Author: Samiddha Chakraborty
The internal fault lines within the All India Trinamool Congress broke wide open on Sunday, May 24, 2026, as senior leader and four-time Lok Sabha MP Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resigned as the president of the party’s Barasat organizational district unit. Taking absolute “moral responsibility” for the TMC’s crushing defeat in the North 24 Parganas stronghold—where the surging BJP flipped five out of seven assembly segments—Dastidar sent her resignation to state party president Subrata Bakshi. The high-profile exit from the district leadership comes just days after she was stripped of her Chief Whip position in the Lok Sabha. In an explosive critique of the party’s current trajectory, the veteran Mamata Banerjee loyalist openly slammed the unchecked influence of political consultancy firm I-PAC, warned against the creeping “criminalization” within party ranks, and urged the leadership to immediately abandon corporate blueprints in favor of traditional, grassroots street mobilization.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has made a major breakthrough in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case by arresting a Pune-based school headmistress and physics lecturer, Manisha Sanjay Havaldar. Identified as an expert panelist appointed by the National Testing Agency (NTA), Havaldar allegedly abused her complete access to the physics section by leaking exam questions to co-accused Manisha Mandhare back in April. Investigators confirmed that the leaked data perfectly matched the official question paper sets of India’s largest medical entrance exam, which was conducted on May 3 and subsequently cancelled. This 11th arrest, arriving just 40 days before Havaldar’s scheduled retirement from Sheth Hiralal Saraf Prashala, has exposed the core insider ring of the “examination mafia” alongside a network of middlemen charging students lakhs of rupees for clandestine coaching sessions.
22nd May | West Bengal More than two months after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls began in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly elections, the process of hearing appeals against voter deletions continues to move at a slow pace.According to official data, 12 of the 19 tribunals set up following Supreme Court directions had disposed of only 6,581 appeals by mid-May, despite nearly 24.98 lakh appeals being filed by voters whose names were removed from the electoral rolls.The tribunals were constituted on March 20 after the Supreme Court intervened amid allegations of large-scale wrongful deletions during the…
Senior leaders of the Congress triggered political speculation in Uttar Pradesh after a group of party leaders made an unannounced visit to the residence of BahujanSamaj Party chief Mayawati in Lucknow. However, the leaders were reportedly denied entry by security personnel as no prior appointment had been scheduled.
Amid growing concerns over West Bengal’s recently enforced animal slaughter regulations ahead of Eid-ul-Adha, Indian Secular Front leader Naushad Siddiqui has appealed to the state government to simplify the certification process for cattle slaughter and prevent hardship for traders and poor families.
15th may | India The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed concern over the Centre’s 2023 law governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs), questioning whether the present mechanism gives excessive control to the executive and affects the perceived independence of the Election Commission of India (ECI).A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma was hearing petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. The law replaced the Chief Justice of India (CJI) with a Union Cabinet…
13th May | West Bengal The first session of the newly elected 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly will commence on May 15, marking the beginning of a new political chapter in the state following the recently concluded Assembly elections. The election of the Speaker will take place on the opening day of the session, according to official notifications issued by the Assembly secretariat.Senior BJP legislator Tapas Roy has been appointed as the pro tem Speaker and was administered the oath by Governor R. N. Ravi at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. As pro tem Speaker, Roy will oversee the oath-taking ceremony…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attended the “SomnathAmritMahotsav” celebrations in Gujarat, commemorating 75 years of the reconstruction of the historic Somnath Temple. Addressing devotees and dignitaries at the temple complex, Modi described Somnath as a timeless symbol of Bharat’s resilience, unity, and civilisational strength.
Sanskruti Jayana, granddaughter of former Gujarat Chief Minister and current Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, has officially entered the film industry with her acting debut in the mythological drama Krishnavataram Part 1: The Heart. The film, released on May 7, has already generated considerable attention for its grand visuals, spiritual themes and fresh cast.
The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) is set to approach the Supreme Court over alleged manipulation and irregularities during the recently concluded 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The move comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a sweeping victory in the state, ending the TMC’s 15-year rule and triggering a major political confrontation between the two parties.