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Bengal results: Early trends suggest BJP leading in over 190 seats

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Kolkata, May 4: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on track to secure an absolute majority as the counting continues, according to the latest trends for 293 Assembly constituencies provided by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

According to the ECI data, the BJP candidates were leading in 193 Assembly constituencies, followed by Trinamool Congress at 94, the Left Front- All India Secular Front (AISF) alliance in three and others in two seats.

The total number of Assembly constituencies in West Bengal is 294, and hence the magic figure to form the government is 148. The Falta Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district will be going for repolls on May 21, and the results will be declared on May 24.

Former Trinamool Congress legislator and the founder of Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), Humayun Kabir, is leading from Rejinagar Assembly constituency in minority- dominated Murshidabad.

As per the trend after the first five hours, the BJP had swept almost all the districts in North Bengal, along with tribal dominated districts like West Midnapore, Bankura, Purulia and the coastal district of East Midnapore, industrial-cum-coal mining belt district of West Burdwan and Nadia.

On the other hand, Trinamool Congress has maintained its supremacy in South 24 Parganas and Howrah to a great extent, and Hooghly to some extent. In the state capital of Kolkata, the contest between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress is neck-and-neck.

As per the latest trend, a total of 23 members of the last Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet are trailing now. However, in Bhabanipur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is ahead of the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.

Adhikari is, however, leading in his native Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district, where he is contesting simultaneously this time, along with Bhabanipur.

As the counting proceeded, there have been reports of stray violence from certain pockets in the state, with the epicentres of violence being mainly at Dinhata in Cooch Behar district and Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district. However, the central forces present at both places were prompt enough to bring the situation under control quickly without allowing it to escalate further.

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Assam flood: Door-to-door damage assessment from August 9

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Guwahati, Aug 4: Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Tuesday assured flood-affected families of comprehensive government support, announcing that officials will undertake a door-to-door assessment of damaged households from August 9 to ensure that relief and rehabilitation benefits reach every eligible beneficiary.

Addressing inmates at a relief camp in Sivasagar district, one of the worst-affected areas in this year’s floods, Sarma said the state government is committed to standing by every affected family until normalcy is restored.

“We are taking feedback from every affected family to see if they have received relief and help. Starting from August 9, our teams will reach every home of the affected families to conduct a ground assessment of the damage,” the Chief Minister said.

He said the survey aims to verify the extent of losses suffered by families and ensure that rehabilitation assistance is provided in a transparent and timely manner.

“I want to assure every flood-affected family in Assam that in this difficult time, the government stands with them at every step. From rehabilitation to restoring life to normalcy, every possible assistance will be provided. Today, in a relief camp in Sivasagar, I reiterated this very resolve,” Sarma added.

The Chief Minister interacted with families staying at the relief camp and reviewed the availability of food, drinking water, healthcare and other essential services.

He also took stock of the ongoing relief operations and rehabilitation measures being carried out by the district administration.

Sivasagar has emerged as the worst-hit district in terms of fatalities during this year’s floods, prompting the state government to intensify relief and rehabilitation efforts in the region.

The Assam government has already initiated restoration of damaged infrastructure, distribution of relief materials and assessment of losses in several flood-affected districts.

Officials said the proposed household survey from August 9 will help prepare a comprehensive database of damages, enabling the administration to expedite compensation, rehabilitation and other forms of assistance for affected families.

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Assam CM backs Jharkhand students’ protest over recruitment exam irregularities

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Guwahati, Aug 4: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday voiced support for students protesting in Jharkhand over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, accusing the ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance of failing to address their grievances in a transparent and timely manner.

In a post on social media platform X, CM Sarma said he had witnessed the concerns of recruitment aspirants firsthand during the Jharkhand Assembly election campaign and asserted that their demands deserved a fair hearing.

“During the Jharkhand Assembly elections, I had the opportunity to closely witness the pain, anger and concerns of JSSC-CGL aspirants regarding the recruitment process,” the Chief Minister said.

CM Sarma maintained that the prevailing unrest could have been prevented had the Jharkhand government acted promptly on the complaints raised by the candidates.

According to him, a sensitive and transparent response from the state administration would have helped restore confidence among aspirants.

He further alleged that repeated allegations of examination irregularities and question paper leaks had created uncertainty over the future of a large number of young job seekers in the state.

“Unfortunately, allegations of irregularities and paper leaks have continued to mount, and today the future of lakhs of youth is in crisis,” CM Sarma said.

Extending what he termed his “moral support” to the agitating students, the Assam Chief Minister urged the Jharkhand government to accept their legitimate demands and ensure justice.

“I express my moral support for this just movement of Jharkhand’s students and youth and urge the state government to immediately accept the legitimate demands of the students and deliver justice to them. Injustice with the future of the youth cannot be acceptable at any cost,” he added.

CM Sarma’s remarks come amid continuing protests in Ranchi, where students have been demonstrating against alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).

The protesters have demanded the cancellation of the 14th JPSC Combined Preliminary Examination held on April 19 and sought an independent probe by central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), into the alleged irregularities in the state’s recruitment process.

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BJP accuses Opposition of paralysing Parliament, alleges ‘selective outrage’ on paper leaks

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New Delhi, Aug 4: The BJP on Tuesday accused the opposition of repeatedly disrupting Parliament proceedings and preventing the House from functioning during the ongoing Monsoon Session.

The remarks came amid continued disruptions in the Monsoon Session over the NEET paper leak controversy and the police action against protesters at Jantar Mantar on July 20. Opposition parties have been demanding a response from the Union Home Minister over the alleged “firing” on the protesters.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, party national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra alleged that the Congress and its allies were deliberately obstructing parliamentary business, depriving elected representatives of the opportunity to raise public issues and discuss important legislation.

“The way the 2026 Monsoon Session of Parliament is being conducted and how the Congress party, along with some of its allies, has been disrupting the proceedings. Crores of rupees are spent on every Parliament session. MPs come to Parliament with questions and issues from their constituencies, expecting the concerned ministries to respond so that development work can move forward. However, since the session began, the Question Hour has not been allowed to function, disruptions have repeatedly affected the Zero Hour, and hardly any Bills have been taken up for discussion,” Patra said.

Referring to recent protests by students in Karnataka over the paper leak and irregularities in police constable recruitment, Patra accused the Congress of adopting double standards while responding to students’ concerns in states governed by the party.

“The media asked Priyank Kharge, son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Karnataka Home Minister, if he would take responsibility, as the state Home Minister. Kharge arrogantly said, ‘First let the students go on a 25-day hunger strike, then we’ll lathi-charge them, and then we’ll worry about our resignations’. Rahul Gandhi remained silent on this statement, and I can confidently say that even today he will not allow the House to function. This shows the Congress’s double standards,” the BJP MP said.

Patra further alleged that while Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge spoke extensively in the Rajya Sabha on issues concerning students, the party leadership had remained silent over the remarks attributed to Priyank Kharge.

“Mallikarjun Kharge stands up in the Rajya Sabha and speaks for hours. It’s good that at least there was a discussion, but when his son makes an insensitive and inhuman statement on the same issue in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge remain silent,” he said.

The BJP spokesperson also claimed that Congress had ignored similar protests in Jharkhand, where thousands of students were demonstrating over examination-related issues.

“They are still silent on the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) exam irregularities and are not responding to it. Congress MLAs are avoiding raising the issue in the House. Not even a single placard was seen in Congress hands regarding the Jharkhand JPSC exam, as this is selective outrage and the Congress party wants political gains from this issue,” he said.

Patra also criticised the Opposition for “blocking” discussion on key legislative business during the session, including the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

“The Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Bill 2026 asks how many days should births and deaths be registered, and what the consequences will be if they are not. Births and deaths are continuous processes that continue across the country and the world. Congress and its allies prevented discussion on how citizens can exercise their rights and what the new law contains,” he said.

Highlighting another pending piece of legislation, the BJP MP said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had introduced the Bankers’ Book Evidence Bill, 2026, on Monday. Still, Parliament could not deliberate on it because of repeated disruptions.

“It’s a huge bill because everyone is concerned with banking, but the people of India who are concerned with banking don’t get to hear any discussion about the Bankers’ Book Evidence Bill 2026 because of the chaos in the House,” he added.

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