Loss of Face ... one more time for Trinamool ::: Supreme Court "disposed of" the SLP by TMC after recording submissions of the EC

 WB elections: ECI tells Supreme Court State nominee will be present during vote count after TMC challenges exclusion. 

The last ditch effort to delay, disturb or influence vote count of  Monday, May 4 for West Bengal elections did not work. 

A Bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a plea by the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) against the Chief Electoral Officer's decision to deploy only Central government employees as vote counting supervisors for the assembly elections in West Bengal.

The apex Court recorded EC counsel Dama Sheshadri Naidu's submission that the EC will follow its circular in letter and spirit. Hence, it declined to pass any orders on the appeal filed by TMC against a Calcutta High Court order.

"No further orders are needed in the SLP. We record the submission of Mr Naidu that the circular of EC be followed in letter and spirit," the Bench said.  

The Calcutta High Court said on Friday (May 1) that it is the prerogative of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to appoint the counting supervisor and counting assistant either from the State government or the Central government. 

"This Court does not find any illegality for appointing counting supervisor and counting assistant from the Central Government/Central PSU employee instead of State Government employee," the High Court said.

It further stated that the TMC can later file elections petitions to challenge the results in case they find the central government employees favouring BJP candidates.  

Justice Bagchi said that counting will be in the presence of every party's election agents.

"It hardly matters if he is central govt nominee or not. 

"It is to subjective satisfaction of ECI. Your counting agents will be there and so as others. Then counting assistant, counting supervisor and micro-observer who is a Central government officer. 

"We cannot hold that this notification is contrary to the regulation since one is a central government officer but the others are not said that they cannot be central government employee. 

To choose wholly from one pool cannot be said to be incorrect," Justice Bagchi maintained.

"What is this proportionate representation concept. All of them are employees of the government," Justice Narasimha said.

"But the State government nominee has not been appointed," TMC counsel Kapil Sibal said.

"So have you written them. You were challenging the circular and now you are saying follow it," Justice Bagchi stated.

ends 

Delusions of grandeur or megalomania in TMC :::::: For BJP .. if election is won in Bengal; credit will have to be shared among Amit Shah, Sunil Bansal and Bhupendra Yadav ::: Crucial meeting on Saturday to draw plans for counting day

The mood is upbeat in the BJP over its handling of the mega challenge of elections in West Bengal. Wining Bengal - a red bastion for long and where Muslim appeasement thrived in the last 15 years - is more than a dream. 

They have beaten a 'malady' within the TMC leadership. 

We may use the phrase Folie de grandeur (French for "madness of grandeur") and it refers to delusions of grandeur or even megalomania --- where an individual holds an exaggerated, unrealistic belief in their own power, wealth and intellect.

Between April 23 and May 2 - the 10-day duration the TMC was looking for excuses. The 'excuses' that would stall the blame reaching the party leadership if the outcome is adverse. 

For the BJP on the other side the credit has to be shared among Amit Shah, Sunil Bansal and Bhupendra Yadav. But before that - the May 2 (Saturday) meeting is crucial. 

It will be attended among others by BJP state unit president Samik Bhattacharya and also Bansal, Bhupendra Yadav and Mangal Pandey. 

The BJP  are confident of their own feedback that they would manage a comfortable majority. They are also happy that most of the Exit Polls outcomes have indicated towards BJP's win. Bansal has already met state office bearers and some candidates to assess the feedback from the constituencies. On Saturday, among other issues plans will be drawn out for the counting halls. 

The manner TMC is coming out with one issue or the other including a four-hour visit to the strongroom by Mamata Banerjee on Thursday night; the saffron party leaders would not like to leave anything to chance. 

The refrain is while the BJP has many first timer counting agents; they should be guided properly. On the other hand, counting officials from the state government have experiences and they may still hold loyalty towards the chief minister. 

In 2021, the BJP probably lost 50 seats (according to their internal assessment) because on the counting day either the counting agents were soldout or they were threatened by TMC goons and directed to leave the counting stations. 

In other words, they do not want the repeat of 2021 at the last moment.  

On the credit front, Sunil Bansal may be given the credit for coining the hashtag and the slogan #BhoyOutBhorosaIn (Fear out; Trust in). 

Bansal, Amit Shah and Bhupendra Yadav assisted by other colleagues decided long back that the campaign focus this time should be on small public meetings.

These small meetings were held on household or moholla basis. Over 12,000 street meetings were held in 53 assembly constituencies. 

Additionally, 165,000 small meetings were held to establish communication with voters, especially women and youth. 

These meetings, insiders say ... created an atmosphere of “BJP Tai-BJP Chai (Because BJP can deliver, we want it to come to power).

                                                          

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held 19 rallies and 2 road shows, covering approximately 42 organizational districts. 

Home Minister Shah held 29 rallies and 11 road shows, covering 29 organizational (23 administrative) districts and BJP president Nitin Naveen also held 17 key events. In fact, Bansal and Yadav have been working for months. 

Bhupendra Yadav has handled Bengal earlier too in 2019 and 2021. The 2019 campaign was the best when BJP could win 18 Lok Sabha seats and high vote share. He has previously partnered in different states with top leaders such as Rajnath Singh (Odisha), Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (Ashwini Vaishnaw) and with others in various states.

Over all, if the saffron party has something to laugh about on May 4; they will also have to cherish the team work.  

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Huge Turnout in West Bengal certainly - but segments with large Muslim population also voted overwhelmingly

 Murshidabad, where Muslims make up over 66 per cent of the population, is perhaps the most closely watched district in this belt. In 2021, the TMC won 20 of its 22 seats.

Women Polling personnel at Basirhat Dakshin , North 24 Parganas 

Turnout here has surged sharply. Raghunathganj recorded the highest jump in the entire belt, up 20.5 percentage points from 2021. It was up by 17.9 points in Jangipur, 16.4 points in Sagardighi, 16 percentage points in Samserganj, and 14.5 points in Suti. 

Every seat in the district registered an increase in voter turnout.

The recently concluded Assembly elections in West Bengal witnessed a dramatic surge in voter turnout, crossing the 90 per cent mark for the first time in the state’s electoral history. In the 85 Muslim-dominated constituencies, the spike was even more pronounced, rising by 2 to 20 percentage points.

These 85 seats fall in districts where Muslims make up over 35 per cent of the population. For decades, this belt was dominated by the Congress and the Left. However, in the 2021 Assembly elections, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) won 75 of these 85 seats, signalling a consolidation of minority votes in its favour. 

The Congress and the Left were nearly wiped out, while the BJP emerged as the only significant challenger, winning most of the remaining seats.  

Birbhum is often associated with TMC strongman and district president Anubrata Mondal. The district also saw steady turnout increases. It rose by 13.3 percentage points in Murarai, 11 points in Rampurhat, 10.7 points in Nalhati, and 10.5 points in Suri. Labpur and Mayureswar recorded smaller but still positive gains. All 11 seats in Birbhum registered increases.

Malda and Uttar Dinajpur were once Congress strongholds before the TMC swept through in 2021. Now, with Mausam Noor back in the fray in Malatipur and the Congress contesting independently, these districts are being closely watched.

In Malda district, voter turnout jumped by 16.2 percentage points in Ratua, 15.3 points in Chanchal, 14.7 points in Malatipur, and 14.1 percentage points in Habibpur. Not a single seat recorded a single-digit increase.

In Uttar Dinajpur, Goalpokhar saw the second-highest jump in the entire belt at 19.7 points. It rose by 17.5 percentage points in Chakulia, 13.9 points in Islampur, and 13.4 points in Karandighi. All nine seats in the district recorded increases of over 10 percentage points.

Murshidabad and Malda were among the top districts in terms of SIR voter deletions. Murshidabad recorded 4,55,137 deletions, while Malda saw 2,39,375 names removed. Despite this, turnout remained extremely strong, with many seats recording over 90 per cent voting.  

Poll officials at Barasat , North 24 Parganas .

South 24 Parganas, which has 31 seats, recorded some of the biggest increases. In Metiaburuz, for instance, turnout jumped by 18 percentage points, while Kasba saw a rise of 17.2 points.

Kudos to the Election Commission of India for prioritizing voter comfort. The entire process was efficient and completely hassle-free. Great to see such voter-friendly services in action!

ends 

Oh. Indians ... MEN WILL BE MEN !! 15 years back .... that is 2011 .... Not only Mamata could oust the Marxists .... Indian polity was more 'eco friendly' to women Netas !!

2011 - India was different. Bharat Mata was more friendly to women leaders unlike 2026 when the stage is almost set to oust India's only woman chief minister, that is Mamata Banerjee. 

Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress party, was by far the most influential single politician in the country. She remote controlled the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA Govt. 

The so-called National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by Sonia easily over ruled union cabinet and as a doting mom, - Italian or Indian - Sonia was planning big for her son Rahul Gandhi and a bit also for daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. 

Mayawati - Once a PM-material; now marginalised in UP 

Other prominent female politicians included Late Sheila Dikshit, then chief minister of the national capital, Delhi.

And by May 2011--- even Anna Hazare-Arvind Kejriwal combo had not surfaced in the debate in the Lutyen's city nor at the spacious Ram Lila ground.

In Uttar Pradesh, BJP supremo Mayawati ran the government with men 'netas' in her party including Brahmins regularly meeting her and even touching her feet.

Even the president of India, a largely ceremonial position, was also a woman - Pratibha Patil, -- onetime die-hard loyalist of Sonia Gandhi. 

Mamata : Younger Days 

By May 13 (2011); state assembly election results came in and in Tamil Nadu it was Jayalalitha all the way wresting power from DMK. And in Bengal by ousting the communists, Mamata Banerjee had emerged big.  

In 2011 after the mandate came in; On being asked if Mamata would be able to live up to the challenge of rebuilding West Bengal, former journalist M J Akbar had said, 

"The foremost challenge for her will be finding jobs for youth - which the CPI-M denied them - and if she can't provide solutions to these issues, she is going to have far more bigger problems. 

She has to win the private sector, which will be a very important challenge. But I believe, she is fully conscious of her responsibility."

Saying that 'it's a dream come true' for the Trinamool, Akbar added, the Left is a movement, 'which is not going to die and for a rebirth, you have to accept death"

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya - CPI-M leader ousted in 2011 

See, how much things have come a full circle. 

The Communist parties in West Bengal have seen their once powerful support base weakened by corruption, poor administration, a series of land protests and a failure to bring any serious economic growth and the gross failures to provide jobs. 

Late Vinod Mehta, then the editor of 'Outlook' news magazine, said in 2011 the Left Front had lost power because of "more than three decades of misgovernment and dogma".

In 2026 - if Mamata has to bow out, the same issues would be debated once again. In politics - certain things remain as permanent point of pains and intellectual discourse. 

ends 

Life does not 'pay back' as much as Politics ::: In 2021 during cyclone .... Mamata had mocked at PM saying he is more keen to meet an "MLA" Suvendu ... in 2026, Big Question is whether Mamata Banerjee will be elected from Bhabanipur

The sense of disappointment is evident as 15 years of the Mamata regime comes to an end. 

Vote count on Monday, May 4 will decide many things. Freebies and Lakhir Bhandar have been the area where Mamata continued to shine. But that too perhaps could not save her day !! 

Her Govt has overstepped on many issues -- but on some basic levels,it failed utterly.  

I am Mamata of the past; so I should get votes - was proved a mythical and a misnomer. 

In 2021 during cyclone .... Mamata Banerjee had mocked at PM Narendra Modi saying he is more keen to meet an "MLA" Suvendu Adhiari.

The BJP legislator was already Leader of the Opposition. That is also a Constitutional position. 

  

... In 2026, the Big Question is whether Mamata Banerjee will be elected from Bhabanipur !! 

Power makes people arrogant. This phenomenon is irrespective of the party affiliation. In 2009 and 2011; the CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat was left red-faced. In 2004, the BJP under Vajpayee had paid a heavy price. But Netas do not learn this obvious lesson. Mamata Banerjee and her TMC too had grown arrogant. 

But in the process, Mamata failed to perceive that her grand tactics and towering claims that she will not allow SIR in her state or will not allow implementation of central law like CAA had slowly alienated her and her party from the common populace. 

While she thought by opposing SIR, she would endear herself to the Muslim voters; the faceless electorate and mostly Hindus including women wondered Mamata's theatrics were just for the sake of it or all that had any merit. 

The message from the mandate in West Bengal or any other state is that the faceless Indian voter should not be taken for granted -- and more so if the political ambition does not match the performance. 

People's wishes matter.  She cultivated a section of Fish Fry journalists both in Delhi and Kolkata. In West Bengal; there is a TV channel which has been affectionately (sic) given the name Min Mini. Which channel is better known to the people themselves ... 

Market mein 'anand hua (enjoy)'.  Hence, despite Mamata's disapproval, Narendra Modi's 'Jhal Muri' expedition went viral. All these can happen only when people want certain things and they see certain things coming/going in that direction. 

Jhal Muri - rightly said is a classless food of Bengal irrespective of caste, creed and religion.   

But look at the other side of the story -- in response to Modi's Jhal Muri video, Mamata started saying the Prime Minister's show was all stage managed. How can the Prime Minister have Rs 10 in his pocket. You - what has gone deep. 

Mamata also suddenly discovered the virtues of going shopping vegetables; then you know -- the big picture message is - She is STRRUGLING.   

To wrap up; one can say --- the stage is set for the most keenly watched vote count in West Bengal. 

ends 

India stopped using the term "East Jerusalem" since 2017 :::::: BRICS at risk of imploding, reveals Delhi meet ::: Deputy foreign ministers and special envoys of 11-member BRICS on April 24 ended without a joint statement

 BRICS at risk of imploding, reveals Delhi meet

BRICS is deeply polarised,

There is a wide rift in the BRICS, of which India is a founding member, due to the war in the Middle East. There was no joint statement after the recent meeting in New Delhi that was described as "very tense". India as the BRICS president will have to do a tight rope walk ahead of the crucial summit in September.  

The meeting of deputy foreign ministers and special envoys of the 11-member BRICS bloc in New Delhi last Friday (April 24) ended without a joint statement. 

That despite diplomats burning the midnight oil.

MEA's Secretary (South) Neena Malhotra chaired the meeting of BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys for the Middle East and North Africa (BRICS MENA) on 23-24 April 2026 in New Delhi 

Spl Mention:  

The meeting, held on April 24, was attended by representatives of 10 BRICS members, including both Iran, hit directly by United States and Israel.

It was also attended by UAE, struck by Iranian counter-attacks on US military bases in Gulf countries.

An area in Gaza destroyed after Israeli attacks. The conflicts in the Middle East has led to polarisation with the BRICS even as India holds the presidency. (Image: Reuters/India Today)  

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a chair’s statement after the discussions, a format typically used when members cannot agree on common language. The statement said participants expressed deep concern on the recent conflict in the Middle East and "offered views and assessments on the matter”.

Pointers:  

Indian Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs attempted to tone down references to Israel and Palestine in the draft statement.

** This included softening criticism of Israel's bombardment of Gaza and Lebanon, and removing any mention of "East Jerusalem".

*** Officials  pushed to replace direct references to Israel in critiques of operations in the West Bank and Lebanon with the more oblique term "occupying power".

** A section of foreign dignitaries were surprised. They said, New Delhi has earlier agreed to such language at many multilateral fora. 

But it is also true India had incorporated similar changes during the India–Arab League Summit held in Delhi in January 2026. 

*** In bilateral statements, India stopped using the term "East Jerusalem" in 2017.

A fractured world gets reflected in international fora, and the BRICS, built brick by brick over the years, is no exception. Starting with just five members, including India, 17 years ago, it is now a wall with 10 full-time member countries and 10 partner states. 

But the conflicts in the Middle East have exposed the cracks in what should have been a solid wall. That deep schism was revealed at the recent summit in New Delhi, at a time when India is the leader of the bloc by rotation.  

The BRICS talks in New Delhi failed to produce a joint statement, and the cause is sharp internal divisions that complicated India's effort to build a consensus. Disputes over the US-Iran war, a standoff between Iran and the UAE, and an alleged resistance to India's so-called changes in the wording on the Israel-Palestine issue led to a stalemate. 

India, however, has clarified that there has been no change in its Palestine stance.

The divisions appear ahead of key meetings next month and the summit later this year. India assumed the BRICS presidency on January 1, 2026, and will be the head for a year.  

According to the report, the US–Iran War dominated proceedings, with Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) clashing over how the conflict should be framed. Both Iran and the UAE are full members, added to the BRICS in 2024.

Iran pushed for language recognising the US and Israel as having initiated the conflict with aerial strikes on February 28, while the UAE insisted on explicitly criticising Iran for attacking a fellow BRICS member. Diplomats described the positions as irreconcilable.  

Diplomats called the atmosphere in the meeting "very tense", with delegations taking "maximalist positions".

The discussions became "tedious and prolonged". 

The outcome points to an increase in difficulties for India's BRICS presidency this year, and also exposes deep cracks within the BRICS grouping, with member states having widely different goals and unwilling to compromise with each other.

TMC's Dharna ... False Alarm .... anti-climax of 'Jabar Bela' - Time to Go - :::: Amit Shah to arrive Kolkata, monitor post-counting situation to avoid re-run of 2021 violence

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to arrive in Kolkata after the announcement of the election results on May 4.

He would monitor the situation personally with senior police and civil officials to avoid a 2021 rerun. The BJP is confident of winning West Bengal polls and wrest power from Trinamool Congress but says does not want the spectre of post-verdict violence as was unleashed by TMC goons in 2021.  

In fact, Minister of State for Home Nityananda Rai was deputed to Bengal to oversee the situation even before the exit poll predictions came.  

The Union Home Ministry has said that the central forces would remain in Bengal for two months after the election results to prevent post-poll violence.

In 2021, the violence was triggered by TMC goons the moment it became clear that Mamata Banerjee would return to power. The BJP workers and supporters were attacked in multiple places. In 2026, the overall situation is somewhat different while a large numbers of central forces are already in the state and they would continue for 60 days after the vote count; the BJP is exuding confidence of a comfortable win. 

On the other hand, the TMC is extremely nervous and is resorting to various peculiar tantrums including visits to strong rooms and Dharna by TMC leaders. 

No wheel chair unlike 2021 but drama queen is keeping things alive. At the end, as the TMC protests fizzled out, Mamata Banerjee directed her party workers to maintain a strict 24/7 vigil outside strongrooms, with replacements in place even for loo breaks. 

A high-voltage second phase of polling in West Bengal ended with high-voltage drama on Thursday night, with Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee marching down to an EVM holding centre over allegations of vote manipulation. 

However, by the end of it, the late-night drama over alleged EVM tampering at a Kolkata strongroom ultimately turned out to be a false alarm.  

The controversy was triggered by a Trinamool Congress tweet alleging suspicious movement inside Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in central Kolkata, where EVMs from all seven North Kolkata Assembly seats are stored.

By the time the video surfaced at around 8:30 pm, TMC candidates Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh were already at the site, staging a sit-in outside Netaji Indoor Stadium, barely 100 metres away.  

These followed another video message by Mamata Banerjee herself trying to keep the morale of the party workers high. Reportedly in some areas, the TMC faced shortage of counting agencts. Mamata's message made big claims that her party will win 226 seats. 

The Exit Polls outcomes from multiple agencies and the confidence shown by BJP leaders especially Suvendu Adhikari have forced Mamata to come out with such a video message. While she made big claims about the poll outcome; her actions and the manner she spoke betrayed an unprecedented nervousness.  

Kunal Ghosh and Sashi Panja at Dharna on April 30 

Around the same time, State Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal clarified that Mamata Banerjee, not being a candidate or authorised agent for North Kolkata seats, could not enter the facility where the allegations had surfaced.

Back outside Netaji Indoor Stadium, tensions persisted, with BJP candidates Tapas Roy and Santosh Kumar Pathak objecting to the gathering of TMC leaders and supporters near the site.

After the video of the alleged suspicious movement was tweeted by the TMC, party candidate Kunal Ghosh said their candidates had been present at the strongroom till 3:30 pm. He claimed they were asked to leave, after which it was reopened around 4 pm.

Ghosh said he called party workers at the site to check what was happening and was told they had already left. “Then Shashi and I rushed to the strongroom, but we were not being allowed to enter,” Ghosh told the media.

On the other hand, Agarwal, in his midnight presser, rejected Ghosh’s claims, saying it was a clear case of “miscommunication” and that candidates of the concerned Assembly constituencies had already been informed via email about the postal ballot process way in advance.

However, the protest soon fizzled out in the North Kolkata constituency after State CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal’s midnight press conference, following which Mamata Banerjee also came out of the strongroom in the South Kolkata constituency, where she had been staying.  

A BJP message said: "A minister in the Mamata Banerjee government, and a chit fund scam-accused member of the TMC, who came to power on stolen mandates, are protesting outside the strong room where EVMs are kept, without any valid reason."

Here are the facts:

👉 All strong rooms containing polled EVMs are safely secured and sealed.

👉 There is another strong room on the same premises for postal ballots, where the EC has kept AC-wise polled ballots submitted by different polling personnel and Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETBPS).

👉 The EC had notified all Observers and ROs, and requested ROs to inform candidates and their agents about this. 👉 ROs informed political parties via email (image attached). 👉 In the video, segregation of ballots was taking place in the corridor of the strong room premises from 4pm.

👉 The main strong rooms are safely secured and locked.

👉 The same was duly shown to Mrs. Panja and Mr. Kunal Ghosh.

"The truth is that people have voted for change and Mamata Banerjee is merely building an excuse for her impending defeat on 4th May," the West Bengal BJP said in a Twitter (X) message.  

Time to Go .... 'Jabar Bela' . 

ends