Mamata banerjee

KOLKATA, India (Reuters) - Voting began in Assam and West Bengal on Saturday in state elections that will show how support for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding up following a coronavirus-stricken year, and months of protests by farmers against his agricultural reforms. Re-elected for a second five-year term in 2019, Modi's grip on power is under no threat, but the elections in the two eastern states are the first since the farmers launched protests that have been mainly in the north, around the capital Delhi. It was the first phase of voting in both states, and the results won't be known for months. For all the concerns over the coronavirus, politicians out on the campaign trail often showed scant regard for social distancing, but as people waited in long queues outside polling centres in West Bengal on Saturday, security personnel and election workers handed out masks, sanitizers and gloves. Modi and his home minister Amit Shah campaigned aggressively for ... » Learn More about India begins voting in two eastern states in key test for Modi

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who also heads the country's cricket board (BCCI), was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata on Saturday after complaining of chest pain. One of India's most successful captains, 48-year-old Ganguly, who hails from the state of West Bengal, took over as the BCCI president in 2019. His transition from a player to top administrator was seen as a natural progression for a former captain who helped India emerge from a damaging match-fixing scandal in 2000. "Sad to hear that @SGanguly99 suffered a mild cardiac arrest and has been admitted to hospital," Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of the West Bengal, said on Twitter. Local media reported that Ganguly complained of chest pain after a gym session on Friday and was taken to hospital after the problem recurred on Saturday. Messages poured in on social media from the cricketing community wishing Ganguly, fondly known as "dada" or "elder brother", a speedy recovery. "I ... » Learn More about Cricket-Former India captain Ganguly admitted to hospital after chest pain

The fire broke out Monday evening inside the Eastern Railways Strand road office in Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. The building houses railway ticketing offices. According to officials, seven bodies were found in an elevator, and two others in another one. "Nearly all the bodies were lying inside the elevator. They had used the elevator to climb up. As the floor was on fire and it was hot, the moment the elevator door opened, they got charred," Sujit Bose, state fire minister told media. Preliminary investigations suggested the victims appeared to have suffocated and been burnt to death inside the lift. A statement issued by India's federal railway minister Piyush Goyal said he salutes the bravery of three railway personnel and those who laid down their lives to stop the fire. The federal railway minister has ordered a high-level probe to ascertain the cause of the fire. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the incident and prayed for ... » Learn More about Death toll rises to nine in India’s West Bengal railways building fire as Covid-19 cases goes above 11.2 million

The election in West Bengal is the most important with the BJP pushing hard to win power KOLKATA - One person was killed and a candidate's car attacked Saturday as India's worst hotbed of political violence West Bengal held elections, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to unseat one of his fiercest opponents. Victory in the eastern region of 90 million would be a major achievement for Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party as it looks to expand further its power base beyond its Hindi-speaking northern heartlands. But in a state where thousands have died since the 1960s, fresh incidents of violence were reported with police saying that a mob attacked the vehicle of a communist party candidate in one district. The president of the BJP in the state Dilip Ghosh said that one of its supporters were killed by members of the ruling Trinamool Congress party in the same area in the early hours. "His body was found in the compound of his mud hut," he said. Because of ... » Learn More about One dead as restive Indian state votes

Hi all, In today's bulletin: Ousted Myanmar Parliament plans national unity government ; Calls for Asean to hold Special Summit ; Japan on brink of fourth Covid-19 wave despite several measures; Two dead in fierce state election fight between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party and West Bengal Chief Minister; Hong Kong’s ' Father of Democracy' Martin Lee, media tycoon Jimmy Lai guilty over protests, and more. Reading this on the web or know someone who might enjoy receiving Asian Insider? Our sign-up page is here . Ousted Myanmar Parliament plans national unity government The ousted leaders of Myanmar's Parliament, many of them allies of detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, plan to set up a national unity government in the first week of April. A statement issued by them states that the new government will be a coalition of all democratic forces under the terms of the Federal Democracy Charter and a collective leadership. And that caretaker ... » Learn More about Asian Insider, April 1: Two governments in Myanmar? Japan on brink of fourth Covid-19 wave