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BJP surge imperils Mamata’s long reign
Bengal appeared headed for a political rupture on Monday as the Bharatiya Janata Party moved comfortably past the majority mark in the 2026 Assembly election count, threatening to end Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year hold on power and push the Trinamool Congress into its deepest crisis since taking office in 2011....
Fuel shock forces Air India schedule retreat
Air India is preparing to cut nearly 100 flights a day as surging jet fuel costs and longer international routings squeeze the economics of a network already under strain. The planned reduction, covering domestic and overseas services, would amount to roughly a tenth of the airline’s daily schedule. Air...
Court backs poll counting safeguards
Supreme Court scrutiny has left the Election Commission’s counting arrangements for West Bengal undisturbed, dealing a legal and political setback to the Trinamool Congress days before votes are to be counted on May 4. A special bench declined to issue further directions on the party’s challenge to the deployment...
Mamata raises EVM alarm in Kolkata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s late-night visit to a Bhabanipur strong room has sharpened the confrontation between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of vote counting, with allegations of electronic voting machine tampering adding a volatile layer to an already tense Assembly contest. Banerjee reached...
Vijay poll surge unsettles southern rivals
Actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has been projected as the surprise frontrunner in Tamil Nadu by the Axis My India exit poll, while the National Democratic Alliance is forecast to sweep Assam and the Congress-led United Democratic Front is tipped to edge out the Left Democratic Front in Kerala....
Oil rally deepens on Iran supply fears
Global crude prices pushed higher on Thursday as Washington’s hardening stance on Iran intensified fears that disrupted Middle East supplies could remain locked out of the market for longer, extending a rally that has placed energy traders, refiners and importing economies on alert. Brent crude for June delivery rose...




