Trinamool unhappy over West Bengal poll schedule

August 18th, 2009 KOLKATA - An average of 41 percent polling was reported in the by-elections to two West Bengal assembly seats in the city Tuesday. While the poll percentage was 47 percent in the Sealdah constituency, 37 percent of voters exercised their franchise in Bowbazar, according to state Chief Electoral Officer Debasish Sen.

July 31st, 2009 KOLKATA - The Congress Friday bowed to the Trinamool Congress' demand and agreed to concede both the seats in the coming West Bengal assembly by-polls to the Trinamool. The Congress, which earlier demanded one of the two seats in Kolkata - Bowbazar and Sealdah - which are slated to go to the polls Aug 18, agreed to withdraw its candidates from both the constituencies following instructions from the party high command.

May 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Trinamool Congress Thursday demanded the imposition of president's rule in West Bengal, alleging there was complete breakdown of the constitutional machinery and people had lost confidence in the Left Front government there. 'The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front government has to come to an end in West Bengal.

May 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission Wednesday reprimanded Trinamool Congress candidate Kalyan Banerjee and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Prasant Pradhan for making derogatory remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee respectively. Kalyan Banerjee, a Trinamool candidate from Sreerampore parliamentary constituency, filed a reply to the Election Commission.

April 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Wednesday filed her nomination papers from the Kolkata-South constituency in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha elections. Mamata was accompanied by senior Trinamool leaders Partha Chattopadhyay, Kalyan Banerjee, Sovan Deb Chattapadhyay and nearly 300-odd supporters.

April 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) faces a tough fight in the Lok Sabha elections but would get a majority of seats in West Bengal, the party's general secretary Prakash Karat said here Tuesday. 'We will have a tough battle in the elections, but we have faced situations in the past when the opposition had virtually come together without an alliance,' Karat told reporters in response to the Congress and Trinamool Congress joining hands in the state.

April 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Tuesday conceded that West Bengal's ruling Left Front (LF) will face a tough battle in the Lok Sabha polls in the state after the Congress-Trinamool Congress pact but hoped it will win majority of seats. 'My party's assessment is that we'll have a tough battle in this election.

March 18th, 2009 KOLKATA - Activists of Trinamool Congress and Congress party organised a yagna here for the success of the alliance of these two parties in the ensuing elections to the Lok Sabha. This was consequent to the finalisation of the tie-up and sharing of seats between the two parties in West Bengal.

March 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal Transport Minister and senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Subhas Chakraborty has said that 700-odd Trinamool Congress workers have joined the CPI-M in Howrah district's Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency. 'Around 700 Trinamool Congress activists have joined our party (CPI-M) before the Lok Sabha polls, as they were dissatisfied with the Trinamool's ideology,' Chakraborty claimed Saturday while addressing a political gathering.

March 13th, 2009 KOLKATA - Happy over the seat adjustment with the Congress Party in West Bengal for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee today took the poll fervor one step ahead by appealing to all regional parties across the country to forsake the CPI (M) and not join the purported Third Front. Banerjee said the CPI (M) had a 32-year history of misrule and bloodshed in West Bengal and all those regional parties and friends of friends who had supported the movement of the farmers in Nandigram should take cognizance of this fact before joining hands with the Left Front.

March 10th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal Congress MLA Deepa Dasmunsi, the wife of union Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Monday claimed that grassroot party workers were unhappy with the seat-sharing deal with the Trinamool Congress. 'From what we've heard so far about the seat-sharing deal with the Trinamool Congress in the state, it seems it will be really tough for us to win in those constituencies.

March 5th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Thursday expelled its Lok Sabha MP from Katwa, Abu Ayesh Mondal, for alleged anti-party activities amid speculation that he may contest the coming Lok Sabha elections as a Trinamool Congress candidate. CPI-M Burdwan district secretary Amal Haldar told reporters that Mondal was spreading canards against the party after being denied a ticket for the polls.

March 3rd, 2009 KOLKATA - Major political parties in West Bengal expressed dissatisfaction over the Lok Sabha poll schedule in the state declared by the Election Commission Monday. While ruling Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said it preferred a one-day election, the opposition alleged that the three-phase routine would help the ruling Left Front cadres cast bogus votes.

March 2nd, 2009 KOLKATA - External Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee Sunday welcomed the electoral victory of the Trinamool Congress in Bishnupur (West) assembly by-election. 'We welcome Trinamool Congress' win in the Bishnupur assembly by-election.

January 19th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) Tuesday declared that it would withdraw support from West Bengal's main opposition Trinamool Congress if the party tied up with the Congress in the coming Lok Sabha poll. 'We'll withdraw our support from Trinamool Congress if they form any political alliance with the Congress in the coming Lok Sabha election,' SUCI state secretary Prabhas Ghosh told a press conference here.