Is the “no love-lost relationship” between CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Bengal lobby not over? It seems so as party central committee member and state housing minister Gautam Deb, going against the diktat of Mr Karat, has proposed expelled party leader Somnath Chatterjee to address a poll rally in his constituency Dum Dum on April 24.

The North 24 Parganas district police has launched a manhunt for Subhranshu Roy, the son of Union minister of state for shipping Mukul Roy. State chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta on Thursday said that the district magistrate (DM) of North 24 Parganas informed him that the superintendent of police (SP) and the additional SP were monitoring the raids in search of Mr Roy.

Chanting the aam admi mantra, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday gave a call to put an end of the CPI(M) “misrule” over the last three decades in Bengal. “The elections are ahead and all the people of Bengal know that this time CPI(M) is not going to form the government. This time, Congress and Trinamul

India and Kazakhstan are poised to consolidate on their strategic partnership as they are expected to sign an inter-governmental framework agreement on civil nuclear cooperation and some other pacts when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh undertakes a visit there on Friday.

Desperately searching for some issue to turn into a poll plank, the Left Front has grabbed the 2011 Census report with both hands as a godsend. Last week when the census report 2011 of Bengal was officially released, the CPI(M) satraps immediately started poring over its details.

From rice at `2 per kg for the poor to an ‘employment bank’ for job seekers, West Bengal’s political parties have doled out economic sops to sway voters. All parties have pledged to hasten industrial growth in an industry-starved state.

In less than a week before beginning of the crucial Assembly polls in the state, Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that she is completely opposed to the demand for a separate Gorkhaland.

The Election Commission (EC) is looking into an allegation that Congress leader and union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee violated the model code of conduct in West Bengal, a senior electoral officer said on Wednesday.

The second and final phase of polling ended in Assam on Monday with more than 70 per cent electorate coming out to exercise their franchise.
Disclosing that about 70.35 per cent electorates exercised their franchise, Chief Electoral Officer Hemanta Nazary said there were reports of poll related scuffle from some areas but by and large it was peaceful.

After successfully challenging the Opposition, which trained all its guns on him, Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will now be getting ready to take on detractors in the party.