Bengal
Confronting an existential crisis under the ruling BJP in West Bengal, Left parties are set to contest the upcoming Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections as a unified bloc, bringing non-Left Front allies like SUCI(C) and CPI(ML) Liberation on board. Driven by a delimitation exercise that expanded KMC wards from 144 to 209 and recent clashes over Left book stalls, the CPI(M) has set aside its historical ‘big brother’ approach to share seats and build a wider resistance against the saffron camp.
The West Bengal government has officially notified a policy granting Group D government jobs to the next of kin of people killed in political violence from 2001 onwards. Announced by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Garbeta and formally notified by Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal on November 1, the scheme extends compassionate appointments to spouses, children (including third-gender), or siblings of unmarried victims whose family income does not exceed ₹50,000 a month, with applications to be screened by district magistrate and police committees.
A catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in upper Bhutan has triggered red alerts across North Bengal, prompting the emergency evacuation of over 10,000 people in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts. With the Sankosh and Mo Chhu rivers receiving millions of cubic meters of sudden discharge, the West Bengal administration has deployed NDRF and SDRF rescue squads, opened relief camps in school buildings, and initiated widespread public warnings to prevent loss of life across vulnerable tea garden belts.
The BJP government in West Bengal has completed its first 100 days in office, and the party is now taking its report card directly to the people, planning to reach at least four crore voters across the state over the next seven to 10 days.
Rebel Trinamool Congress MLA Ritabrata Banerjee will continue as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly for the time being, after the Calcutta High Court declined to interfere with his appointment. The court has, however, made it clear that his position will remain provisional for two months, giving the legal battle over the post a temporary pause.
Around 17 lakh applications for the Annapurna Yojana have been rejected after verification because of Aadhaar-related problems, the government said on Monday. The rejection comes just before the third installment of the direct cash transfer scheme for women is distributed.
The West Bengal Assembly, on Wednesday, passed two delimitation bills related to the state’s municipal corporations. The first is the Howrah Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the second is the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The bills were introduced during a special one-day Assembly session.
The government has raised the monthly health-related allowance available to former Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to ₹10,000, providing greater financial support for their medical needs. The move is expected to benefit former legislators, particularly those facing increasing healthcare expenses after retirement.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission (EC) to provide details of the cases decided and pending before appellate tribunals dealing with appeals against the deletion of names from West Bengal’s electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
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