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FORGOTTEN HISTORY: 4 - Caught on Camera

‘Saffron tsunami’, ‘sunset for the satraps’: Front pages on assembly results

The verdicts are in.

Newslaundry

Saffron wave deepens erosion of secular norms

The Bharatiya Janata Party has achieved a significant victory in West Bengal, solidifying its influence across eastern India. This win strengthens the party's position nationally, following recent successes in other state elections. The outcome marks a shift in West Bengal's political landscape.

The Economic Times

A new saffron geography: BJP’s Bengal breakthrough extends its eastern dominance

The BJP has swept West Bengal and cemented Assam. The trends now point to something larger: a continuous saffron arc running from the northeast to Gujarat’s coast.

Newslaundry

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Celebrations as Modi’s ruling party poised to take control of India's West Bengal state

Supporters of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrate as trends released by the Election Commission show BJP leading in 176 out of 294 seats in West Bengal.

Euronews

Modi’s BJP set for big win in key state elections as support for his fiercest rivals collapses

Modi finally unseats Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, while popular actor Vijay’s party takes the largest number of votes in Tamil Nadu

The Independent UK

Why BJP’s Bengal Breakthrough Is Bigger Than It Looks

What if an election result is not really about numbers? Seats can be counted. Votes can be measured. But influence that’s harder to see. The recent breakthrough of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal may look like just another political win. But the real story runs deeper than headlines…

MyLifeXP

‘Numbers Are Fake, Wait Till Sunset’: 5 Big Claims by Mamata Banerjee as BJP Surges in Bengal

As counting progressed in the West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued a strong appeal to her supporters, urging them not to leave counting centres despite early trends showing a significant lead for the Bharatiya Janata Party over the All India Trinamool Congress.

Whats Hot

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Early trends: BJP surges in Bengal, Vijay’s TVK springs a surprise in Tamil Nadu

Early counting trends from five state and union territory assembly elections point to a possible BJP breakthrough in West Bengal and an unexpected frontrunner in Tamil Nadu in the form of actor-turned-politician Vijay’s new party.

Newslaundry

Why Mamata Banerjee will win West Bengal: Swaminathan Aiyar

Exit polls predict a BJP victory in West Bengal, but this analysis suggests otherwise. Mamata Banerjee is expected to return as Chief Minister. Factors like demography and language are seen as crucial. The author argues that exit polls in India are often inaccurate. Voters' fears and outright lies can skew…

The Economic Times

India’s Modi senses chance to dethrone ‘nemesis’ in crucial state election

ON THE GROUND: The PM’s party has descended upon West Bengal in huge numbers for this key election, hoping to grasp the chance to oust the opposition’s only female chief minister. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports from Kolkata

The Independent UK

‘Encounter specialist’ as Bengal poll guardian: When an observer becomes a ‘viral hero’

In a News18 India segment posted on X today, the thumbnail read: “Singham Ki Entry: Kiski Hogi Victory” (Singham's entry: Whose victory will it be?). On one side sat a cutout of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee; on the other, a stylised, cinematic-style photo of IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma racking…

Newslaundry

As Mamata’s seat prepares to vote, faith is thin: ‘Whoever comes to Lanka will be Ravan’

For 30 years, Bapi Das has run his tea shop on a narrow Bhabanipur lane, stirring kettles, watching governments come and go. When you ask him about the BJP – whether it might throw up a surprise this time – he looks up and offers a parable.

Newslaundry

Key Indian state heads to polls amid controversy over millions losing voting rights

ON THE GROUND: Former government workers and even security officers on election duty are among millions stripped of the right to vote in West Bengal’s knife-edge polls. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports from Kolkata

The Independent UK

‘Didi is like Mother India’: Tracing the admirers and the economy of a Mamata rally

At a rally in Beleghata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (‘Didi’) ramped up her campaign for the second phase of the West Bengal assembly elections.

Newslaundry

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Newslaundry

Tuning into Kolkata’s mann ki baat

Newslaundry has landed in Kolkata for the final leg of this election season, and we are bringing you unfiltered voices from the ground.

Newslaundry

Jobs, corruption, SIR | Mahua Moitra on the Mamata mandate

With voting in West Bengal less than two weeks away, questions abound as to whether the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise will hurt the incumbent Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) chances. Concerns are mounting over the reported targeting of Muslim-dominated constituencies where the party has historically been strong. At the…

Newslaundry

Infiltration, SIR, ‘washing machine’ | The Suvendu Adhikari interview

With West Bengal heading to the polls in just two weeks, credible reports indicate that the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has disenfranchised millions of voters. The SIR exercise, the opposition TMC alleges, has been designed to pave the way for a BJP victory.

Newslaundry

‘Feels like a betrayal’: SIR deletions hit BJP’s own Hindu refugee base in West Bengal

“It feels like we aren’t worth anything at all. Everyone is able to vote but us. Money aatonko aatonko hocche (My mind is wracked with fear). Those who have voting rights, they have [worth]; we have nothing else,” says Pratima Roy, a 34-year-old resident of Bongaon Uttar.

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Newslaundry

The Dhaka effect: Did the BNP’s win in Bangladesh blunt the BJP’s poll pitch in Bengal?

A few hundred people from various minority religious groups staged a demonstration in Dhaka on March 13. They alleged no end to atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh, even as a new government was democratically elected after years of turmoil.

The Independent UK

How one state’s name change sparked calls for a similar move across India to reclaim pre-colonial legacy

India has seen a wave of renamings to reflect pre-colonial identities, writes Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Whats Hot

Opposition demands full probe into Baramati plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Opposition leaders on Wednesday called for a comprehensive investigation into the plane crash that claimed the life of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others. Demands range from a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-led probe to a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry.

The Independent UK

Prashant Tamang, Indian Idol-winning singer and actor, dies suddenly aged 43

He died of suspected cardiac arrest on Sunday

The Guardian - UK

India’s electoral roll revision threatens democracy and Muslims, say critics

Opposition claims SIR process being used to disenfranchise minority groups to benefit Narendra Modi’s government

International Business Times UK

Messi India Tour Erupts In Riot: Fans Destroy Barriers and Demand Full Refunds

Lionel Messi's GOAT tour in India sparked chaos in Kolkata as fans vandalised Salt Lake Stadium after his 20-minute appearance, demanding refunds for £100 tickets.

The Independent UK

Inside the chaos at Kolkata stop of Messi’s India tour as angry fans rip up seats: ‘We have been scammed’

Around 60,000 fans, many of whom turned hostile, had paid between £41 and £132 to see Messi

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