oppn parties The Never-Ending Woes Of The BJP In Bengal

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  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
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  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
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  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
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The Never-Ending Woes Of The BJP In Bengal

By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2022-05-23 09:14:02

After its loss in the 2021 state elections, the BJP is finding the going tough in West Bengal. Most leaders who left the Trinamool Congress (TMC) before the polls have switched back. On Sunday, the high profile Arjun Singh, BJP MP from Barrackpore and his son Pawn Singh, BJP MLA from Bhatpara, left the party and rejoined the TMC. Singh said that the BJP was finished in Bengal as the leaders are working out of air-conditioned rooms and on Facebook and have lost touch with the masses.

Singh was with the TMC since inception and had joined the BJP in 2019 before the Lok Sabha polls. But he had always worked in the jute industry as a union leader and was distressed with the Centre for the price-cap put on raw jute, which he felt would spell the death knell for the industry. He fought against the cap and even visited Delhi to get it reversed. Although the Union textile ministry kept the price-cap on hold, Singh made up his mind and deserted the BJP after fighting the TMC on the streets for 39 months.

There are two other factors which would have helped Singh make up his mind. First, when he was fighting tooth and nail against the TMC, more than 70 criminal cases were filed against him. Second, after he won the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket with a margin of around 15000 votes, it has been downhill for the party. The BJP has lost vote share in successive elections leading to an alarming reversal of fortunes. In fact, in the 2021 assembly elections, TMC won 6 of the 7 assembly segments in the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat with a lead of nearly 112000 votes. Singh could see the writing on the wall.

The fall for the BJP in Bengal as been as swift and dramatic as the rise when it won 18 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. The party has not been able to present a cohesive face after the drubbing it received in 2021 and that has resulted in mass desertions. Arjun Singh's decision to rejoin the TMC will now lead to further exodus. Nothing seems to be working for the BJP in Bengal and Amit Shah's recent visit to the state has not made any difference. It seems the party has given up on the state for now.

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