Apprehending that large scale political violence may break out after the announcement of the poll results on May 13, the state administration has decided to request the Centre to deploy the Central paramilitary forces for the purpose of maintaining law and order even after the elections are over. “We want that some of the companies of the Central forces should stay back in the state for at least 10 days after the announcement of the results,” a senior official of the state home department said.

The Maoists on Thursday announced that they would not allow the CPI(M) and the Congress to campaign in Jangalmahal but Trinamul Congress was free to seek vote. In a two-page press statement issued by CPI (Maoist) leader of Purulia Bikram, the Maoists have again given a call for vote boycott, describing the Assembly elections as a farce. “Our stand is clear: first revolution and then election,” the press release said.

CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday said that the WikiLeaks report revealed that the US wants the Trinamul Congress to come to power in Bengal and Mamata Banerjee to become the chief minister. He asked Ms Banerjee to clear her stand.

Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani on Thursday took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee raising a question mark on their honesty and integrity.

On a day when senior BJP leader L.K. Advani and BJP president Nitin Gadkari were touring the state seeking votes for their party candidates, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee intensified attack against the saffron party. Apparently apprehending that the BJP would divide the anti-Left vote, Ms Banerjee called upon the people to

He had summarily been expelled for not following the diktat of the Red Book, nevertheless former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee’s love for the Lefts has not diminished yet.

Indicating that her party was coming to power in Bengal, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday predicted that the fate of the CPI(M)-led Left Front government will be sealed by the time the third phase of the Assembly elections are over, and they would not have to wait till the sixth phase of the polls.

At a time when the Left is going all out in accusing Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee of playing a money game in the Assembly elections, Congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi turned the heat on the 34-year-old Communist regime on Wednesday blaming it for “taking West Bengal to the path of destruction” by siphoning off funds and affirmed that the Trinamul Congress-Congress alliance will free the state from the “misrule” of the Left Front.

Kolkata Knight Riders would be looking to put their shock defeat against Kochi Tuskers behind and get their act together quickly when they take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL clash at the Eden Gardens here on Friday.