from unreserved wards, about the same number, including Hema Ram, have male political heavyweights as relatives.

Tanima Chatterjee, 51, who has won from ward 87, the Southern Avenue area, is Subrata Mukherjee's sister. "It brought tears to my eyes to see him so happy," she says.

Rubina Nazz walks out of the counting office in Alipore with her father-in-law Shamsuzzaman Ansari, the veteran who won from ward 136. Her husband is waiting for her outside. Rubina, 22, was fielded by her family as the Trinamul candidate from ward 135 when it was reserved for women. The burqa-clad Rubina has little to say for herself. Many of her answers are prompted by her husband and father-in-law.

Women politicians are expected to bring more approachability and cleanliness, literally and metaphorically. But they are also feared to be the mouthpiece for the men, from their family and their party. They are more malleable, it is felt.

Which of the stereotypes will the newly elected women at the CMC conform to? Or will they just do good work?

Day of tea, snacks and trend-spotting
- The semi-final battle for Bengal as seen from the Alipore control room

Returning officer Khalil Ahmed and his control room colleagues headed for the South 24-Parganas district magistrate's office in Alipore early on Monday, ready for the concluding phase of Bengal's "semi-final battle".

The control room, on the ground floor of the 10-storeyed beige-and-brown New Administrative Building, was up and running an hour before the counting began at 8am.

"We were all here by 7am. Despite all the hard work for nearly a month now, we couldn't let fatigue set in on such a crucial day," said a junior official from the district election office.

"Frankly, all of us were keen on knowing the results as soon as possible. Some were too tense. This was, after all, the semi-final battle for Bengal," he told Metro.

The 60ftx15ft control room, cooled by six air-conditioners, was abuzz with around 30 officials armed with laptops coordinating with the 15 counting centres for the 141 wards of the city. Tea and snacks were served at regular intervals from an adjoining pantry.

"From coordination to recording and analysing data to uploading it on the state election commission's website (www.wbsec.gov.in), we've been doing everything from here. This is the nodal centre for all 15 counting centres," said Riddhi Banerjee, a district election officer for Calcutta.

Ahmed kept dropping in to supervise the proceedings. "Nothing went wrong. The entire team has done very well," said Ahmed.

The trends — it was apparent by 9.30 how the civic headquarters on SN Banerjee Road would look like for the next five years — triggered talk on the winds of change and how it may sway the outcome of next year's Assembly polls.

"The much-talked-about winds of change seem more real than many had thought. Even the exit polls couldn't predict such a thumping victory for Trinamul. I'm sure even Didi didn't expect such a performance," an official told a colleague over tea.

It was only after the clock struck three that the control room officials could afford a sigh of relief, having received and processed the last of the results. "A few more hours today and a little bit over the next few days. Then we can safely call it a day till the Assembly polls," smiled an official as he took his first smoke break of the day at 3.15pm.

Township treble for Trinamul in a year
- WOMEN OUTNUMBER MEN IN SALT LAKE BOARD BUT HOT SEAT STILL IN DOUBT

After conceding the MP and the MLA's seats in the area last year, the Left Front has now lost the Salt Lake Municipality for the first time since the civic body was formed in 1995.

The Trinamul Congress wrested the board by a margin of 16-9 on Wednesday, improving its tally more than threefold from the five seats in its kitty during the last term.

The underdeveloped areas added to the planned township provided the Left a fig leaf, accounting for as many as five of the nine seats it managed to retain. "When these seats go, we will be wiped out," Ila Nandi, vice-chairperson of the outgoing Left Front board and wife of former MP Amitava Nandi, told the other women councillors of her party in the wake of the landslide defeat.

Nandi winning ward 17 by the biggest margin in Salt Lake — primarily on the strength of the bheri votes — was small consolation for the party's defeat. Even Mahisbathan (ward 1) slipped out, showing all is not well in the traditional red bastions.

Overall, women were in the majority across party lines with nine out of the 16 Trinamul seats and five of the nine Left Front seats going to them. "Women tend to treat their wards like their families," said CPM's Sashwati Mondal, who retained her seat. Her Trinamul counterparts said they owed their success to one woman — Mamata Banerjee. Eleven seats in Salt Lake were reserved for women this year.

So with women outnumbering men in the board, will one of them get the chairperson's seat this time? Nobody knows for sure despite the equation reading 14 out of 25 in favour of women.

The township was in the throes of a controversy after the Left Front denied a ticket to chairman Biswajiban Majumdar from ward 15, provoking an outburst. Though he was pacified, the public spat might have cost the party dear. Ward 15, traditionally known as the chairman's ward, did not return CPM's handpicked candidate Jyotirbhushan Dutta.

Sudhir Saha wrested the seat. He has experience on his side. The outgoing leader of the Opposition in the municipality, Debashish Jana, is also in contention having won a tough battle. But the forerunners seem to be the Dutta duo —Sabyasachi and Anupam — who won from wards 6 and 7 respectively. Sabyasachi is the Bidhannagar town Trinamul president and the youth wing secretary. Anupam is the party's state committee secretary.

But there is a dark horse in the race in the form of Krishna Chakraborty, a debutante from ward 3, for whom the sitting councillor had to vacate her seat. Chakraborty, a former state Youth Congress general secretary, is a Mamata aide and was named by her to contest that seat.

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The Mint Report for 02 June 2010

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'CBI probe into West Bengal train attack'

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CBI probe for Jnaneswari sabotage

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Mamata gives Cabinet meeting a miss

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... the Left and the Congress in the West Bengal civic polls, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee skipped the Union Cabinet meeting, despite being in Delhi. ...

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Back in Delhi after a month, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee skipped Cabinet on Tuesday morning, saying "it was a very simple meeting" on Jharkhand. ...

Day ahead of Bengal results, Didi drops in for UPA anniversary

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Mamata skips Cabinet meeting, has new excuse

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Mamata Banerjee Skips Cabinet Meeting On Jharkhand President Rule

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Crossing a line

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Mamata absent in the morning, present in the evening

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Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said here on Tuesday that her party had no differences with the senior alliance partner Congress. Mamata, who skipped a ...

Mamata in Delhi, skips Cabinet

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'Busy' Mamata skips Cabinet meet

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A day after Home Minister P Chidambaram said Maoists could be behind the Gyaneswari Express attack, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee skipped the Union ...

Didi 'misses' Cabinet meet, snaps at press

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New Delhi, June 1: The railway minister and Trinamul Congress chief, Ms Mamata Banerjee, decided to skip the Cabinet meeting here on Tuesday - called to ...

Mamata on Delhi rollercoaster

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Mamata Banerjee rode a rollercoaster of emotions in Delhi on Tuesday, a day before the results of the Bengal civic polls in which exit polls have put her ...

Mamata gives Cabinet meeting a miss

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Congress downplays Mamata's absence from cabinet meeting

Press Trust of India - ‎Jun 1, 2010‎
New Delhi, June 1 (PTI) Congress today downplayed absence of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee from the Union Cabinet meeting saying ministers should ...

Mamata again skips Cabinet meet, loses temper at media

Press Trust of India - ‎Jun 1, 2010‎
New Delhi, Jun 1 (PTI) Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee skipped the Cabinet meeting again today, saying she had "some serious job" to do rather than ...

Mamata irresponsible in skipping cabinet meet, says CPI-M

Thaindian.com - ‎Jun 1, 2010‎
New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Tuesday said Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's skipping a cabinet meeting on ...

Mamata skips Cabinet meeting

Press Trust of India - ‎May 31, 2010‎
New Delhi, June 1 (PTI) Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today skipped the meeting of the Union Cabinet which was convened to take a decision on ...

Mamata skips Union cabinet meet, once again

New Delhi Chronicle.com (blog) - ‎Jun 1, 2010‎
... New Delhi: A day after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram debunked the "political conspiracy" theory floated by Mamata Banerjee to target CPI(M) in ...

Mamata skips Cabinet meet over Jharkhand, calls it 'casual'

India Today - ‎Jun 1, 2010‎
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday brushed aside criticism about her absence from a Cabinet meeting that okayed President's Rule in Jharkhand, ...

UPA report card ceremony a sombre affair

Press Trust of India - ‎Jun 1, 2010‎
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Congress colleagues must have heaved a sigh of relief when Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee made a rare appearance at ...



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  1. Mamata Banerjee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Mamata Banerjee (Bengali: মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়, born 5 January 1955) is the leader of the Trinamool Congress and Leader of the Opposition ...
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    Mamata Banerjee. Constituency from which I am elected, Kolkata Dakshin. State from which I am elected, West Bengal. Politica party name, All India Trinamool ...
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    3 Jul 2009 ... Speech of Kumari Mamata Banerjee. Introducing the Railway Budget 2009-2010. On 3 rd. July 2009. 1. Madam Speaker, I rise to present the ...
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    Kolkata, June 2 (ANI): Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday thanked the masses for their staunch ...
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Left defeat 'a serious matter', admits CPI-M

Sify - ‎1 hour ago‎
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Thursday said the Left defeat in West Bengal's municipal elections was 'a serious matter' but added the result ...

Is Mamata Banerjee set to become Bengal's next CM?

IBNLive.com - ‎2 hours ago‎
He graduated with a degree in Political Science from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. In his 22-year-long career, he's worked with 'The Statesman', ...

Mamata takes Kolkata. Bengal next?

Livemint - Romita Datta, Ruhi Tewari - ‎3 hours ago‎
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TC) swept local body elections in Kolkata, drubbing the Left Front and putting her on course to end the 33-year-long ...


Banerjee said she has "faith in the Congress leadership. That's why I support the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government".
more by Mamata Banerjee - 3 hours ago - Livemint (3 occurrences)


Shocked Bengal CPI-M looks for reasons for rout

Sify - ‎3 hours ago‎
West Bengal's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was in a state of paralysis Thursday, with the humiliating defeat in civic polls forcing Left ...

Kolkata mayor: Trinamool keeps people guessing

Sify - ‎3 hours ago‎
Kolkata: Speculation was rife on Thursday on who will be the new Kolkata mayor, with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee saying a worker and not a ...

Left Front allies blame corruption, policies for rout

Sify - ‎3 hours ago‎
Two Left Front allies Thursday blamed corruption and 'wrong polices' of the West Bengal government for the combine's rout in the civic polls. ...

Left Front licks its wounds, turnaround tough

IBNLive.com - ‎3 hours ago‎
Kolkata: The results of the West Bengal municipal elections on Wednesday seem to be a green signal for the Trinamool Congress supporters after 34 years of ...

Battlefield Bengal: Trinamool wins semifinal

Sify - ‎4 hours ago‎
The crucial civic polls to 81 municipalities, including the prestigious Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), seen as a semifinal to the 2011 assembly polls, ...

CPI-M rejects Mamata's demand for early Bengal polls

Hindustan Times - ‎5 hours ago‎
The Communist Party of India-Marxist meets in Kolkata on Thursday to deliberate on the reasons for the ruling Left Front's dismal performance in the West ...

Communists suffer India setback

BBC News - ‎6 hours ago‎
The ruling Communists in the Indian state of West Bengal have suffered a major setback in the municipal polls. The opposition Trinamul Congress swept the ...

Timeline of articles

Timeline of articles
Number of sources covering this story

Mamata says will request EC to prepone WB Assembly polls
‎56 minutes ago‎ - Press Trust of India

In victory, a bitter message for Mamata Banerjee
‎19 hours ago‎ - The Hindu

Bengal results suggest new dilemma for Left
‎Jun 2, 2010‎ - NDTV.com

Trinamool demolishes Left, humbles Congress in WB civic polls
‎Jun 2, 2010‎ - Times of India

Mamata demands immediate Assembly polls in WB
‎Jun 2, 2010‎ - Press Trust of India

Will the Left's loss and Mamata's win be beneficial for Bengal and India?
‎Jun 1, 2010‎ - IBNLive.com

Trinamool, CPM activists clash during West Bengal civic polls
‎May 30, 2010‎ - Times of India

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Daily News & An...
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NDTV.com
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The Hindu

Amid rout, Delhi leaders stress on Left's need to introspect

Times of India - ‎15 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: The municipal poll results have dealt another blow to CPM, confirming the perception that the party is on its way to lose the Red Fort of Bengal. ...

Didi perfects the art of the impossible

Times of India - Nirmalya Banerjee - ‎15 hours ago‎
KOLKATA: From streetfighter to change agent, from the vanquished in 2005 to a leader of the masses out to do the impossible, Mamata Banerjee is on a roll. ...

CPM finds solace in vote share

Indian Express - ‎17 hours ago‎
Securing only 18 municipalities and losing even the prestigious Kolkata Municipal Corporation in the civic elections on Wednesday, the Left had no option ...

Red blinks, green turns on

Hindustan Times - ‎19 hours ago‎
The winds of political change blowing over Bengal turned into a hurricane on Wednesday, wiping out any semblance of a Left fightback in the Kolkata ...

यूपीए-2 में तृणमूल कांग्रेस का भाव बढ़ा

दैनिक भास्कर - ‎10 घंटे पहले‎
नई दिल्ली. पश्चिम बंगाल में नगर निकाय के चुनाव नतीजों ने यूपीए-2 की सरकार में तृणमूल कांग्रेस का भाव बढ़ा दिया है। नतीजों के आईने में कांग्रेस का मोह तृणमूल कांग्रेस और उसकी मुखिया ममता बनर्जी के प्रति फिर से उमड़ आया है। खुद के प्रदर्शन से मात खाने के बाद कांग्रेस अपने प्रदर्शन की समीक्षा करने की बात तो कर रही है, लेकिन पार्टी में ममता की जीत को ही ढाल बनाकर अपना चेहरा बचाने की कवायद हो रही है। पार्टी ने दावा किया है कि ...

'पश्चिम बंगाल में वाम मोर्चे के दिन लदने के आसार' (साक्षात्कार)

That's Hindi - ‎1 घंटा पहले‎
नई दिल्ली, 3 जून (आईएएनएस)। पश्चिम बंगाल में रविवार को हुए शहरी स्थानीय निकायों के चुनावों में मिली भारी हार इस बात का स्पष्ट संकेत है कि 1977 से राज्य की सत्ता पर काबिज वाम मोर्चा अगले बरस सत्ता से बाहर हो जाएगा। वर्ष 2011 में पश्चिम बंगाल में होने वाले विधानसभा चुनावों के संभावित परिणामों के बारे में यह बेबाक राय मार्क्सवादी कम्युनस्टि पार्टी (माकपा)के एक नेता ने गुरुवार को व्यक्त की। राज्य में वाम मोर्चा सरकार की अगुवाई ...

बंगाल निकाय चुनाव में वाम किला ध्वस्त

दैनिक भास्कर - ‎17 घंटे पहले‎
कोलकाता . पश्चिम बंगाल के नगरीय निकाय चुनावों में तृणमूल कांग्रेस को भारी जीत मिली है। तृणमूल को यह सफलता कांग्रेस से बिना गठबंधन किए हासिल हुई है। उत्साहित तृणमूल अध्यक्ष ममता बनर्जी की निगाहें रायटर्स बिल्डिंग स्थित मुख्यमंत्री कार्यालय पर टिक गई हैं। इसीलिए उन्होंने विधानसभा चुनाव तुरंत कराने की मांग कर दी। लेकिन क्या वे 34 साल से पश्चिम बंगाल में सत्ता पर काबिज वामदलों को हराने में कामयाब हो पाएंगी? ...

कांग्रेस बिना पूरा नहीं होगा ममता का मिशन

याहू! भारत - ‎20 घंटे पहले‎
नई दिल्ली [राजकिशोर]। पश्चिम बंगाल में वामपंथियों के लाल दुर्ग को ममता बनर्जी ढहा तो सकती हैं, लेकिन बगैर कांग्रेस का साथ लिए राज्य में सरकार बनाना उनके लिए मुमकिन नहीं होगा। स्थानीय निकाय चुनाव के ताजा नतीजों ने कांग्रेस को खासा सुकून दिया है। कांग्रेस मान रही है कि इन चुनाव में धमाकेदार प्रदर्शन के बाद तृणमूल कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष व रेल मंत्री ममता बनर्जी के तेवर और आक्रामक होंगे, लेकिन विधानसभा चुनाव में वे शायद ही अकेले ...

निकाय चुनावों में ममता की जय-जय

Business standard Hindi - ‎21 घंटे पहले‎
पश्चिम बंगाल की मुख्य विपक्षी पार्टी तृणमूल कांग्रेस ने ममता बनर्जी के नेतृत्व में राज्य के चुनावों में जीत का सिलसिला बरकरार रखा है। तृणमूल ने हाल ही में हुए निकाय चुनावों में विजय का परचम लहराया है। कोलकाता समेत राज्य के 81 नगर निकायों के लिए चुनाव हुआ था। इनमें से तृणमूल ने 36 पर जीत हासिल की है तो 18 पर वाम मोर्चे को जीत मिली है। वहीं कांग्रेस को 6 निकायों के जीत से ही संतोष करना पड़ा है। 21 निकायों में मिलाजुला जनादेश है। ...

वाममोर्चा से लोगों का मोह भंग

Pressnote.in - ‎9 घंटे पहले‎
कोलकाता | पश्चिम बंगाल में लगातार 34 वषरें से सत्ता पर काबिज वाममोर्चा से लोगों का मोह भंग होने लगा है। पंचायत, लोकसभा, विधानसभा उप चुनाव और अब स्थानीय निकायों के चुनाव में वाममोर्चा की करारी हार के बाद राज्य की राजनीतिक तस्वीर कुछ हद तक साफ हो गयी है। प्रमुख राजनीति दलों और आम लोगों में विधानसभा चुनाव को लेकर उत्सुकता बढ़ गई है। विधानसभा चुनाव के सेमीफाइनल समझे जाने वाले स्थानीय निकाय के चुनाव में राज्य के मुख्य विरोधी ...

2005 : पं बंगाल निकाय चुनाव रिजल्ट

दैनिक भास्कर - ‎०१-०६-२०१०‎
पं. बंगाल में हुए 2005 निकाय चुनाव और कोलकता वार्ड चुनाव में लेफ्ट का डंका बचा था। लेकिन इस बार निकाय चुनाव में ममता बनर्जी की पार्टी तृणमूल कांग्रेस और वामदल जीत के लिए अपना-अपना दावा ठोंक रहे हैं। दूसरी तरफ कोलकता में 141 वार्ड चुनाव में भी ये दोनों पार्टियां बहुमत का सपना देख रही हैं। लेकिन पिछले निकाय चुनाव परिणाम पर नजर डाले तो ममता अभी भी काफी कमजोर दिखती हैं...

पश्विम बंगाल निकाय चुनाव में 70 फीसदी मतदान

खास खबर - ‎३०-०५-२०१०‎
कोलकाता। पश्चिम बंगाल में अगले साल होने वाले विधानसभा चुनाव से पहले कोलकाता सहित 81 स्थानीय निकायों के लिए रविवार को हुए मतदान में 70 प्रतिशत से अधिक लोगों ने अपने मताधिकार का इस्तेमाल किया। छिटपुट हिंसा को छो़डकर बाकी मतदान शांतिपूर्ण तरीके से संपन्न हो गया। ज्ञात हो कि मतदान ऎसे समय में हुआ है, जब शुक्रवार को पश्चिम मिदनापुर जिले में हुए ज्ञानेश्वरी एक्सप्रेस हादसे में 145 लोगों की मौत हो चुकी है। कोलकाता में 65-70 ...

प. बंगाल निकाय चुनाव: वाममोर्चे की शिकस्त, तृणमूल ने जीती केएमसी

खास खबर - ‎०२-०६-२०१०‎
कोलकाता। पश्चिम बंगाल के स्थानीय निकाय के चुनावों में तृणमूल कांग्रेस ने प्रतिष्ठित कोलकाता नगर निगम (केएमसी) में जीत दर्ज करते हुए प्रदेश के ज्यादातर नगरीय निकायों में वाममोर्चे को करारी शिकस्त दी है। राज्य में तृणमूल कांग्रेस ने 26 जिला नगरीय निकायों में कब्जा जमा लिया है जबकि वाम दलों के खाते में इनके 17 निकायगए हैं। कांग्रेस को कुल सात निकायों में कामयाबी मिली है। प्रदेश के शहरी मतदाताओं ने वामपंथी मोर्चे को तग़ड ...

पश्चिम बंगाल: स्थानीय निकायों के चुनाव में हिंसा

बीबीसी हिन्दी - ‎३०-०५-२०१०‎
पश्चिम बंगाल के स्थानीय निकायों के लिए रविवार को हुए मतदान के दौरान कई स्थानों पर हिंसा हुई. कोलकाता के पातुली इलाक़े में पुलिस ने मार्क्सवादी और तृणमूल समर्थकों के बीच झड़प रोकने के लिए गोली चलाई है, जिसमें एक सीपीएम समर्थक को गोली लगी है. उधर हालीशहर में हुई हिंसा में चार लोग घायल हुए हैं. बर्धवान ज़िले के जमुरिया में भी वामपंथी और तृणमूल कांग्रेस के समर्थकों में झड़प हुई. इसमें पुलिस को हस्तक्षेप करना पड़ा. ...

पश्चिम बंगाल नगर निगम में तृणमूल का बोलबाला

बीबीसी हिन्दी - ‎०२-०६-२०१०‎
पश्चिम बंगाल नगर निगम चुनावों में तृणमूल कांग्रेस ने वामपंथी दलों को पीछे छोड़ दिया है. अच्छे प्रदर्शन के बाद ममता बनर्जी ने तत्काल पश्चिम बंगाल की वामपंथी सरकार को बर्ख़ास्त करने की मांग नहीं की. उनका कहना था, ''मुख्यमंत्री बुद्धदेव भट्टाचार्य हार की नैतिक ज़िम्मेदारी लेते हुए कभी इस्तीफ़ा नहीं देंगे. वो अन्य मार्क्सवादियों की तरह बेशर्म हैं. हम चुनावों के निर्धारित समय का इंतज़ार करेंगे, हालांकि बंगाल के लोगों ने ...

कोलकाता नगर निगम में तृणमूल की जीत

बीबीसी हिन्दी - ‎०१-०६-२०१०‎
इसके अलावा पार्टी ने कोलकाता से सटे हुए, सॉल्ट लेक के नाम से जाने जाने वाले क्षेत्र बिधाननगर नगर निगम में भी जीत दर्ज की है. इसके अलावा पश्चिम बंगाल के 79 नगर निगमों में अभी वोटों की गिनती चल रही है, ताज़ा रुझानों के अनुसार इनमें से अधिकतर में तृणमूल कांग्रेस आगे चल रही है. प्रतिष्ठित कोलकाता नगर निगम में तृणमूल कांग्रेस ने 141 वार्डों में से 85 पर कब्ज़ा कर लिया है इसलिए उसे कांग्रेस के समर्थन की ज़रूरत नहीं होगी. ...

पश्चिम बंगाल में विस चुनाव फौरन हों: ममता

खास खबर - ‎०२-०६-२०१०‎
कोलकाता। तृणमूल कांग्रेस की अध्यक्ष ममता बनर्जी ने बुधवार को पश्चिम बंगाल में फौरन विधानसभा चुनाव कराने की मांग करते हुए कहा कि स्थानीय निकायों के चुनावों में उनकी पार्टी से मिले करारे आघात के बाद वाममोर्चा सरकार चलाने का अधिकार खो बैठा है। दिल्ली से यहां पहुंचने पर ममता ने कहा, ""हम बंगाल की जनता को बधाई देते हैं। यह बंगाल की मां, माटी, मानुष की जीत है। राज्य सरकार सत्ता में रहने के सारे अधिकार खो बैठी है और पश्चिम बंगाल ...

पश्चिम बंगाल निकायों में चुनाव में हिंसा, दोपहर तक हुआ 40 प्रतिशत मतदान

खास खबर - ‎३०-०५-२०१०‎
कोलकाता। पश्चिम बंगाल के स्थानीय निकायों के लिए चल रहे मतदान के दौरान कई स्थानों पर हिंसा हुई है। बर्धमान जिले के जमुरिया में वामपंथी और तृणमूल कांग्रेस के समर्थकों में झडप हुई। इसमें पुलिस को हस्तक्षेप करना पडा। इस दौरान देसी बमों और तलवारों का इस्तेमाल हुआ। इस हिंसा में एक पुलिसकर्मी घायल हो गया और पुलिस का एक वाहन क्षतिगस्त हो गया। इसके अलावा कोलकाता के पार्क सर्कस और बेलाघाट और बरकपुर में भी हिंसा हुर्ह है। ...

पश्चिम बंगाल में ममता की लहर में उखड़े वामपंथी (राउंडअप)

That's Hindi - ‎21 घंटे पहले‎
चुनाव परिणाम घोषित होने पर तृणमूल कांग्रेस के उत्साहित कार्यकर्ताओं ने रेल मंत्री और पार्टी सुप्रीमो ममता बनर्जी के कोलकाता पहुंचने पर उनका जोरदार स्वागत किया। बनर्जी ने यहां प्रदेश में तुरंत विधानसभा चुनाव कराए जाने की मांग करते हुए कहा कि वामपंथी पार्टी ने प्रदेश में शासन करने का अधिकार खो दिया है। वाममोर्चा ने हालांकि उनकी यह मांग मानने से इंकार कर दिया है। रविवार को हुए चुनाव से पहले तृणमूल कांग्रेस से चुनावी ...

पश्चिम बंगाल: कडी सुरक्षा के बीच निकाय चुनाव जारी

खास खबर - ‎२९-०५-२०१०‎
कोलकाता। पश्चिम बंगाल में अगले साल प्रस्तावित विधानसभा चुनाव से पहले सत्ता का सेमीफाइनल समझे जा रहे स्थानीय निकाय चुनाव के लिए रविवार को कडी सुरक्षा के बीच वोटिंग जारी है। मतदान सुबह सात बने शुरू हुआ और दोपहर तीन बजे तक चलेगा। कोलकाता नगर निगम सहित राज्य के 81 निकायों के कुल 1792 वार्डो में मतदाता अपेन जनप्रतिनिधियों की चुनावी किस्मत का फैसला करेंगे। इनमें कोलकाता नगर निगम के 141 वार्ड शामिल है। स्थानीय निकायों के 85 लाख 33 ...

पश्चिम बंगाल में निकाय चुनाव के दौरान झड़प

आज तक - ‎२९-०५-२०१०‎
पश्चिम बंगाल में हो रहे स्थानीय निकायों के मतदान के दौरान आसनसोल के पास जमुरिया में एक बूथ पर जमकर हिंसा हुई. ये बवाल तब शुरू हुआ जब टीएमसी और सीपीएम के कार्यकर्ता अपनी-अपनी पार्टी के झंडे लेकर बूथ पर पहुंचे. पुलिस के मुताबिक दोनों पार्टी के कार्यकर्ताओं के बीच बूथ पर बैठने को लेकर झड़प हुई और जब पुलिस ने उन्हें खदेड़ने की कोशिश की तो उन्होंने पुलिस पर पथराव कर दिया. कार्यकर्ताओं ने मतदान केंद्र पर खड़ी पुलिस वैन को भी ...

पश्चिम बंगाल चुनाव : तृणमूल को बढ़त

खास खबर - ‎०१-०६-२०१०‎
कोलकाता। पश्चिम बंगाल में स्थानीय निकायों के लिए बुधवार सुबह आरंभ हुई मतगणना में कोलकाता नगर निगम में तृणमूल कांग्रेस बढ़त बनाए हुए है। कोलकाता नगर निगम की 88 सीटों के अब तक ताजा रूझानों के मुताबिक तृणमूल कांग्रेस ने 53 सीटों पर आगे चल रही है। दूसरी ओर वाम मोर्चा 31 सीटों पर बढ़त बनाए हुए है। कांग्रेस तीन और भारतीय जतना पार्टी (भाजपा) एक स्थान पर आगे है। राज्य के 80 निकायों में हो रही मतगणना में वाम मोर्चे ने हुगली जिले के ...

प. बंगाल मंे जल्द चुनाव से माकपा का इंकार

That's Hindi - ‎21 घंटे पहले‎
माकपा नेता नीलोत्पल बसु ने आईएनएस को बताया, "राज्य के स्थानीय निकाय चुनाव में केवल 16 प्रतिशत मतदाताओं ने भाग लिया। इस चुनाव के नतीजे को देखते हुए ऐसी मांग करना संकीर्ण मानसिकता का परिचायक है। पहले संपूर्ण संवैधानिक प्रक्रिया को समझा जाए।" तृणमूल कांग्रेस कोलकाता नगर निगम के प्रतिष्ठापूर्ण चुनाव में अपनी भारी जीत से अति उत्साहित है। वह अब राज्य में सत्ताधारी वाममोर्चा का शासन अधिक दिनों तक चलने देने के पक्ष में नहीं है ...

पश्चिम बंगाल में निकाय के चुनाव में हिंसा

प्रभात खबर - ‎३०-०५-२०१०‎
कोलकाता : पश्चिम बंगाल के स्थानीय निकायों के हो रहे मतदान के दौरान रविवार को कई स्थानों पर हिंसा हई है. हिंसा के बावजूद लोगों की लंबी कतारें लगीं हई हैं. पुलिस के मुताबिक वर्धवान जिले के जमुरिया में वामपंथी और तृणमूल कांग्रेस के समर्थकों में हई झड़प के दौरान देसी बमों का इस्तेमाल हआ. इस िहसा में एक पुलिसकर्मी घायल हो गया और पुलिस का एक वाहन क्षतिग्रस्त हो गया. इसके अलावा कोलकाता के पार्क सर्कस और बेलाघाट और बरकपुर में भी ...

प्रणब ने ममता को बेहतर प्रदर्शन पर बधाई दी

खास खबर - ‎०२-०६-२०१०‎
नई दिल्ली। पश्चिम बंगाल के नगर निगम चुनावों में तृणमूल कांग्रेस के अच्छे प्रदर्शन के लिए वरिष्ठ कांग्रेसी नेता व केंद्रीय वित्त मंत्री प्रणब मुखर्जी ने पार्टी की अध्यक्ष व रेल मंत्री ममता बनर्जी को बुधवार को बधाई दी। प्रणब पश्चिम बंगाल कांग्रेस के अध्यक्ष भी हैं। उन्होंने कोलकाता नगर निगम (केएमसी) सहित 81 नगरीय निकायों में हुए चुनावों में अपनी पार्टी की हार स्वीकार कर ली है। अगले साल राज्य में विधानसभा चुनाव होने हैं। ...

प. बंगाल में 70 प्रतिशत मतदान हुआ

Pressnote.in - ‎३०-०५-२०१०‎
कोलकाता/खड़गपुर | कोलकाता नगर निगम समेत राज्य की 81 पालिकाओं के लिए रविवार को हुए चुनाव में मतदाताओं ने अपना फैसला दे दिया और जनादेश ईवीएम में बंद हो गया। महानगर में करीब 65 प्रतिशत तथा पालिकाओं में करीब 70 प्रतिशत मतदान हुआ। इन चुनावों में राजनीतिक पार्टियों ने जैसी आशंका व्यक्त की थी वह निर्मूल साबित हुई और कुछेक स्थानों पर बमबाजी, फायरिंग की छिटपुट घटनाओं को छोड़कर मतदान प्राय: शांतिपूर्ण ढंग से संपन्न हो गया। ...

विजयी ममता

हिन्दुस्तान दैनिक - ‎19 घंटे पहले‎
केंद्रीय मंत्रिमंडल की जिम्मेदारियां न निभाने और माओवादियों के प्रति नरम रुख रखने के कारण ममता बनर्जी की चाहे जितनी आलोचना हो लेकिन पश्चिम बंगाल के पालिका चुनावों में उन्होंने अपनी लोकप्रियता साबित कर दी है। इस चुनाव को आगामी विधानसभा चुनावों का सेमीफाइनल बताया जा रहा था और इसे जीत कर ममता बनर्जी ने बता दिया है कि पश्चिम बंगाल के स्थायी चैंपियन वाममोर्चा को इस बार फाइनल में अपनी ट्राफी बचानी मुश्किल होगी। ...

पश्चिम बंगाल: निकाय चुनाव के लिए वोटिंग जारी

मेरी खबर.कोम - ‎२९-०५-२०१०‎
कोलकाता: रविवार को कड़ी सुरक्षा के बीच पश्चिम बंगाल में स्थानीय निकाय की वोटिंग शुरू हो गई है। कोलकाता नगर निगम सहित कुल 81 निकायों के लिए आज मतदान हो रहा है। आसनसोल के श्रीपुर वार्ड में सीपीएम और टीएमसी कार्यकर्ताओं के बीच बूथ कैप्चरिंग को लेकर मारामारी हो गई। दोनों पार्टियों के कार्यकर्ताओं ने बूथ पर कब्जा करने की कोशिश की। जिसकी वजह से उनमें आपस में तगड़ी झड़प हुई। सुबी सात बजे से मतदान प्रकिया शुरू हुई है जो दोपहर के ...

छिटपुट हिंसा के बीच पश्चिम बंगाल में 75 प्रतिशत मतदान

Patrika.com - ‎३०-०५-२०१०‎
कोलकाता। तृणमूल कांग्रेस और सीपीआई (एम) पश्चिम बंगाल में एक बार फिर स्थानीय चुनावों में आमने-सामने हुए। रविवार को हुए निकायों के चुनाव में छिटपुट हिंसा के बीच लगभग 75 प्रतिशत मतदान दर्ज किया गया। वोटो की गिनती 2 जून को होगी। राज्य चुनाव आयोग की प्रमुख मीरा पांडे ने बताया कि कोलकाता के दो मतदान केन्द्रों में पुर्नमतदान के आदेश दिए जाने की संभावना है। इस चुनाव को आगामी 2011 के विधानसभा चुनावों के पहले सेमीफाइनल के रूप में ...

कोलकाता निकाय में ढह रहा है 'लाल किला'

मेरी खबर.कोम - ‎०२-०६-२०१०‎
कोलकाता: पश्चिम बंगाल में इस साल होने वाले विधानसभा चुनावों से पूर्व सेमीफाइनल के तौर पर देखे जा रहे निकाय चुनावों में 'लाल किला' ढहता नजर आ रहा है। कोलकाता नगर निगम की 141 वार्डों में से अभी तक घोषित 85 सीटों के नतीजों में से 64 पर तृणमूल कांग्रेस जीत दर्ज कर चुकी है, वहीं वाम मोर्चा मात्र 14 सीटों पर विजयी रहा है। गौरतलब है कि 141 सीटों के चुनावों में 2005 के चुनावों में वामपंथी दलों ने 75 वार्डों पर कब्जा जमाया था। ...

प. बंगाल में भारी मतदान

प्रातःकाल - ‎३०-०५-२०१०‎
कोलकाता, ३० मई। पश्चिम बंगाल में आज ८१ नगर निकायों के लिए हुए चुनाव में ७५ प्रतिशत लोगों ने अपने मताधिकारों का प्रयोग किया। हालांकि सुरक्षा बलों द्वारा फायङ्क्षरग की एक घटना को छोड़कर मतदान शांतिपूर्ण रहा। राज्य में शांतिपूर्ण मतदान के लिये सत्तारूढ़ वाम मोर्चा और विपक्षी कांग्रेस पार्टी ने लोगों को बधाई दी लेकिन मुख्य विपक्षी पार्टी तृणमूल कांग्रेस ने इलेक्ट्रानिक वोङ्क्षटग मशीन के साथ छेड़छाड़ करने का आरोप लगाया। ...

कोलकाता में निकाय चुनाव तृणमूल आगे

Pressnote.in - ‎०१-०६-२०१०‎
कोलकाता। पश्चिम बंगाल में हुए निकाय चुनावों की वोटों की गिनती चल रही है। तृणमूल कांग्रेस कोलकाता में भारी बढ़त बनाए हुए है। अब के रुझानों के मुताबिक कोलकाता के 141 वार्डों में 97 वार्डों पर तृणमूल कांग्रेस आगे चल रही है, जबिक लेफ्ट को 33 सीटों पर बढ़त हासिल है। कांग्रेस यहां पर 7 वार्डों में आगे चल रही है। निकाय चुनाव से ठीक पहले कांग्रेस और तृणमूल के बीच गठबंधन महाजोत टूट गया था और दोनों पार्टियों ने अपने दम पर निकाय ...

ममता ने बढ़ाई कांग्रेस और लेफ्ट की मुसीबत

डी-डब्लू वर्ल्ड - ‎०२-०६-२०१०‎
बंगाल में वामपंथियों के लाल किले की दीवारें पिछले साल लोकसभा चुनाव के समय ही दरक गई थीं, अब अगले साल होने वाले विधानसभा चुनाव का सेमीफाइनल समझे जाने वाले राज्य के शहरी निकाय चुनाव में ये दरारें और चौड़ी हो गई हैं. सबसे अहम समझे जाने वाले कोलकाता नगर निगम में अपने बूते बहुमत हासिल करने के साथ ही पार्टी इससे सटी विधाननगर नगरपालिका में अकेले दम पर बोर्ड बनाने की हालत में पहुंच गई है. इन दोनों नगरपालिकाओं पर वाममोर्चा का ...

तृणमूल और कांग्रेस की अनबन, लेफ्ट का टर्न

डी-डब्लू वर्ल्ड - ‎०१-०६-२०१०‎
तृणमूल कांग्रेस की नेता और रेल मंत्री ममता बनर्जी ने कैबिनेट की बैठक में हिस्सा नहीं लिया. कोलकता के स्थानीय निकाय के चुनावों में वामपंथियों ने ममता को रोकने के लिए कांग्रेस को समर्थन देने का एलान किया. आज आएंगे नतीजे. कांग्रेस और तृणमूल के बीच अनबन की खबरों के बाद अब सियासी हलचल और तेज हो रही है. मंगलवार को केंद्र सरकार की अहम कैबिनेट बैठक से रेल मंत्री ममता बनर्जी नदारद रही. मीटिंग में न शामिल होने का कारण बताते हुए बाद ...



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