Left, IUML rules out support to TVK as Congress backs Vijay; VCK yet to decide
Despite the break away from the DMK alliance, Congress leaders indicated that both sides could continue to remain part of the broader INDIA bloc at the national level. With the Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) approaching political parties in Tamil Nadu seeking support to form a government, the VCK, an ally of the DMK, was yet to take a decision, party sources said on Wednesday. However, despite TVK’s invitation, the Left parties and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) ruled out their support for Vijay’s party. The VCK has won two seats. TVK had sought VCK’s support, sources said. VCK was yet to take a call on it. “It will be decided by our party president, Thol Thirumavalavan,” a senior party functionary said. Meanwhile, CPI(M) candidates R Chellaswamy and Latha and CPI members T Ramachandran and Marimuthu, who won on April 23 Assembly elections, met DMK chief M K Stalin at Anna Arivalayam, the party headquarters. Similarly, IUML MLAs-elect Syed Farooq Basha SSB and A M Shahjahan also met the DMK president. Later, the CPI(M), CPI and IUML legislators asserted that they would continue to support DMK. The development comes amid the Congress extended its support to Vijay’s TVK to form the next government in Tamil Nadu, while snapping its long-standing alliance with the DMK and setting conditions to keep “communal forces” out of the arrangement. Right after the Congress’ announcement, Vijay met Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai and staked a claim to form the next government. Earlier in the day, a delegation of Congress MLAs arrived for a high-profile meeting with the TVK chief at the party headquarters in Panaiyur. The visual of the legislators entering the TVK premises has sent ripples through the state’s political corridors, signalling a potential shift in traditional alliances ahead of the upcoming electoral cycles. The atmosphere at the TVK office remained charged, with supporters and onlookers gathering as the Congress leaders were ushered in for the closed-door interaction. The Congress leaders were welcomed by the TVK party chief and Chief Minister-designate with garlands and silk shawls. Announcing the decision, AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar said the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) had resolved to back the TVK. “Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out of this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India,” he said. In the recently concluded Assembly elections, the TVK emerged as the single largest party, winning 108 seats of the total 234, disrupting the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK. The DMK secured 59 seats, while the AIADMK won 47. Despite the breakaway from the DMK alliance, Congress leaders indicated that both sides could continue to remain part of the broader INDIA bloc at the national level. The Congress’s support adds five MLAs to Vijay’s tally, taking the TVK-led bloc to 112 seats. The party will still require at least six more legislators to cross the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member Assembly. Vijay has already initiated talks with parties such as the VCK, CPI and CPM, whose backing could push the numbers past the halfway mark. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay receives a letter of support from Tamil Nadu Congress Committee leaders for government formation, in Chennai. The Congress underlined that its partnership with the TVK is intended to go beyond immediate government formation. “This alliance is not only for the formation of this government, but also for future elections to the local body organisations, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha,” Chodankar said, describing it as one based on “mutual respect, appropriate share, and shared responsibility”. In its statement, the party invoked the legacies of K Kamaraj, Periyar E V Ramasamy and B R Ambedkar, positioning the alliance as rooted in social justice and constitutional values. The Congress also said Vijay had formally sought its support to form the government, adding that the electoral verdict reflected a mandate for a “secular, progressive and welfarist government”. The statement noted that Vijay and Rahul Gandhi had “jointly pledged to respect this historic verdict of the people of Tamil Nadu”. While the meeting was officially termed a “courtesy call”, the optics of established national party representatives engaging with the fledgling party’s top brass suggest a strategic warming of ties. Insiders indicate that the discussions touched upon the prevailing political climate in Tamil Nadu, though both camps have remained tight-lipped regarding specific tactical understandings. According to informed sources, TVK leaders have also reportedly met AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami in Chennai, signalling possible shifts in alliances and internal strains within the BJP-led camp. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Samajwadi Party drops I-PAC tie-up ahead of 2027 UP polls amid setback in West Bengal
I-PAC, which has been handling the TMC’s election campaigns since 2019, had pitched its services to the SP as it prepares for the upcoming electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh. LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party has reportedly decided to call off its proposed pact with political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The move comes in the wake of recent developments, including the Trinamool Congress’s poor performance in the West Bengal Assembly polls and the arrest of I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the alleged Bengal coal smuggling case. Sources said the agreement between the SP and I-PAC was close to being finalised, with the firm having already presented its campaign blueprint to the party leadership. However, no formal arrangement had been concluded. Party insiders indicated that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was not particularly keen on engaging I-PAC and had only reviewed its presentation at the instance of the TMC leadership. With the firm now facing multiple challenges, the SP is unlikely to pursue further negotiations, sources added. I-PAC, which has been handling the TMC’s election campaigns since 2019, had pitched its services to the SP as it prepares for the upcoming electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh. On the other hand, sources also claimed that I-PAC, grappling with crises on multiple fronts, is in no position to take up fresh assignments at present. During the poll campaign in West Bengal, the Enforcement Directorate raided the I-PAC office in Kolkata, leading to a showdown between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the agency. The firm, now led by Pratik Jain, was founded by Jan Suraj Party chief Prashant Kishor, who rose to prominence for designing election campaigns of political leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in 2015, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in 2017, and the TMC. Prashant Kishor later left I-PAC to enter mainstream politics. His Jan Suraj Party made its electoral debut in the recently held Bihar Assembly elections but failed to open its account. Namita Bajpai Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Should we call them ghuspethiya?’: Rahul Gandhi alleges every sixth BJP MP won through ‘vote chori’
Gandhi also claimed that the BJP would not be able to win even 140 seats today in the Lok Sabha if fair elections are held. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that one in every six BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha had won through “vote chori” and questioned whether they should be called “ghuspethiya”, using the BJP’s own terminology. Gandhi also claimed that the BJP would not be able to win even 140 seats today in the Lok Sabha if fair elections are held. “Through vote theft, sometimes individual seats are stolen, and at other times, an entire government. Of the 240 BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha, roughly every sixth MP secured seat through vote chori,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a post in Hindi on X. “They are not hard to identify – should we, in the BJP’s own parlance, label them ‘ghuspethiya’? And what of Haryana? There, the entire government itself is an ‘ghuspethiya’. The very institutions they keep in their pockets – the ones they manipulate to distort voter lists and the electoral process – are themselves ‘remote-controlled’,” Gandhi said, in a scathing attack on the BJP. “Their real fear is the truth. For if fair elections were to be held, they would not be able to win even 140 seats today,” he said. On Tuesday, Gandhi had termed the BJP’s victory in Bengal and Assam assembly polls a “theft” of the mandate, and a big step forward in the saffron party’s mission to “destroy” Indian democracy. Gandhi has also come out in support of the TMC, which has been trounced by the BJP in the polls, and urged those gloating over the loss of Mamata Banerjee’s party to put petty politics aside. “Some in the Congress, and others, are gloating about TMC’s loss. They need to understand this clearly – the theft of Assam and Bengal’s mandate is a big step forward by the BJP in its mission to destroy Indian democracy,” Gandhi had said in a post on X. “Put petty politics aside. This is not about one party or another. This is about India,” he said in his post. The BJP ousted Trinamool Congress from power in Bengal and captured power for the third time in a row in Assam in results of assembly polls declared on Monday. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
BJP Bengal win dissolves the old Bhadralok order. It kept Dalits and their issues out
‘Bengal is caste-less’ is a hegemonic notion peddled by the Bhadralok. It swept the crucial question of Dalit struggle, first under the red carpet and then the blue. Among the results of five Assembly elections announced yesterday, Bengal’s will go down in history. May 4, 2026 shall be a red-letter day — not for the BJP, but for millions of Rajbanshi, Namo Shudra, Matua and several other Dalit communities across Bengal who had no say in the government and governance of the state since its independence, until now. It is often quoted that what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow, but not for Dalits. The paradox of intellectual and enlightened Bengal has been the constant invisibilisation of Dalits as a political constituency. “Bengalis have no understanding of caste,” said Kancha Ilaiah, in a conversation with journalist Chandrima Bhattacharya. Dalits account for 23.5 per cent of Bengal’s population — one of the highest among all states — and the state’s total Dalit population is second only to Uttar Pradesh. Yet the state has failed to produce a single Dalit leader since Independence. The reason is clear: the Bhadralok of Bengal do not reckon with caste, and decades of communist rule have further crystallised this phenomenon, which even the “Maa, Mati, Manush” clarion call failed to overcome in bringing Dalit issues to the fore. Dalits and their issues have been conspicuously absent from mainstream politics, and their concerns repurposed into a broader framework of class and left ideological pursuits, with the assumption that their struggles could be addressed without relinquishing Bhadralok (upper-caste) dominance. Dalit issues remained invisible in Bengal Politics and ideology run deep in Bengal: from local sports clubs to Durga Puja committees, the social sphere of Bengali society is organised around party politics, which further fragmented Dalit constituencies. However, this overarching party-based society did little to alleviate caste disparity. Dalits remained downtrodden; untouchability and caste-based violence were rife, and entry into temples was prohibited — the most recent example being the denial of Dalit entry into the 300-year-old Girdheshwar Temple in East Bardhaman district in 2025. Party politics invisiblised their struggle, while all efforts went into sustaining the hegemonic notion — peddled by the Bhadralok, who are primarily upper-caste and upper-class — that Bengal is “caste-less” and therefore better than other states. But this has been nothing more than sweeping the crucial question of caste, first under the red carpet and then the blue. Dalits in Bengal are dispersed across the state and comprise several sub-castes and communities. The Namo Shudra and Matua communities are spread across southern Bengal, especially in North 24 Parganas and Nadia. The Rajbanshis, another Dalit group, hold sway in north Bengal, especially in Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Darjeeling. Other Scheduled Caste communities — Bagdi, Bauri, Mochi and Chamar — have a significant presence in Jangal Mahal, Midnapur and semi-urban constituencies across the state. Their aspirations are as diverse as their identities. Identity, among other things, remains one of the major struggles these communities face. The Matua and Namo Shudra communities trace their origins to undivided Bengal, and their primary concern to this day is citizenship and refugee status. The Rajbanshis of north Bengal have a long-standing demand for a separate state. Other Dalit communities are largely agrarian, with common concerns around education, employment and equality, issues that have largely gathered dust since Independence. Many reports, despite the much-proclaimed caste-less character of the state, suggest that segregation in classrooms and at drinking wells, as well as caste- and gender-based violence, are as ubiquitous as the urban legend of Bengal being a caste-less society. Dalits force their way into power in Bengal The BJP has not only given voice to these communities but also listened to their long-standing demands. Recognising the caste realities of a society as diverse as Bengal’s, and engaging with its communities’ demands, has been one of the key takeaways in this election campaign. The Namo Shudra and Matua communities have been promised fast-track citizenship through the previously enacted Citizenship Amendment Act, while the Rajbanshis have been promised a battalion named in their honour, in recognition of their historic resistance against Mughal suzerainty. But the most crucial factor was the consolidation of the diverse identities and aspirations of Dalit communities, which produced such a resounding and decisive result in this election. Urban and rural Dalits have different aspirations and are mired in contradictions of class identity. The interests of urban Dalits differ from those of rural constituencies, and with class hierarchy so deeply ingrained in Indian society, stitching these groups into a single cohesive bloc has been a difficult task, which the BJP had to overcome. This victory is not a one-off electoral manoeuvre by the BJP’s formidable machinery, but the result of ten years of continuous dialogue and outreach, which achieved what had seemed impossible a decade ago: the consolidation of the Dalit vote from a position of near-total invisibility in caste politics. It is also a testament to the Modi government’s consistent endeavour to secure dignity and parity for the community across every sphere of life, not only in admissions and recruitments. Charity began at home, with the BJP nurturing hordes of leaders from Dalit communities within its own cadre, successfully giving not just a platform but also a voice to the voiceless. The GYAN pillars upon which the foundation of a developed Bharat is to be built come at a great cost to the establishment that has worked tirelessly since Independence to fragment the very voices the Constitution and its makers resolved to protect. The BJP’s victory in West Bengal is symptomatic of the dissolution of the old order. This election stands in line with previous ones in substantiating the Modi government’s resolve to empower the most marginalised communities — politically, economically and socially. Aditi Narayani, (Edited by Prashant Dixit) Aditi Narayani is an associate professor at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre. She tweets @AditiNarayani. Views are personal. Courtesy : The Print
TN election results 2026 | Vijay alters caste matrix; Brahmins in, more room for Dalits
TVK wins 24 reserved segments, while DMK alliance (13) and AIADMK front (9) lag behind; two brahmin legislators break jinx in Dravidian heartland CHENNAI: In a verdict that departs from Tamil Nadu’s entrenched caste calculus, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has delivered a socially broad mandate while also reviving Brahmin representation in the Assembly, an area largely sidestepped by Dravidian majors, signalling a shift in the State’s electoral grammar. Led by C Joseph Vijay, a practising Christian, the party moved away from conventional caste alignments, prioritising candidate selection and local credibility. The outcome reflects that approach: more than 20 MLAs from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, representation from the Muslim community, and notably, two Brahmin legislators elected from Mylapore and Srirangam. The victories of P Venkataramanan in Mylapore and Ramesh in Srirangam are being seen as politically significant. At a time when Dravidian majors have largely avoided fielding Brahmin candidates, fearing that their relatively small numbers could be outweighed by dominant caste blocs, TVK chose to field them, and they went on to win, marking a clear departure from prevailing electoral practice. Of the 234 Assembly constituencies, 46 are reserved. TVK candidates secured 24 of these seats, forming a crucial pillar of its overall tally. The remaining 22 reserved constituencies were won by the DMK-led alliance (13) and the AIADMK (9), indicating that while traditional formations retained ground in parts, TVK made decisive inroads. The party’s gains extended beyond reserved constituencies. In Virudhunagar, P Selvam, a Scheduled Caste candidate fielded in a general seat, defeated V Vijay Prabaharan, reinforcing the view that caste identity did not singularly dictate voter choice in this election. Party leaders maintain that the mandate reflects a shift in voter behaviour. “Brahminism refers to domination and discrimination, not a community itself. Those are issues of the past. Today’s youth are more aware. We chose candidates based on their work and public connect. There was no discrimination in giving tickets, including to women and minorities,” TVK treasurer and Mylapore MLA-elect P Venkataramanan said. Across both reserved and general constituencies, candidates from marginalised communities secured victories under the TVK banner, pointing to a consolidation that cut across caste and religious lines. The party’s strategy of fielding candidates from diverse backgrounds, including communities underrepresented in recent electoral cycles, appears to have resonated with voters. Ramakrishna N Courtesy : DT Next Note: This news is originally published on https:/dtnext.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
ECI, BJP played ‘nasty games’: Mamata says TMC was not defeated in Bengal, refuses to resign from CM post
Targeting the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Mamata described him as the “villain of this election” and accused him of “looting” the democratic rights of the people. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday slammed the Election Commission of India (ECI) and accused it of “looting” the democratic rights of the people, a day after the BJP registered a landslide victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections. Addressing a press conference, the outgoing CM claimed that her party had won the election morally and stated that she would not resign from her position. “I will not resign, I did not lose, I will not go to Raj Bhavan…The question doesn’t arise. No. Now, I also want to say that we didn’t lose the election. Officially, through the Election Commission, they can defeat us, but morally, we won the election,” the TMC leader said. Targeting the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Mamata described him as the “villain of this election” and accused him of “looting” the EVMs and the democratic rights of the people. She also reiterated the allegation that the ECI worked for the BJP, facilitating their win in the crucial elections. “Two days before the election, they started arresting our people. They started raiding everywhere. They changed all IPS and IAS officers. They selected people from their party and BJP played the game directly with the Election Commission. It is a betting between the BJP and the Election Commission,” Mamata alleged. Speaking on the ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls that reduced Bengal’s electorate by nearly 91 lakhs, Mamata said, “We fought against all machinery. PM and HM are also involved, direct interference… They played dirty, nasty and mischievous games. I have never seen this type of election in my life.” Mamata also repeated the allegation that she was attacked when she visited the counting centre where votes for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency –which the TMC leader lost to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari– were being counted on Monday. “I went inside for a few minutes. They kicked me in my belly, backside and manhandled and assaulted me. That time CCTV was off…” she said. She also alleged manipulation and foul play in the counting process. “After first round of counting, they started saying that BJP is getting 195-200. You didn’t wait for the final result. You didn’t even wait for 5-6 rounds. After that campaign with the press media, BJP went inside the polling station and they started beating the people, counting agents,” Mamata alleged. “When I came to know that all counting agents are withdrawn, I was leading by about 30,000 and about 5 rounds were left. We should have got more than 32,000,” she added. Mamata also alleged that BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari brought around 200 goons from outside to beat up people. “Even women were not spared and they snatched away all forms. When I came to know, I went there. They stopped my car, but I took another route. When I entered, the CRPF told me that I was not allowed to go. I said that I am a candidate…Then I complained to the RO that counting should be stopped immediately until normalcy is restored. I saw the DEO. I know that he gave a message to someone 15 days ago that ‘counting mein khel hoga’…” she said. Mamata earlier said she would file formal complaints with the authorities concerned against the foul play at the Sakhawat Memorial Girls’ High School counting centre, where the votes for her constituency were counted. The race took a dramatic turn over consecutive rounds, with Mamata, who established a strong lead initially, being overturned by Adhikari, who took a lead of over 500 votes after the 16th round. Mamata also stated that several INDIA alliance leaders had reached out to her to express solidarity. “Sonia ji, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Hemant Soren rang me up. All the allies of INDIA Alliance told me that they are totally and absolutely with me. I think our solidarity will be united and strong for the next days,” she said. She stressed that she would now work towards strengthening the opposition alliance. “My target is very clear. I will strengthen the INDIA team, just like a small person. I don’t have a chair now, so I am a commoner,” she said. Mamata also announced the formation of a 10-member fact-finding committee to visit areas “affected by post-poll violence” and assess the ground situation. The BJP registered a resounding victory in Bengal, winning 207 seats, well past the majority mark in the 294-member assembly and elbowing out the TMC government, which had been in power for three consecutive terms. Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Congress seems willing as Vijay reaches out, Mamata returns Rahul gesture
TNCC to discuss TVK letter seeking Congress support to form govt, Mamata says will work for national alliance now. Would DMK be left out in the cold? Having suffered morale-sapping defeats in the recent Assembly elections, bickering INDIA bloc allies Congress and Trinamool Congress sent out first signals of rapprochement Tuesday. At the same time, a rupture in ties between the DMK and Congress in Tamil Nadu seems to be on the cards. After a meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and attended by Rahul Gandhi and AICC in-charge of Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal indicated Tuesday evening that the party was ready to support TVK president Vijay, the surprise winner of the Tamil Nadu elections, to form a government. Addressing the media, Venugopal said the party was “clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu was for a secular government committed to protecting the Constitution”, and that it should keep out “the BJP and its proxies”. “Thiru Vijay has spoken about drawing inspiration from perunthalaivar Kamaraj also. Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision… keeping in view the sentiments of the state reflected in the electoral verdict,” he said. Soon after, a meeting of the TNCC was called by Chodankar over Zoom on Tuesday night to decide on the matter. Gandhi is known to have been in favour of a pre-poll alliance with the TVK, and is reported to have made his unhappiness with Kharge known for having pushed the party to stay on with the DMK, which lost power to finish a distant second in the state. With 108 seats, the TVK is 10 short of a majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly; the Congress has 5 MLAs. Sources said a section of the Congress leadership in Tamil Nadu as well as newly elected MLAs favour extending support to the TVK. While a TVK-Congress deal may prompt an irate DMK to distance itself from the INDIA bloc, those in the pro-Vijay camp say the Congress can’t “go against the sentiments of youths” in Tamil Nadu, or ignore the reality of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The party has 9 MPs currently from the state. One solution being considered to placate the DMK is abstaining from voting when Vijay takes a majority test in the Assembly. In contrast with Tamil Nadu’s new strains stood the Congress’s striking outreach to the TMC, with Gandhi himself tweeting as soon as the results in Bengal confirmed the Mamata Banerjee-led party’s big defeat at the hands of the BJP. The ties between the Congress and TMC have been frayed for a while, and had been further strained by Gandhi’s attacks on Mamata personally during the Bengal campaign. However, on Monday, Gandhi was one of the first Opposition leaders to endorse Mamata’s “vote loot” claims. While thanking the people of Kerala for its mandate to the Congress and congratulating Vijay, he posted: “Assam and Bengal are clear cases of the election being stolen by the BJP with the support of the EC. We agree with Mamata ji. More than 100 seats were stolen in Bengal.” Linking it to the Congress’s previous claims, which incidentally not all INDIA bloc allies have been on board with, Gandhi said: “We have seen this playbook before: Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Lok Sabha 2024 etc.” Notably, Gandhi, who followed up this post with a phone call to Mamata as well as Vijay, was silent on the DMK’s defeat, including the loss personally of M K Stalin, with whom he once shared a close rapport. On Tuesday, in another post, Gandhi signalled to Congress leaders that the electoral wrangling with the TMC was to be put behind. “Some in the Congress, and others, are gloating about TMC’s loss. They need to understand this clearly – the theft of Assam and Bengal’s mandate is a big step forward by the BJP in its mission to destroy Indian democracy… This is not about one party or another. This is about India,” he said. In Kolkata, Mamata signaled a turn too, saying in her first post-result press conference, held Tuesday, that she had spoken with both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, and that several INDIA bloc leaders, including the Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, the JMM’s Hemant Soren, the RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, the AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal, and the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Uddhav Thackeray, had reached out to her in solidarity. Many of them had also campaigned for the TMC during the polls. Akhilesh may travel to Kolkata Wednesday to meet Mamata. Mamata also asserted that she would now focus on strengthening the Opposition alliance at the national level – a tie-up she has earlier expressed unhappiness with often. In 2024, the TMC chief had hinted that the Congress should not assume itself as the natural leader of the INDIA bloc. “I formed the INDIA bloc, now it is up to those leading the front to manage it… I would just say that everyone needs to be taken along,” she said in a television interview. Asked if she could take charge of the bloc, Mamata said: “If given the opportunity, I would ensure its smooth functioning.” The quick recalibrations by the INDIA bloc parties since Monday show that they realise the alliance is on the brink after the defeat of Mamata’s TMC and Stalin’s DMK – two of the strongest regional and foundational pillars of the Opposition bloc. Another INDIA constituent, the Left, now has no government anywhere in the country in nearly five decades. The Congress itself can barely take solace from the Kerala win as it coincided with a battering in Assam and all of two seats in Bengal. The Opposition remains unable to take forward its political planks centered around the Special Intensive Revision and the functioning of the Election Commission, as well as delimitation plans. The elation of a united Opposition thwarting the government’s women quota amendment Bill in Parliament is fast receding. Written by: Manoj C.G Courtesy
Congress calls late-night meeting to decide on possible support for Vijay’s TVK in Tamil Nadu
The move follows Congress leaving the final decision to its state unit after directing it to consider Vijay’s request and public sentiment in TN. NEW DELHI: The Congress is considering a possible alliance with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), with sources indicating that a power-sharing arrangement is under active discussion. An urgent meeting of the Tamil Nadu Congress Political Affairs Committee has been convened at 10:30 pm on Tuesday to take a final call on the matter, according to sources. The late-night meeting has been called by AICC in-charge Girish Chodankar and will be held virtually via Zoom. The move follows the central leadership’s decision to leave the final choice to the state unit, shortly after directing it to consider Vijay’s request for support in forming a government in Tamil Nadu, taking into account public sentiment in the state. All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar TVK led govt’s oath taking ceremony likely on May 7 even as uncertainity looms The decision to delegate the matter was taken at a high-level meeting attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Rahul Gandhi, general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal, and Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Venugopal said TVK president Vijay had sought Congress support to form a government in Tamil Nadu. He added that the party remains committed to ensuring that the BJP and its allies are kept out of power in the state. “The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit,” Venugopal said. All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar Political observers see uncertain path ahead as TVK falls short of majority in Tamil Nadu Assembly The Congress leadership has instructed the Tamil Nadu unit to take a final decision based on the political situation in the state following the electoral outcome, he added. The TVK secured 108 seats, falling short of the 118 required to form a majority. The Congress, along with allies such as the DMK, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and IUML, currently holds a fragmented position within the broader alliance structure. According to sources, there is growing support within the party for exploring an arrangement with TVK. However, the central leadership has placed responsibility on the state unit to avoid any impression that the decision is being imposed from above. Party insiders said this approach is also aimed at preventing strain in its long-standing relationship with the DMK. Sources also indicated that Rahul Gandhi is understood to be open to examining a potential understanding with Vijay’s party. Preetha Nair Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
Rahul Gandhi Congratulates Vijay After TVK Party Sweeps Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections
Rahul Gandhi speaks to Vijay after TVK victory in Tamil Nadu elections praising rising youth voice and reaffirming Congress commitment to public issues across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. In a notable political development following the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi personally reached out to actor turned politician Vijay to congratulate him on the impressive performance of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. Sharing the update on social media platform X, Rahul Gandhi said he had spoken directly with Vijay and appreciated the scale of the party’s victory. Describing the results as a reflection of changing political energy, Rahul Gandhi remarked that the growing influence of youth voices is clearly visible through this election outcome. He emphasized that such a shift indicates a new phase in regional politics where younger leadership and fresh narratives are gaining ground. The TVK party, under Vijay’s leadership, secured victory in more than 100 constituencies, marking a significant breakthrough in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape. In comparison, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won over 70 seats, while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam managed to cross the 50 seat mark. Rahul Gandhi also took a moment to acknowledge Congress workers who contributed to the party’s efforts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. He thanked them for their dedication and assured that the Congress party would continue to raise and fight for public issues in the region. Looking beyond Tamil Nadu, the elections also saw varied outcomes across states. The Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies performed strongly in states like West Bengal and Assam, while in Kerala, the Congress led United Democratic Front succeeded in forming the government. Reiterating his party’s stance, Rahul Gandhi affirmed that Congress remains committed to serving the people and addressing their concerns, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, in the days ahead. Courtesy : The South India Times Note: This news is originally published on https:/thesouthindiatimes.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights
West Bengal election results 2026: BJP surges past majority as TMC loses edge
TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was initially trailing in her Bhabanipur turf, regained the lead over BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by 898 votes after the third round of counting. With more than four hours into vote counting, the BJP-led NDA has crossed the majority mark of 148 seats in West Bengal, securing a lead in over 180 seats. The incumbent Trinamool Congress (TMC) was restricted to 109 seats, while the CPI(M) led in just one seat. TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was initially trailing in her Bhabanipur turf, regained the lead over BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by 898 votes after the third round of counting. However, several TMC leaders, including ministers Udayan Guha and Sashi Panja, were trailing, initial trends showed. In Cooch Behar district’s Dinhata, minister Udayan Guha was trailing by 6,259 votes against BJP’s Ajay Ray after four of the 24 rounds of counting. In Kolkata’s Shyampukur, minister Sashi Panja was trailing BJP’s Purnima Chakraborty by 934 votes after two rounds of counting, with another 19 rounds left. Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir was leading in the Nowda seat in Murshidabad district over his nearest TMC rival after the first round of counting, according to the Election Commission. Kabir was leading by a margin of 2,890 votes over TMC’s Sahina Momtaz Khan after the first round of counting. The polls are seen as a crucial test for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her TMC’s bid for a fourth consecutive term, amid a stiff challenge mounted by the BJP. The CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress are also hoping to improve their tally after successive electoral setbacks. Exit polls present a sharply divided picture, with some projecting a BJP edge while others forecast a comfortable return for the All India Trinamool Congress, underlining an uncertain and closely fought contest. West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said he was confident of a landslide victory, as counting of votes for the assembly elections began on Monday morning. “People of the state have already rejected the Trinamool Congress government, and in a few hours, the overwhelming majority of the seats will confirm that in the fight between Mamata Banerjee and the people, people have rejected Mamata Banerjee,” Bhattacharya said outside a counting centre in Kolkata. The counting of votes for the state’s 293 Assembly constituencies began at 8 am, with postal ballots taken up first in keeping with Election Commission norms. Follow live updates on results and trends: Tamil Nadu Results, West Bengal Results, Kerala Resuts, Assam Results, Puducherry Results Courtesy : TNIE Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewindianexpress.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights