Bangla nijer meyekay chai in February, it could not have been more prophetic.
Mamata Banerjee may have lost her own electoral battle in Nandigram constituency, but she won the war in Bengal for her party Trinamool Congress, single-handedly a remarkable landslide victory to stop the mighty electoral machine of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The sweep and extent of TMC s win, which matched its performance in the previous assembly poll five years ago, was unexpected even to Mamata, who said as much in her first press conference post-victory. Although Mamata lost the poll in Nandigram to her former protege Suvendu Adhikari, it will not prevent her from returning to the Chief Minister s chair immediately. All she has to do is face fresh by-elections within six months of becoming the CM.
A BJP win in West Bengal in the ongoing state elections could complicate Bangladesh-India relations even further.
April 26, 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurate Petrapole Integrated Check Post, 2016.
Credit: Flickr/Narendra Modi
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On April 13, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that Bangladeshis “infiltrate” into India because they don’t get food back home. Shah’s comments were part of an Anandabazaar Patrika interview, given on the campaign trail in West Bengal, where both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) are currently running neck-to-neck in state elections, poised for a seemingly dramatic finish on May 2.
Updated:
April 23, 2021 16:26 IST
The Matuas became a significant political entity after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003, came into being
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The Baruni fair procession in Thakurnagar, the holy site of Matuas in North 24 Parganas. | Photo Credit:
Debasish Bhaduri
The Matuas became a significant political entity after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003, came into being
On a sultry April day, Thakurnagar, the holy site of Matuas in the Bongaon sub-division of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district bordering Bangladesh, sizzles with banners of rival political parties asking for votes. As if indifferent to the ongoing political tension and the pandemic threat, a boisterous religious rally makes its way through the town, with men jumping as high as they can and women rolling on the roads. The sound of drums gets deafening. Every participant seems to be in ecstasy.
Bengal Elections: Voting Begins, 46 Assembly Seats Go To Polls; All Eyes On Matua Community
West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021: Elections have been held in 180 constituencies across West Bengal so far, and the remaining 114 seats are set to go to polls between April 22 and 29. Counting of votes will be held on May 2. PTI Outlook Web Bureau 2021-04-22T07:29:38+05:30 Bengal Elections: Voting Begins, 46 Assembly Seats Go To Polls; All Eyes On Matua Community outlookindia.com 2021-04-22T10:06:21+05:30
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The sixth phase of polls are being held in West Bengal today, with voting set to be conducted at 14,480 polling stations in 43 Assembly constituencies across parts of North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Uttar Dinajpur and Purba Bardhaman.
Matua votes in Nadia, North 24 Parganas crucial in next phase
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Synopsis
The Matua population will have a major influence in the poll outcome in the Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts, where voting is scheduled for April 22.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi s visit to Orakandi in Bangladesh, home minister Amit Shah s address to the Matua community in Bongaon on the Citizenship law and the selection of a candidate from the influential Matua Thakurbari family are careful strategic moves by the BJP to sway Mamata Banerjee s hold over the Matua vote bank in Bengal.
The Matua population will have a major influence in the poll outcome in the Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts, where voting is scheduled for April 22.