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Bengal

Mamata Banerjee has stunned the political world by refusing to resign after the 2026 Bengal elections. Despite the BJP winning a two-thirds majority and Banerjee losing her own seat, she has alleged massive EVM tampering and a conspiracy by the Election Commission, vowing to fight on from a national stage.

In a show of regional solidarity, Arvind Kejriwal and Tejashwi Yadav descended upon Kolkata on Sunday, April 26, 2026, to campaign for Mamata Banerjee ahead of the decisive second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections. Addressing rallies in Beleghata and Jorasanko, Kejriwal framed the election as a battle for “Bengali culture and pride,” accusing the BJP of turning the state into a fortress. The visit comes at a precarious time for the AAP chief, following the defection of seven Rajya Sabha MPs—including Raghav Chadha—to the BJP just days prior. Despite the united front from the RJD and AAP, the INDIA bloc remains divided on the ground; Rahul Gandhi simultaneously launched a scathing attack on the Trinamool Congress, accusing Banerjee’s government of “paving the way for the BJP” through corruption. With 142 seats heading to the polls on April 29, the rivalries within the opposition and the aggressive BJP push have turned Bengal into the ultimate theater of Indian politics.

Commuters on the Sealdah–Budge Budge line faced a difficult Saturday afternoon as a fire near the tracks forced an immediate halt to all train movements. With overhead power cut for safety and firefighters working on the scene, the busy railway stretch remained silent for hours. While no injuries have been reported, the incident highlights the ongoing safety challenges for rail lines passing through heavily populated urban settlements.

In a masterstroke of “street food diplomacy,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned humble Bengali snacks into the center of a national digital frenzy. After the PM sampled Jhal Muri in Jhargram and Bhabra Bhaja in Purulia, search queries for the spicy puffed rice reportedly crossed 10 crore, thrusting local delicacies into the global spotlight. Modi used the gesture to launch a rhetorical broadside against the Trinamool Congress, promising to serve these very snacks at the BJP’s “victory celebrations” on May 4. While the TMC remains uncharacteristically quiet—wary of contradicting Mamata Banerjee’s own past endorsements of the “telebhaja” economy—analysts view this culinary outreach as a powerful effort to connect with the common man, mirroring the crunch and heat of a high-decibel election trail.

In the most anticipated showdown of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faces a fierce challenge from her former ally turned rival, Suvendu Adhikari, in her home bastion of Bhabanipur. While the TMC holds a psychological edge following the defection of the lone BJP councilor from Ward 73, Adhikari is banking on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive, which saw over 44,000 names deleted or flagged for discrepancy. With the BJP having narrowed the TMC’s lead to just 8,297 votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the saffron camp is eyeing a historic upset. However, Banerjee—the “girl next door” who won by over 58,000 votes in 2021—has launched an intimate, three-pronged campaign to reaffirm her bond with the constituency’s diverse Hindu, Sikh, and Gujarati communities before the crucial April 29 vote