Ravik Bhattacharya

After Singur verdict, jailed Madan Mitra turned ecstatic

The former sports and transport minister was a shadow of Mamata Banerjee during the Singur movement.

After Singur verdict Mamata may project herself as a champion of farmer rights

We want the government to negotiate with farmers for any project, said the Bengal chief minister.

Sambhunath Pandit becomes the third govt hospital in Bengal in 9 days to catch fire

Smoke in the first floor sparks panic among patients.

From Nandigram to Murshidabad - Suvendu Adhikari is Mamata Banerjee’s all weather man

The Trinamool Congress is entrusting Suvendu Adhikari with troubleshooting assignments in the state.

BJP state chief to highlight plight of Bengal Hindus in the US

Former RSS pracharak Dilip Ghosh has been invited by influential Indian-American Hindu organisations. This is the first time that a leader from Bengal has been chosen to speak at a global platform in the US.

Saffron camp to hold statewide debates to thwart Bengal name change

BJP-RSS to hold debates in Kolkata and the districts over the name change issue to highlight the history and pain of Partition.

Mamata congratulates Sakshi Malik, but Kolkata club suffers from govt apathy

SAI will provide infrastructure, food for poor wrestlers.

Embarrassed Congress denies Twitter gaffe over Rajiv Gandhi quote

The tweet was supposed to commemorate the 72nd birthday of the former PM but ended up dredging a painful past for many.

After success of haunted Begunkodar station, Bengal to expand ghost tours

A Kolkata-based paranormal research body is set to include more haunted places in its itinerary for curious travellers looking for spirits across the country after hosting the first ghost tour of Begunkodar, a haunted railway station in West Bengal’s Purulia district.

Survey on Hindu ‘forced migration’ on VHP agenda

Now, take a tour of Bengal’s haunted railway station

Locals say sometime in the 1960s, commuters spotted a woman in a white saree walking along the tracks on the Begunkodar station, 260km from the state capital, Kolkata. She vanished as suddenly as she appeared. This became a daily routine and soon railway employees refused to work there.

Bengal BJP to protest against attack on minorities in Bangladesh

The Bengal BJP is all set to pass a special resolution in its state committee meet highlighting the plight of minorities who are under constant attacks from Islamist militants in Bangladesh.

Bose kin condemn incident, say Netaji never believed in mindless violence

Bengal: Team Mamata gears up to face flood challenge

More than the prospect of facing a united opposition in the House and elsewhere, it is the threat of floods brought on by bumper rains that is likely to pose a stiffer challenge for the Mamata Banerjee government as it begins a fresh spell at the hustings.

Bengal poll results: Muslim support helped Mamata when it mattered the most

As Mamata Banerjee led the Trinamool Congress to an overwhelming majority in West Bengal, minority votes again came into play when it mattered the most for her party.

Similar but not same: The success stories of Jayalalithaa, Mamata

They are India’s best known women chief ministers and they have carried their parties to massive comeback wins, defying tradition and the odds. Mamata Banerjee and J Jayalalithaa are without a doubt the biggest individual winners of this election contest.

Trinamool or alliance? Punters predict a photo finish

If one goes by Kolkata’s bookmakers, Bengal is in for a photo finish come May 19, the counting day, as no one party holds a clear edge over the other.

I get calls from all big and small leaders: Bengal’s ‘master’ bomb-maker

Even in a cotton shirt and a lungi, the ‘master’ looks different from his men – he uses a fashionable sunglass. After more than two dozen phone calls, verification, cross-verification and even frisking, HT finally reached Master Rafique, the most famous bomb-maker in a village near Tagore’s Shantiniketan (abode of peace) in Birbhum district.

Hired guns for polls: Meet the bomb-makers of West Bengal

Bomb has been rhyming with Bengal for quite some time. In fact, since the first awakening of nationalism and terrorist movements against the Raj in the latter half of the 19th century, bombs were the revolutionary’s main weapon. But the scene has changed. It has lost the lofty cause and become simply a tool to capture and retain power.

When people were voting in Kolkata, goons and thugs were vacationing

How did cops manage to keep goons away from the booths on polling day in North Kolkata? How did the men and women in uniform measure up to the challenge of holding free and fair polls in South Kolkata? Here’s how.

Awaiting justice, Nandigram firing victims still back TMC

A white marble structure stands along a smooth asphalt road at Sonachura Bazar with the words Shahid Bedi or martyr’s column shining in the blazing May sun.

Bengal: From Modi to Amit Shah, BJP to unleash star power this month

The BJP has lined up an impressive star cast for the next phases of Bengal assembly polls. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the list of BJP leaders that will make an appearance in the Bengal polls includes external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, finance minister Arun Jaitley, HRD minister Smiti Irani among others.

Win or lose, Bengal polls will be historic for Left-Congress alliance

The Bihar model of grand alliance will become complete in Bengal, with the RJD and JDU – fringe parties in the state – joining hands with the Congress and the Left.

Kolkata flyover collapse: Builders say city officials were in the loop

Engineers working on the flyover that collapsed on Thursday said the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) ignored requests to cordon off the area around the project and instead pressurised the company to complete work before the assembly elections began.

Bengal polls: Bihar bigwigs may enter the fray for grand alliance

Smaller constituents of the opposition grand alliance in Bengal plan to bring the likes of Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav to campaign in Bengal, not only for their respective parties but also for the Congress and Left Front. If successful, this campaign season will see Congress, Left, RJD and JDU leaders sharing a platform in a Bihar-like situation.

Illegal gun prices shoot up as Bengal polls near

Gun manufacturers are doing better business than ever this election season, and the hottest buys are 7-mm, 9-mm and 5-mm pistols – besides the good old ‘one-shotter’

Bengal: This Holi, get drenched in political colours

Holi in Bengal’s poll season is prompting many a candidate to use several novel ways to reach out to and bond with voters.

Gyan Singh Sohanpal: At 91, Bengal’s granddaddy of polls ready for more

Gyan Singh Sohanpal has been contesting polls for 54 years and has won 10 times.

BJP schedules biggies’ blitz for Bengal polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the poll- bound West Bengal at least nine times for campaigning.

Assembly polls: Bengal will miss Kanhaiya Kumar

Bengal will miss Kanhaiya Kumar, the firebrand student leader of Jawaharlal Nehru University and newfound stormy petrel of the Left.