With just a day left for the opening of the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair, the Boimela prangon in saltlake awaits to attract crowd from all across the globe. The usual winter afternoon calm is broken by the sound of hammering, and the smell of fresh paint as workers are determined to complete the preparations on time.
The Supreme Court on Monday (January 19, 2026) criticised the Election Commission for the “stress and strain” caused, through its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, to the ordinary people of the State of West Bengal, where 1.36 crore people, almost 20% of the population, have received notices from the poll body to explain “logical discrepancies” in their names and family backgrounds
On Monday, the West Bengal government said that two cases of Nipah virus have been detected in the state. Both the affected individuals are medical staffers of a private hospital in Barasat in the North 24 Parganas district and are admitted there.
Ruling dispensation Trinamool Congress and principal Opposition outfit BJP are shouting of reaping political advantage before Assembly election even though dust is yet to settle on a Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at two offices of I-PAC in Kolkata recently. With chief minister and TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee storming into the office of I-PAC, her party’s political consultant and emerging with a green file and a lap top stated to be containing TMC poll game plan, senior TMC leaders are claiming political advantage while her action is being looked upon as an instance of obstructing governmental investigation by the saffron camp.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a plea before the Supreme Court accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and State officials of interfering with the central agency’s investigation and search operations at the Kolkata offices of political consultancy firm I-PAC and its co-founder, Pratik Jain.
The political battle between the BJP and the Trinamul Congress (TMC) in West Bengal escalated sharply on Thursday after the Enforcement Directorate raided two premises linked to the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), the political consultancy working with the ruling party, in connection with a coal smuggling-linked money laundering probe. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responded by personally intervening at the raid sites, leading to a dramatic confrontation with the central agency.
Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that ‘anti-Bengal forces’ tried to prevent him from reaching Tarapith in Birbhum district to address a public meeting. However, he managed to reach the venue in a helicopter belonging to Jharkhand Chief Minister (CM) Hemant Soren.
Alleging harassment of the electorate in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the State, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (January 5, 2026) said she would move the court against the Election Commission of India (EC).
Nandini Chakraborty has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of the state, making her the first woman and first Bengali woman to hold the highest bureaucratic post. The appointment was announced on Wednesday, bringing an end to days of speculation over who would succeed outgoing Chief Secretary Manoj Pant.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the core leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal to constantly counter Trinamool Congress’ propaganda, which is spreading fear and panic among voters from the Matua community about their potential loss of voting rights following the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state.
