I am a special correspondent with Hindustan Times, Kolkata. Currently, I am reporting on the administrative and political scenarios in West Bengal. I have spent around 21 years in reporting in areas like politics, state administration and state finance.
Articles by Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Left’s u-turn in Bengal over seat-sharing derails poll pact with Cong
The Left Front had earlier said it would field candidates in four constituencies the Congress had won in 2014 but changed its mind on Wednesday.
Updated on Mar 20, 2019 09:25 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Congress to contest all 42 seats in West Bengal after talks with Left fail, says state party chief Somen Mitra
The announcement came after the Congress stopped its seat-sharing negotiations with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) over its move to unilaterally name candidates for 25 seats on Friday.
Updated on Mar 19, 2019 04:10 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami charged by Kolkata cops for domestic violence
Mohammed Shami was also subjected to a probe by the anti-corruption unit of BCCI after his wife accused him of receiving money from a Pakistani woman. He was exonerated of the charges.
Updated on Mar 14, 2019 06:23 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Delighted to deliver benefits, Mamata Banerjee in letter to 90% Bengal population
Incidentally, Bengal’s population was 91.3 million according to the 2011 census. Almost 85% of the letters are written in Bengali and the rest in Hindi, Urdu and Nepali, said officials.
Updated on Mar 12, 2019 08:08 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata/Midnapore | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri & Koushik Dutta
Ex-IPS officer mails her medal to Mamata Banerjee, says CM office refused to accept
Bharati Ghosh, 51, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on February 4 in New Delhi. She alleged rule of thugs has replaced democracy in her home state
Updated on Mar 08, 2019 03:13 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
High command to decide on seat sharing with Left, says Bengal Congress
West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) left the final decision on seat sharing with the Left Front in the state with the party high command following differences over three seats .
Updated on Mar 04, 2019 07:00 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
West Bengal Class 12 Board exam 2019 begins on February 26
Board exams 2019 : Uccha Madhyamik, the Class 12 board examination conducted by West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE), will start from Tuesday, February 26 and will continue till March 13.
Updated on Feb 25, 2019 08:14 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Retd IPS officer blames Mamata govt in suicide note, sparks Oppn attack
Gaurav Dutt, a 1986 batch IPS retired on 31 December 2018 after remaining on compulsory wait for nearly a decade.
Updated on Feb 25, 2019 11:10 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Calcutta University 1st semester results 2019: New UG exam system shows remarkable rise in pass percentage
Calcutta University 1st semester results: Calcutta University (CU) has changed the examination pattern from a three-year mode to that of a six-semester style.
Updated on Feb 22, 2019 02:21 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
29-week-old foetus with brain problems can be aborted: Calcutta HC
The foetus is suffering from Down’s Syndrome apart from problems in the heart and oesophagus, said the lawyer for the petitioner.
Updated on Feb 19, 2019 07:30 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Bengal board Class 10 exams 2019 start tomorrow, dip in number of candidates
Bengal board Class 10 exams : The Class 10 board exams of West Bengal board begin on February 12 with the authorities revealing that the number of examinees have dipped compared to that in 2018, which they attributed to dipping birth rates.
Updated on Feb 14, 2019 07:21 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Mamata makes history with cabinet meeting in traffic outpost
Mamata Banerjee became the first chief minister in the country to hold a cabinet meeting in a traffic police outpost on a pavement in the heart of Kolkata to pass the state budget.
Updated on Feb 04, 2019 11:07 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri and Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
Deployment of central forces in Bengal to be monitored by ECI observers: CEC
The decision was taken on the second day of a two-day visit by the full bench of the poll panel during which they held meetings with representatives of the political parties, district chiefs of police, the chief secretary, home secretary and director general of police.
Published on Feb 02, 2019 12:19 PM IST
Opposition parties in Bengal demand central forces during Lok Sabha polls
West Bengal’s opposition parties on Thursday urged the Election Commission (EC) to deploy central forces in the state during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to ensure free and fair polling .
Updated on Jan 31, 2019 11:57 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
On Mamata’s turf, Amit Shah promises to oust Trinamool
BJP president Amit Shah kicked off the party’s Lok Sabha election campaign in West Bengal on Tuesday, attacking chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress government, saying the outcome of the battle for the state’s 42 seats will be a pointer to where the state is headed.
Updated on Jan 22, 2019 10:59 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Malda (West Bengal) | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
‘Will choose next PM together’: At Mamata Banerjee rally in Kolkata, Opposition vows to oust Modi govt
More than two dozen leaders from 14 states converged at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade grounds on Saturday to resolve that they will put up a united fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) overriding differences that characterised them.
Updated on Jan 20, 2019 08:00 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata/New Delhi | Snigdhendu Bhattacharya, Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri and Smriti Kak Ramchandran
Lungs of Kolkata turn into virtual fortress ahead of Mamata Banerjee’s ‘United India’ rally
About 20 leaders of parties opposed to Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including one former prime minister, are supposed to be present at the Brigade Parade Ground on Satuday afternoon.
Updated on Jan 19, 2019 11:09 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
2 women suspected of killing 16 puppies in Kolkata, video sparks outrage
A video showing two women clobbering to death 16 puppies allegedly within the premises of a state-run city hospital on Monday has triggered shock and outrage in Kolkata.
Updated on Jan 14, 2019 11:45 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
TMC on spree of bypoll victories with over 50% votes; Kolkata mayor gets 77% in KMC by-election
The ruling party won the bypolls at Lok Sabha, Assembly and Kolkata Municipal Corporation with more than 50% votes, which means the candidate could have won against a combined opposition.
Updated on Jan 09, 2019 07:32 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Avijit Ghosal and Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Delhi-bound AI flight makes emergency landing at Kolkata after fuel leak
A Delhi-bound Air India flight from Bangkok made an emergency landing at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose international airport in Kolkata on Saturday night following a suspected fuel leakage in the right wing. The plane was carrying 150 passengers.
Updated on Jan 06, 2019 04:27 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Man spends 18 days with mother’s decomposing body in Kolkata house
Police broke open the door of the house late on Sunday and found Maitreyo Bhattacharya, who appeared to be in his thirties, sitting with the decomposed body of his mother, Krishna Bhattacharya, 70. Bhattacharya was detained for questioning.
Updated on Dec 24, 2018 05:15 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Amit Shah hits out at Mamata Banerjee as rally fails to take off
Modifying an order by a single bench that put all three BJP yatras on hold until January 9, a division bench of the court said the three state officials should meet with, at the most, three leaders from the party and reach a decision by December 14.
Updated on Dec 07, 2018 11:06 PM IST
Kolkata/Cooch Behar/New Delhi | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri, Snigdhendu Bhattacharya and Kumar Uttam
TMC leaders flock to Assam to campaign for panchayat polls
The move is believed to be an attempt by Mamata Banerjee’s party to test the waters in Assam before the Lok Sabha elections.
Updated on Dec 04, 2018 02:39 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Whistling torment for animals in zoo; Bengal govt to impose fine shortly
Poking animals with twigs and throwing stones at them is a regular affair at Kolkata zoo. The authorities have noticed that blowing shrill whistles to attract their attention is becoming popular.
Published on Nov 28, 2018 05:03 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Fire breaks out in cancer hospital in Kolkata
The fire broke out in Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) in south Kolkata. Three fire tenders immediately rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.
Updated on Nov 20, 2018 01:07 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Anti-BJP Opposition front’s meet after state elections: Chandrababu Naidu
Mamata Banerjee said parties were busy with state polls.
Updated on Nov 19, 2018 11:33 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
After Andhra Pradesh, Mamata Banerjee puts up ‘no entry’ sign for CBI in West Bengal
The move is seen to be triggered by perceptions in the two states ruled by opposition parties who have frequently accused the CBI of acting at the behest of the BJP-led national coalition at the centre.
Updated on Nov 16, 2018 10:10 PM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
High liquor sale during festival pushes Bengal’s revenue collection to record high
In October, sale of India made foreign liquor (IMFL) stood at 1.20 crore litre, marking a shopping 57% rise over October 2017.
Published on Nov 12, 2018 06:10 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri, Kolkata
Water tanker hits Qatar Airways plane at Kolkata airport; DGCA orders probe
There were 103 passengers. The aircraft did not take off.
Updated on Nov 02, 2018 08:20 AM IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri
Mamata plans 100 % rise in TMC youth, student wings before Lok Sabha polls
The Trinamool Congress chief wants youth and student wing leaders to have more coordination and reach out to their respective fraternities before the Lok Sabha polls.
Published on Oct 27, 2018 06:16 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri, Kolkata