West Bengal

Kolkata, Mar 12 (PTI) The health condition of West Bengal Chief MInister Mamata Banerjee, who is nursing injuries suffered during poll campaigning at Nandigram, is stable and her improvement is satisfactory, doctors said on Friday.

Banerjee slept well at night and is responding well to treatment, said doctors at the state-run SSKM hospital, where the TMC supremo was rushed to on Wednesday after being allegedly pushed by unknown people while campaigning for the assembly elections in Nandigram in Purba Medinipore district.

Kolkata, Mar 11 (PTI) A delegation of BJP leaders on Thursday visited the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is undergoing treatment.

Former governor of Tripura and Meghalaya Tathagata Roy and state BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya, who went to the state-run hospital, said that they could not meet the Trinamool Congress chief owing to medical reasons.

"We conveyed our concern to the TMC leaders present, including minister Arup Biswas, and wished the chief minister a speedy recovery," Bhattacharya said.

Nandigram (WB), Mar 11 (PTI) A case was registered on Thursday over the attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, following a complaint lodged by TMC leader Sheikh Sufian, police said.

The case was lodged under IPC sections 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), a senior police officer of the Purba Medinipur district said.

"We have received a complaint from Mr Sufiyan. Our investigation is already underway and we are collecting evidence," the officer said.

Siliguri, Mar 7 (PTI) Launching a fresh tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said he was "peddling lies to mislead the voters" in the poll-bound state.

Banerjee, addressing a rally here following her protest march over LPG price hike, said the prime minister made many "empty" promises over the years, and people no longer trust him.

She sought to know "why the PM has not yet deposited Rs 15 lakh in the bank accounts of every citizen, as promised by him before 2014 Lok Sabha polls".

Siliguri (WB), Mar 6 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lead a 'padayatra' here on Sunday to protest against the steep hike in fuel prices, including LPG cylinders.

Banerjee, following her arrival here from Kolkata on Saturday, told reporters that thousands of people, especially women, will assemble at Darjeeling More at 1 pm to join the protest march.

Claiming that LPG cylinders would soon be beyond the reach of common man, the CM said, "We need to organise massive demonstrations to make our voices heard."

Kolkata, Mar 5 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday released the list of Trinamool Congress candidates for the upcoming assembly polls for 291 seats with emphasis on youths, minority, women and backward communities.

Three candidates of the Bimal Gurung faction of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), an ally of the TMC, will be contesting from the remaining three seats in Darjeeling.

Kolkata, Mar 4 (PTI) The ruling TMC in West Bengal Thursday demanded the removal of Sudeep Jain, the deputy election commissioner in-charge of the state, accusing him of being biased against it and breaking norms of the federal structure.

TMC spokesperson Sougata Roy said that party leader Derek O' Brien has written to the Election Commission demanding that Jain be removed as he has a "track record" of being biased against it during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Kolkata, Mar 1 (PTI) An aide of BJP leader Rakesh Singh has been arrested here in connection with the New Alipore drug seizure case, a senior police officer said on Monday.

With the fresh arrest, six persons, including two BJP leaders have been held so far in connection with the case.

The accused was nabbed from a shed beside Adi Ganga canal near Orphangunge market in Watgunge police station area late on Sunday night, the officer said.

Kolkata, Mar 1 (PTI) The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed 28 observers for poll-bound West Bengal, a senior leader said on Monday.

Congress leaders from states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand have been appointed as observers for the eight-phase elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly.

The AICC appointed four observers for Kolkata, dividing it into north, south, central and Burrabazar districts, while there will be two observers each for the districts of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas, he said.

Kolkata/ Puri, Feb 26 (PTI) A puja was held at the residence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kalighat in south Kolkata on Friday as the schedule for the assembly elections in West Bengal was announced.

Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of the chief minister, performed the rituals, which were led by Jagannath Swain Mohapatra of the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri.

Mohapatra is Lord Jaganath's 'badagrahi' or bodyguard when the deity is brought out of the temple on Ratha Jatra or Snan Jatra.