Shahriar Alam

Jahangir Khan, the TMC candidate who once compared himself to ‘Pushpa’ and later withdrew from the Falta Assembly repoll, still got 7,783 votes as BJP’s Debangshu Panda secured a landslide win in the constituency.

BJP candidate Debangshu Panda secured a resounding victory in the Falta repoll, defeating his nearest rival by 1.09 lakh votes, the highest margin in West Bengal Assembly polls and dealing another blow to the Trinamool Congress, which suffered a rout in the elections.

Polling started at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm across 285 polling stations, including auxiliary booths. Counting of votes has been scheduled for May 24.

Prince of Kolkata Sourav Ganguly is facing a fierce political bouncer, days after the BJP swept the Assembly polls in West Bengal. Ganguly's meeting with BJP's PN Pathak has triggered massive backlash. People are now attacking Ganguly over the visit and calling the 'Prince of Kolkata' "selfish and opportunist".

The Muslim vote bloc, almost taken for granted as rock solid by the 'secular' parties, delivered a shock departure from conventional behaviour in the just-concluded Bengal elections.

The Trinamool Congress has named Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition in the 18th West Bengal Assembly. The move follows the party's defeat, Mamata Banerjee's loss in Bhabanipur and a wider reshuffle of opposition roles.

West Bengal witnessed a major political development on Saturday as Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as Chief Minister at a high-profile ceremony in Kolkata. The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, several Union ministers, and Chief Ministers from NDA-ruled states. During the ceremony, PM Modi was seen touching the feet of 98-year-old BJP veteran Makhanlal Sarkar, drawing attention from leaders present at the venue. In a key administrative move, retired IAS officer and former Election Commission special observer for SIR, Subrata Gupta, has been appointed as advisor to the new Chief Minister. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called upon the Left and other opposition parties to unite and form a "joint platform" against the BJP. In a parallel development, the Trinamool Congress appointed senior leader and 10-time MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

The BJP’s first government in West Bengal reflected a carefully balanced social and regional mix, with leaders from OBC, Kayastha, Matua, tribal and Rajbanshi communities finding representation in Suvendu Adhikari’s cabinet.

Clashes, violence, and disruptions marked Phase 1 polling in West Bengal, with incidents reported in Siliguri, Murshidabad, Keshpur, and Kumarganj, prompting security intervention and Election Commission scrutiny.