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Wednesday, 29 September 2021

Bengaluru school sealed after 60 students test positive for COVID-19; one hospitalised

As many as 60 students tested positive for COVID-19 in Bengaluru-based Sri Chaitanya Girls’ Residential School. This was found out after one of the students attending physical classes was found to be symptomatic.

Of the 60 students who have tested positive, one student has been admitted to Lady Curzon and Bowring Hospital, one is under home quarantine, while the remaining 58 students have been quarantined in the hostel. The school, which had reopened on 5 September, will now remain closed till 20 October.

The incident has alarmed the Karnataka education department, which has allowed all schools to reopen in districts with a positivity rate of less than one percent from 1 October.

BC Nagesh, Karnataka’s minister for primary and secondary education had said, “The technical committee has allowed full capacity for Classes 6 to 12 from 1 October. After Dasara, the (COVID) task force will meet again then decide on reopening Classes from 1 to 5. Since there are viral infections going on there are some delays.”

All the students who have been tested positive are from Classes 11 and 12. According to a News18 report, among the students who have contracted the virus, 46 are from Karnataka while 14 are from Tamil Nadu.

The school had resumed physical classes for senior students on 5 September with 57 fully vaccinated staff, including 22 teachers, and 485 students. On 26 September, one pupil, who had reportedly come from Ballari, started developing symptoms like fever, vomiting and diarrhea following which she was found to be infected by the virus.

There are a total of 480 students in the residential school. Although the rest of the students are asymptomatic, they have been asked to follow home quarantine. The authorities will conduct a re-test on students on the seventh day.

J Manjunath, Bengaluru Urban deputy commissioner told news agency ANI, “This is Sri Chaitanya educational institution. On Sunday evening, one student complained of vomiting and diarrhea. We immediately sprung into action. There were 480 students, all were checked. 60 students tested positive."

He added, “This is a boarding school, students were there for the last one month and when they came in, they had no symptoms. Out of the 60 students who tested positive, only two are symptomatic. Our team is there, we have tested everyone."

“There is no cause for worry, this is a proactive measure. Out of the 60 students who have tested positive, 14 are from Tamil Nadu and the rest of them are from various parts of the state," informed J Manjunath

Meanwhile, even as the authorities have completed sanitising the school and hostel premises, parents of several students have called for taking back their wards. Recently, in Kolar district, about 12 students of a school tested positive for the virus, six pupils of two other institutes were also found to be infected.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3AVwy4y

Five things Punjab’s Amarinder-Sidhu-Channi fiasco shows about Congress

One of the defining attributes of a challenger is that he or she can topple the champion coming from a seeming weaker position, or goes down fighting. A challenger usually does not meticulously engineer one’s own downfall from a commanding position.

The Congress party has ceased to be the natural party of choice in India. Since the 2012 state polls and subsequently the history-altering 2014 general elections, it has been the BJP.

But with the unfolding Punjab meltdown, the Congress is at the brink of ceasing to be even the challenger. It is in free-fall, with two dynasts who have proven their incompetence beyond all doubt stubbornly at the wheel, willing to sacrifice even the most vantage ground at the altar of dynastic entitlement.

Till it eventually breaks, Congress is resolved to remain a mom-and-pop store, unwilling to hand the family business over to employees.

What does the Punjab spectacle really tell us about modern India’s oldest political party? Five things, essentially.

1. Dynasty can’t stand tall mass leaders: Captain Amarinder Singh may be ageing, aloof and inaccessible, but the man has steered the party to power several times, stood his ground unconquered through the most devastating Narendra Modi tornado even while Rahul Gandhi got uprooted from his family bastion and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra could not pick up enough nerve to fight the elections.

In spite of creeping anti-incumbency, Captain seemed on his way to steering the Congress back to power in 2022.

By sacking him for an unstable, impatient upstart like Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Nehru-Gandhis once again showed their insecurity and disdain for mass leaders. Incidentally, the two tallest non-Family mass leaders the Congress produced in recent decades — Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee — are both outside the party today and may well deal a crippling blow to the party in 2024. Jyotiraditya Scindia too now joined those ranks.

2. Rahul, Priyanka swayed by glib talkers: It was increasingly evident to journalists who cover the Congress that the brother and sister love smooth talkers like Sidhu. They feel comfortable in a coterie of people who simulate the protected milieu they have grown up in. They choose advisors not for their political astuteness or grasp of the ground but Powerpoint prowess.

This twice removes them from the ground reality. The ‘babalog’ don’t get first-hand information from the grassroots and depend on well-heeled lackeys who positively hate the grassroots.

3. Generational overhaul is more of the same: Hiring opportunistic campus sloganeers like Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani is to bring in a groundswell of hate large swathes of ordinary Indians have for their irresponsible, negative politics.

At a time the Congress is struggling with its anti-Hindu image, bringing them in and reposing faith in Sidhu who openly embraced General Bajwa and Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan is giving further credence to that perception. Kumar and Mevani are viewed as percussionists of anti-Hindu politics. Rahul Gandhi’s temple trips may not be able to undo the damage.

4. Congress faces wipeout in a winning state: The Congress has shown an uncanny ability to get wiped out from states it once reigned. It ceded ‘secular’ space in Uttar Pradesh to the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, in Bihar to the Janata Dal-United and the Rashtriya Janata Dal, in Bengal to the Trinamool Congress and the CPM. It won’t come back to power in a hurry in Andhra, Telangana, Odisha, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Assam or Tripura.

Punjab is now an open, four- or five-cornered battle: the Congress, AAP, SAD, BJP, and Amarinder Singh, whether he decides to fight it alone or back a certain political formation. If the Congress loses, it will rapidly lose ground in a state it has always been among the top two contenders. Another state could be gone.

5. Spectre of split before 2024 grows bigger: Dissenting voices in the Congress have once again got emboldened by the central leadership’s ineptitude. Kapil Sibal called the renegade group the “23 who won’t say Ji Huzoor”, or those who refuse to be dynastic sycophants.

With Mamata Banerjee coming to national politics after her Bengal victory, Modi could be secretly happy. It makes the centrifugal force in the Congress stronger and may hasten a split, further weakening it nationally. And it presents the BJP with a more fractured Opposition.

A lose-lose for the Congress. The high in the party’s fabled ‘High Command’ is busy setting the bar lower, and soon, there may be very few left to command.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3CZbr1P

Schools to reopen in Delhi for Nursery to Class 8 students from 1 November; check details here

The national capital is planning to reopen schools for younger students from Nursery to Class 8 from 1 November. The reopening of schools in a phased manner for remaining classes after Dussehra is being considered by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

In a recent meeting, the DDMA decided to reopen schools for junior standards keeping in mind the precautions that must be maintained.

The schools are open for classes 9 to 12 across Delhi since 1 September with DDMA allowing only 50 percent capacity.

Also, the schools are supposed to take care of the COVID-19 protocols that have been issued by the state government including the regular use of face masks, hand sanitizers, and maintaining social distancing all the time.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the schools have been liberal towards students for their attendance. However, no student has been forcibly asked to attend the classes physically as online education is still being carried out by the respective schools.

Apart from using masks and maintaining social distancing, other guidelines have also been included by the DDMA like 50 percent of students per classroom, staggered lunch breaks, sanitisation, mandatory thermal screening, avoiding routine guest visits, staggered entry, and keen notice on the seating arrangement in the classes. These rules and guidelines are expected to be followed for the junior classes as well.

Earlier, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Chief, Dr Balram Bhargava had said that schools from classes 1 to 5 must be opened first as younger children have “better ability to handle the virus than adults do”.

In the meeting, the DDMA also spoke about Ramleela, Dussehra, and Durga Puja festivals that will take place in the coming days. Officials have been directed to ensure strict enforcement of COVID-19 appropriate behaviours with proper standard operating procedures (SOPs) like social distancing and wearing masks at all places.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3kQH1bY

Bhabanipur Assembly Election 2021 Voting LIVE Updates: EC rejects BJP's poll-rigging claim in high-profile seat

09:21 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

All booth under watch via webcams, mobile inspection units

As part of its elaborate security arrangements, the Election Commission has deployed 72 companies of central forces in the three constituencies, of which 35 are stationed in Bhabanipur alone, the officials said. An EC official also told News18 that CCTV camers were installed at all booths.

08:58 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

EC rejects BJP's poll-rigging claim in high-profile seat

The Election Commission said polling was delayed in one of the booths in Bhabanipur due to the mock poll drive exercise and not rigging of the booth as alleged by the BJP. The BJP has fielded Priyanka Tibrewal against Banerjee and has been raising allegations of a missing level-playing field in the keenly watched constituency. “No rigging took place,” the EC said

Tibrewal had earlier asserted that TMC's Madan Mitra had shut down an EVM on purpose.

08:47 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

EC says officials serious about implementing COVID-19 norms

Election Commission officials in Bhabanipur tols News18, We are keeping a very close watch inside the booths through web cameras to ensure that Covid 'protocols are followed by voters, polling agents and polling personnel. We have 20 teams to monitor all booths continuously."

08:16 (IST)

Pipili assembly by-election latest update

Polling begins in Odisha's Pipili

Odisha: Voting for by-poll begins in Pipili, Puri

"We have made appropriate arrangements and have deployed extra security at sensitive polling booths. There are 32 mobile parties deployed for this election," says SP Puri Kanwar Vishal Singh pic.twitter.com/6LZgTm7nNB
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2021

08:11 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Priyanka Tibrewal accuses TMC MLA of tampering with EVM

BJP candidate from Bhabanipur Priyanka Tibrewal accused TMC's Madan Mitra of tampering with an EVM at the polling booth where Mamata Banerjee is set to vote.

"Madan Mitra (TMC MLA) has purposely shut the voting machine here as he wants to capture the booth," she told ANI

07:56 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Bhabanipur stands at the cusp of history, says BJP's Amit Malviya

07:35 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Flood, COVID and security, EC officials struggle to prepare for worst in high profile election battle

The COVID-19 pandemic isn't the only odd that authorities have to beat to conduct polls in Bhabanipur today. Adverse weather and the possibility of disruptions and violence in the bitterly contested seat are all possibilities that the Election Commission has made efforts to prepare for.

Up to 35 companies of Central paramilitary forces have been deployed, with three personnel to be present at each of the 270-odd booths all of which have been declared sensitive. Mitra Institution, a state high school where Mamata Banerjee casts her vote, is among the 13 booths declared "very sensitive" in the constituency.

Meanwhile, several places in the Bhabanipur constituency were under water on Wednesday following the overnight rains, officials said..

Election officials said all arrangements have been made in case the rains continue. All polling centres were asked to arrange pumps to drain floodwaters, while police personnel deployed for the election were told to carry raincoats and umbrellas, they said.

07:18 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Polling begins in Bhabanipur, to continue till 6.30 pm

#WestBengalBypolls | Polling begins in Bhabanipur, polling is scheduled to end at 6:30 pm, according to State CEO

(Visuals from Mitra Institution polling booth) pic.twitter.com/fgW9fvMsbb
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2021

07:16 (IST)

Breaking News: Voting Begins in three seats of West Bengal and Odisha's Pipili

07:15 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Meet Opposition Candidates in Bhabanipur

Mamata Banerjee is a political stalwart who needs no introduction. No two days pass without her name making front-page headlines in the national media. But who are the people chosen by their respective parties to stand up against the All India Trinamool Congress Chief, who has maintained a steady grip on West Bengal for 10 years now.

Priyanka Tibrewal: The BJP has put up 41-year-old Priyanka Tibrewal as a candidate against its arch-rival. Although she lost the recent Assembly polls and also the 2015 municipal polls, the Calcutta High Court lawyer has turned high profile, being one of the petitioners in the post-poll violence case against the state government.
Srijeeb Biswas: The CPM, on the other hand, has fielded Srijeeb Biswas. Biswas too is a lawyer in Alipur court. He is also a pass out from Hazra Law College. From 2014 he has been practising law and generally handles cases of the Left parties.

The Congress, which had contested the 2021 assembly polls in an alliance with the Left, has decided not to field a candidate against Banerjee, whose equation with the grand old party has shown signs of improvement of late in the runup to the 2024 General Elections.

07:08 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Hoping for fair elections, says BJP Candidate Priyanka Tibrewal

Priyanka Tibrewal, the 41-year-old who is BJP's candidate against Mamata Banerjee said, "We're hoping for fair elections. Security deployment is very important. I will visit polling booths in the area today. The state government is in fear right now."

06:33 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Day of reckoning for Mamata Banerjee

Over three lakh voters of Bhabanipur, a south Kolkata legislative constituency, will today seal the fate of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, who is looking to enter the state Assembly before the end of her six-month period, generally allowed to a chief ministerial candidate before they can get elected to Assembly.

The Chief Minister has had to contest because, despite her own party's tremendous victory in the Assembly polls held this April-May, she could not win from Nandigram.

Bhabanipur Assembly Election 2021 Voting LATEST Updates: The Election Commission said polling was delayed in one of the booths in Bhabanipur due to the mock poll drive exercise and not rigging of the booth as alleged by the BJP.

BJP candidate from Bhabanipur Priyanka Tibrewal accused TMC's Madan Mitra of tampering with an EVM at the polling booth where Mamata Banerjee is set to vote.

Stringent security arrangements were in place in Bhabanipur as the future of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who needs to win the election to retain her seat as West Bengal chief minister, will be decided in the bypolls on Thursday, 30 September.

Banerjee will be battling it out against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal and CPM's Srijib Biswas, with Congress not fielding any candidate for the bypolls. The results will be declared on 3 October.

Besides Bhabanipur, Samserganj and Jangipur constituencies are also going to bypolls on Thursday.

Security beefed up

At least 20 additional companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed in the constituency, a senior police official said.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were also imposed within 200 m of the polling centres where voting will take place on Thursday, he said.

Banerjee is the Trinamool Congress candidate in the Bhabanipur by-election in south Kolkata, while the BJP has fielded Priyanka Tibrewal, and CPM's Srijib Biswas is in the fray.

Inside each of the 287 booths at 97 polling centres in Bhabanipur, half-a-section - three jawans - of the central forces will be deployed. Kolkata Police officers will be in charge of the security outside the booths.

"Assembly of five or more persons within the periphery of 200 m of any polling premises will not be allowed. A ban has been imposed on anybody carrying stones, weapons, firecrackers and other explosive materials," the Kolkata Police said in an order.

Police pickets were set up at 38 locations across Bhabanipur, the official said.

On the day of the polling, 22 sector mobile, nine HRFS (Heavy Radio Flying Squad) teams, 13 quick response teams (QRTs), nine teams each of the static surveillance team, flying squad, and an equal number of striking forces from surrounding police stations will be deployed, he said.

Besides, three sub-division striking forces will also be deployed, he added.

One additional police commissioner along with four joint police commissioners, 14 deputy commissioners and an equal number of assistant commissioners have been deployed for the Bhabanipur by-election, the official said.

"We have also opened three additional control rooms. There will be arrangements for 141 special vehicles to escort the EVMs," he said.

Two strong rooms to store the EVMs have been set up at the Sakhawat Memorial Govt Girls'' High School on Lord Sinha Road, he said.

All policemen have been asked to wear raincoats and carry umbrellas owing to the inclement weather conditions in the city.

The Election Commission has also asked the Irrigation Department to be on alert owing to the weather conditions here, the official said.

"All the polling centres have been asked to keep pumps ready to drain floodwater. We have also asked the Irrigation Department and Disaster Management Department to be ready in case of any emergency because of the heavy rainfall," he said.

Strict security arrangements have also been made in Jangipur and Samserganj where assembly polls will be held on Thursday, an election official said.

There are 363 booths in Jangipur and 329 in Samserganj, he said.

With inputs from PTI

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Kampani qalam: Why Company paintings are a treasure house of knowledge on Indian birds

A spotted Owlet stares at the viewer, its gaze arresting and unnerving at once. Every detail of the bird is captured clearly: right from its folded wingtips to its greyish coloring, ensuring that its discerning viewers wonder if their imagination conjured the bird in front of their eyes from the pages of a catalogue.

This and 124 other stunning images form a part of DAG’s first-ever exhibition in India dedicated to an extraordinary selection of Company Paintings of Indian birds, entirely from the gallery collection in honour of the unknown Indian masters commissioned by East India Company in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Most of the 125 watercolor paintings are from a single album compiled between 1800 and 1804. The rest are dated slightly later, up to circa 1835. The paintings are soaked in rich detail and observation: an Indian Robin with its cocked tail gazes away from the album while a Purple Sunbird is showing resting on a branch of a pomegranate tree. A majority of the paintings include original inscriptions in Urdu which add an interesting angle to the art; one calls a Spot-billed or Grey Pelican, kahukal while the other refers to a White-rumped Vulture as a gidh.

The Company school of painting

The Kampani qalam or the Company school of painting refers to the artworks created for the officials of East India Company in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Documenting the flora, fauna, heritage and people of the Indian subcontinent, it consists of a wide-ranging repository of art that was commissioned by British officials in India.

The artists were influenced by a heady mixture of styles. The Mughal style of portraiture was still strong in India and while painting these artworks, the artists were introduced to European models which resulted in a unique mixture. They are characterised in the medium by the use of watercolors (instead of gouache), and in technique by the appearance of linear perspective and shading.

They are completely different from anything commissioned in Europe at the time. Company painting is unique and occurred only in India because it required the combination of European patrons, techniques perfected in the West and the skill of Indian artists. This collection, however, is similar to other Company paintings made in Calcutta around the time.

Birds of India

This exhibition celebrates birds. More specifically, it presents portraits of Indian birds made in the early 19^th century. Birds have always been featured in Indian art. Some geese, somewhat idealised, endowed with luxuriant crests, appear in the Ajanta murals while naturalistic portraits of recognisable species reached perfection in Mughal art under Emperor Jahangir.

Most of the paintings in the exhibition — a group of 99 paintings — come from one collection that was bound in a single album. Unfortunately, the names of the artists, and that of the original patron or collector, are not recorded. Subsequent owners of the album, include two members of the famous Scottish family called Cunninghame.

Giles Tillotson, Senior VP, Exhibitions and Publications at DAG, who curated the show notes that the importance of this exhibition lies in the high quality of the works, and the rarity of the subject. “Although there are other Company paintings depicting birds, I am not aware of any other album on such a scale that is entirely devoted to birds.” he explains and adds, “The album underscores the point that some of the best Company painting is also some of the earliest, dating from around 1800.”

The placement of the birds is an interesting aspect of the entire collection. Most are placed on the blank ground in the center of the page (which is paper, not canvas) which suggests a scientific approach and sensibility. Tillotson adds, “A few of the birds would have been caged or kept in menageries, but mostly the artists just observed the birds in the wild. The paintings are lifelike: they are very well observed. It shows the artists’ powers of observation.”

Many of the works show remarkable consistency of approach and are the work either of a single artist or of a small group of artists working to an agreed agenda. Each bird is depicted either perched on a single detached branch (in these cases leafless) or against a blank ground.

The paintings belong to four groups — 99 works from Cunninghame Graham (1800-1804) are supplemented by eight folios painted in Calcutta around 1810 album, fourteen images of birds from the Faber album around 1830 and the four folios from an album of Patna paintings by Chuni Lal (the only artist to be identified) from the never-seen-before 1835 Edward Inge album.

“The Cunninghame Graham album displayed in this exhibition is the largest collection of Indian bird paintings that I have seen.” shares Tillotson adding that while it is not ‘comprehensive’ (there are many more than 99 species in India) it certainly is wide-ranging.

Most artists behind the paintings are unknown but Tillotson says that they were mostly trained at Indian courts like those in Lucknow and Murshidabad. He adds, “The very refined brushwork is like court painting. But here they use new materials: paper and pigments that have been imported from Britain.”

Significance of the collection

Through the collection, one can learn about the early scientific study of Indian birds and about the expanding scope and style of Indian painting. Most of the birds from the kingfishers and the kites to the starlings and the shrikes are still commonly found in India almost two centuries after the folios were painted. None of the birds are extinct; though some of the ones painted are quite rare, or very hard to spot, like the Indian Pitta.

Capturing the nascent stage of Indian ornithology, the collection gives us a rare, documented peek into the natural world of India in the 1800s. Colorful and exuberant, they are an amalgamation of the best of both, the contemporary west and the exotic east.

They also place on record work of the excellent artists who were trained in the royal ateliers of India and their subsequent metamorphosis into modern artists who could marry the best techniques the west had to offer with the ancient knowledge of art, the east endowed them with.

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3AUl0hL

Petrol and diesel prices hiked today on 30 September 2021: Breaches Rs 110 in Bhopal, check rates here

Petrol and diesel prices went up on Thursday across the country. In Delhi, petrol costs Rs 101.64 a litre, a hike by 25 paise while the rate of diesel was Rs 89.87 per litre, a hike by 30 paise.

In Mumbai, petrol can be bought at Rs 107.71 per litre, which is costlier by 24 paise and diesel costs Rs 97.52 for one litre, an increase by 31 paise.

In Chennai, a litre of petrol is priced at Rs 99.36, which is an increase of 21 paise. On Thursday, the price of a litre of diesel was Rs 94.45 per litre, a raise of 28 paise.

Petrol in Kolkata costs Rs 102.17 per litre, which is costlier by 30 paise while diesel costs Rs 92.97 a litre, which is expensive by 30 paise.

While petrol can be bought at Rs 110.11, hiked by 26 paise in Bhopal, and diesel costs Rs 98.77 per litre, raised by 32 paise.

Petrol and diesel prices are revised by the oil marketing companies including Bharat Petroleum, Indian Oil and Hindustan Petroleum. The new prices are implemented at 6 am every day. States and cities have different fuel prices because of the value-added taxes, local and freight charges which vary depending on the place.

Following are the prices of diesel and petrol in a few metros and Tier-II cities in the country:

1. Mumbai

Petrol - Rs 107.71 per litre
Diesel - Rs 97.52 per litre

2. Delhi

Petrol - Rs 101.64 per litre
Diesel - Rs 89.87 per litre

3. Chennai

Petrol - Rs 99.36 per litre
Diesel - Rs 94.45 per litre

4. Kolkata

Petrol - Rs 102.17 per litre
Diesel - Rs 92.97 per litre

5. Bhopal

Petrol - Rs 110.11 per litre
Diesel - Rs 98.77 per litre

6. Hyderabad

Petrol - Rs 105.74 per litre
Diesel - Rs 98.06 per litre

7. Bangaluru

Petrol - Rs 105.18 per litre
Diesel - Rs 95.38 per litre

8. Guwahati

Petrol - Rs 97.52 per litre
Diesel - Rs 89.29 per litre

9. Lucknow

Petrol - Rs 98.75 per litre
Diesel - Rs 90.29 per litre

10. Gandhinagar

Petrol - Rs 98.71 per litre
Diesel - Rs 97.06 per litre

11. Thiruvananthapuram

Petrol - Rs 103.88 per litre
Diesel - Rs 96.71 per litre

from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2Y1zRbE

Assembly By-elections 2021 LIVE Updates: Voting begins in Mamata's Bhabanipur, 3 other seats in Bengal, Odisha

07:18 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Polling begins in Bhabanipur, to continue till 6.30 pm

#WestBengalBypolls | Polling begins in Bhabanipur, polling is scheduled to end at 6:30 pm, according to State CEO

(Visuals from Mitra Institution polling booth) pic.twitter.com/fgW9fvMsbb
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2021

07:16 (IST)

Breaking News: Voting Begins in three seats of West Bengal and Odisha's Pipli

07:15 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Meet Opposition Candidates in Bhabanipur

Priyanka Tiberwal: The BJP has put up 41-year-old Priyanka Tibrewal as a candidate against its arch-rival. Although she lost the recent Assembly polls and also the 2015 municipal polls, the Calcutta High Court lawyer has turned high profile, being one of the petitioners in the post-poll violence case against the state government.
Srijeeb Biswas: The CPM, on the other hand, has fielded Srijeeb Biswas. Biswas too is a lawyer in Alipur court. He is also a pass out from Hazra Law College. From 2014 he has been practising law and generally handles cases of the Left parties.

07:08 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Hoping for fair elections, says BJP Candidate Priyanka Tiberwal

06:33 (IST)

Bhabanipur assembly by-election latest update

Day of reckoning for Mamata Banerjee

The Chief Minister has had to contest because, despite her own party's tremendous victory in the Assembly polls held this April-May, she could not win from Nandigram.

Bhabanipur Assembly Election 2021 Voting LATEST Updates: Stringent security arrangements were in place in Bhabanipur as the future of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who needs to win the election to retain her seat as West Bengal chief minister, will be decided in the bypolls on Thursday, 30 September.