Politics
The Election Commission of India has frozen the Trinamool Congress name and ‘Flowers & Grass’ symbol for the October 6 bypolls, assigning separate interim designations to factions led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy. Amid an urgent Supreme Court challenge by the party supremo, an emerging Congress-Mamata alignment has prompted the resignation of Trinamool’s Nandigram nominee.
The upcoming October 6 by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar have turned into a crucial referendum on Bengal’s political ground reality. While the BJP seeks to consolidate its hold, the contest between Mamata Banerjee’s loyalists and Ritabrata Banerjee’s dissident bloc will decide who commands actual public support as the state’s true opposition voice.
The fight for control of the Trinamool Congress reached the Election Commission of India on Thursday as rival camps led by Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim to the party name and symbol. With high-profile by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar scheduled for October 6, the ECI’s imminent verdict will determine which faction enters the fray as the authentic TMC.
In a major legal turn, the Chhattisgarh High Court on April 2, 2026, sentenced Amit Jogi—son of the state’s first Chief Minister—to life imprisonment for the 2003 murder of NCP leader Ramavatar Jaggi. Overturning a 2007 acquittal, the court identified Jogi as the “mastermind” behind the conspiracy to eliminate his political rival. While the victim’s family hailed the verdict as a long-awaited triumph for truth, Jogi has already appealed to the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear the matter on April 20, 2026.
In a dramatic escalation of political hostilities ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has alleged a “Pakistan-linked” conspiracy behind recent corruption charges leveled against his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla have rejected a notice submitted by 193 Opposition MPs across both Houses seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. No specific reasons were cited for the rejection.
In its first verdict, an appellate tribunal has recognised a Congress-nominated candidate from Farakka in Murshidabad district as a legal voter, just 17 days before the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled on 23 April. The second phase will be held on 29 April.
A fresh political controversy erupted after the Indian National Congress alleged that the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma possesses three foreign passports, triggering a sharp exchange between the ruling BJP and the opposition ahead of key political developments.The allegations were raised by Congress leader Pawan Khera, who claimed that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, the Chief Minister’s wife, holds passports from multiple countries, including the UAE, Antigua and Barbuda, and Egypt. The Congress further alleged that she may have undisclosed foreign assets, including properties in Dubai, and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
The “Energy War” of 2026 has reached its most dangerous moment yet. With a literal 48-hour clock ticking, President Trump has promised a rain of fire on Iranian power plants if the world’s most vital oil lane is not reopened. As military assets move into position and global markets tremble, the next two days will determine if the Middle East finds a path to peace or sinks into a total infrastructure collapse
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