In her first press conference after Trinamool Congress' poll drubbing in Lok Sabha elections, party supremo Mamata Banerjee stressed on concentrating more on organisational functioning to assess the losses. In tandem with that agenda, Banerjee has conducted more than 10 organisational meetings in the last one and half month, sitting down with all her ministers and councillors. Political strategist Prashant Kishor, credited for the poll success of YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy’s victory in Andhra Pradesh and helping other top politicians, has also joined hands with Trinamool in an effort to revamp the party's game plan.&nbsp;

Here are some ways the party’s changing:

More emphasis on internal democracy

On every Friday in the last month, Banerjee is sitting with leaders from different districts from ministers to block level councillors.

She has held more than 400 administrative meetings. While earlier such meetings had live coverage, they are now held away from the prying eye of the media. Without the media glare, Banerjee is interacting with grassroots workers and asking them to speak their minds, something that party insiders feel was the need of the day.&nbsp;

Shifting action back to TMC headquarter

Every during the election season, the TMC headquarter bore a vacant look.

Last year, Banerjee conducted only one meeting here. Now, senior party leaders including the likes of Subhendu Adhikary and Abhishek Banerjee have been assigned to sit in the party office on certain days of the week. They have been asked to listen to problems of the common worker.

Banerjee herself has visited the party HQ 10 times and now all party organisational meeting takes place here.

Reaching out to Opposition

For the first time in eight years, the SC/ST MLAs of Opposition parties got a call to attend the CM’s tribal review meeting. Not only has Banerjee invited them, but she has also asked them to give suggestions for development.

She has also asked party members to avoid unnecessary political violence stating that it was giving opposition more mileage.

Jan Sangjog Yatra

To cut out the idea that the TMC were behaving like overlords rather than elected leaders, Banerjee has asked party workers to increase public outreach. Leaders have been asked to do the Jan Sangjog Yatra and for party workers to hear public grievances.

She even asked party workers to go the people and apologise if they’d made mistakes.

The Prashant Kishore effect

In the last month, Prashant Kishor has visited the state a couple of times and had a meeting with Ministers and district presidents. He has reportedly asked for the party’s top brass to come out of election mode and reach out to people. He has asked for party leaders to keep calm and not react to everything.

Prashant Kishor has also made it abundantly clear that he has only come to assist leaders and all instructions are being given by high command. Whether PK manages to help this new-look TMC combat the BJP juggernaut is something we’ll find out in the coming days. 
&nbsp;

In her first press conference after Trinamool Congress' poll drubbing in Lok Sabha elections, party supremo Mamata Banerjee stressed on concentrating more on organisational functioning to assess the losses.

In her first press conference after Trinamool Congress' poll drubbing in Lok Sabha elections, party supremo Mamata Banerjee stressed on concentrating more on organisational functioning to assess the losses. In tandem with that agenda, Banerjee has conducted more than 10 organisational meetings in the last one and half month, sitting down with all her ministers and councillors. Political strategist Prashant Kishor, credited for the poll success of YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy’s victory in Andhra Pradesh and helping other top politicians, has also joined hands with Trinamool in an effort to revamp the party's game plan. Here are some ways the party’s changing: More emphasis on internal democracy On every Friday in the last month, Banerjee is sitting with leaders from different districts from ministers to block level councillors. She has held more than 400 administrative meetings. While earlier such meetings had live coverage, they are now held away from the prying eye of the media. Without the media glare, Banerjee is interacting with grassroots workers and asking them to speak their minds, something that party insiders feel was the need of the day. Shifting action back to TMC headquarter Every during the election season, the TMC headquarter bore a vacant look. Last year, Banerjee conducted only one meeting here. Now, senior party leaders including the likes of Subhendu Adhikary and Abhishek Banerjee have been assigned to sit in the party office on certain days of the week. They have been asked to listen to problems of the common worker. Banerjee herself has visited the party HQ 10 times and now all party organisational meeting takes place here. Reaching out to Opposition For the first time in eight years, the SC/ST MLAs of Opposition parties got a call to attend the CM’s tribal review meeting. Not only has Banerjee invited them, but she has also asked them to give suggestions for development. She has also asked party members to avoid unnecessary political violence stating that it was giving opposition more mileage. Jan Sangjog Yatra To cut out the idea that the TMC were behaving like overlords rather than elected leaders, Banerjee has asked party workers to increase public outreach. Leaders have been asked to do the Jan Sangjog Yatra and for party workers to hear public grievances. She even asked party workers to go the people and apologise if they’d made mistakes. The Prashant Kishore effect In the last month, Prashant Kishor has visited the state a couple of times and had a meeting with Ministers and district presidents. He has reportedly asked for the party’s top brass to come out of election mode and reach out to people. He has asked for party leaders to keep calm and not react to everything. Prashant Kishor has also made it abundantly clear that he has only come to assist leaders and all instructions are being given by high command. Whether PK manages to help this new-look TMC combat the BJP juggernaut is something we’ll find out in the coming days.

Mamata Banerjee holds 10 Trinamool Congress meet after Lok Sabha poll debacle

Under the leadership Of Mamata Banerjee India will change, said Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu at a campaign rally in Kharagpur on Thursday.&nbsp;

Mamata campaigned in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in support of the TDP chief in the run-up to the polls in the state and Naidu is now returning the favour and is campaigning in West Bengal as the election reaches its final stage with two phases of polling remaining.&nbsp;

At a TMC rally in Kharagpur Naidu stated: "Under the leadership of Bengal tiger Mamata Banerjee India will change and urged the people to vote for TMC so that a large representation goes from the state to Parliament."

Naidu is on a two-day visit to West Bengal and is campaigning in south Indians dominated areas.

Today after the campaign, Naidu and Mamata had a meeting where post-poll strategies were discussed at large.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Under the leadership Of Mamata Banerjee India will change, said Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu at a campaign rally in Kharagpur on Thursday. Mamata campaigned in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in support of the TDP chief in the run-up to the polls in the state and Naidu is now returning the favour and is campaigning in West Bengal as the election reaches its final stage with two phases of polling remaining.

Under the leadership Of Mamata Banerjee India will change, said Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu at a campaign rally in Kharagpur on Thursday. Mamata campaigned in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in support of the TDP chief in the run-up to the polls in the state and Naidu is now returning the favour and is campaigning in West Bengal as the election reaches its final stage with two phases of polling remaining. At a TMC rally in Kharagpur Naidu stated: "Under the leadership of Bengal tiger Mamata Banerjee India will change and urged the people to vote for TMC so that a large representation goes from the state to Parliament." Naidu is on a two-day visit to West Bengal and is campaigning in south Indians dominated areas. Today after the campaign, Naidu and Mamata had a meeting where post-poll strategies were discussed at large.

Under the leadership of Mamata India will change, says Chandrababu Naidu 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday demanded the cancellation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's candidature from Varanasi, a day after he claimed 40 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs were in touch with him.

"You are coming and you are saying 40 MLAs will go. Nobody will go; the people of our party are not thieves like yours. If you purchase everybody, you will still be unable to topple my government. I thereby demand that your nomination should be cancelled as you are indulging in horse trading," Banerjee said at a rally in Hooghly district.

Making a sensational claim in the middle of the general election, PM Modi had said on Monday that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the polls.

After Banerjee's speech, the TMC wrote to the Election Commission, alleging that PM Modi's speech indicates an "impending horse-trading" and asked the poll panel to cancel his nomination for such "provocative and undemocratic" statements.

The firebrand Trinamool Congress chief also said the BJP will not be able to establish a foothold in West Bengal, no matter how much the party "daydreams" about it.

In its letter to the poll panel, the TMC demanded "strong action" for the "unfounded, inappropriate and illegal" campaign and "utterances of the prime minister".

(With inputs from agencies)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday demanded the cancellation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's candidature from Varanasi, a day after he claimed 40 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs were in touch with him.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday demanded the cancellation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's candidature from Varanasi, a day after he claimed 40 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs were in touch with him. "You are coming and you are saying 40 MLAs will go. Nobody will go; the people of our party are not thieves like yours. If you purchase everybody, you will still be unable to topple my government. I thereby demand that your nomination should be cancelled as you are indulging in horse trading," Banerjee said at a rally in Hooghly district. Making a sensational claim in the middle of the general election, PM Modi had said on Monday that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the polls. After Banerjee's speech, the TMC wrote to the Election Commission, alleging that PM Modi's speech indicates an "impending horse-trading" and asked the poll panel to cancel his nomination for such "provocative and undemocratic" statements. The firebrand Trinamool Congress chief also said the BJP will not be able to establish a foothold in West Bengal, no matter how much the party "daydreams" about it. In its letter to the poll panel, the TMC demanded "strong action" for the "unfounded, inappropriate and illegal" campaign and "utterances of the prime minister". (With inputs from agencies)

Trinamool Congress wants PM Modi's nomination cancelled, writes to Election Commission

Three Lok Sabha constituencies in north Bengal - Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Raiganj will go to the polls in the second phase of elections on Thursday.

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the BJP are the main contenders in the three seats which will see a four-cornered contest between the two parties, the Congress and the Left Front.

The most interesting fight will be in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/second-phase-polls-bjp-tmc-eye-darjeeling-in-west-bengal-battle-209751">Darjeeling</a> - famed for its tea, timber and tourism. In Darjeeling's Patlebas, the atmosphere appears to be that of election but flags are missing - a stark contrast to the 2017 violence.

The Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency consists of Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Kurseong, Matigara-Naxalbari, Siliguri, Phansidewa and Chopra assembly segments.

For the last few decades, Darjeeling has seen a familiar pattern - whoever gets the support of the dominant hill party, wins the seat. The BP won from here in 2009 and 2014, but 2019 is going to be different.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung, who has raised the issue of Gorkhaland, has always been big factor in the area but the Hill politics took a curious turn after he escaped to evade arrest.

Zee travelled to Gurung's den, remnants of a burned car remind of the 2017 violence. The locality, which earlier had special Gurung army now is desolated, except for two BJP flags in a corner.

<img alt="burnt-car-darjeeling" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4fcb9246-f239-44c1-9621-c9afaaa072b1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/burnt-car-darjeeling.jpg" />

People here still do not want to speak; they are still in a state of shock. "We had enough, now we need peace," said Gurung's former aide Nirnal.

The agitation which started here in 2017 against the state government's decision to make Bengali language compulsory soon snowballed into an intense movement for statehood. It triggered widespread arson and vandalism, massive clashes, multiple casualties, political blamegames and the longest-ever shutdown of 104 days that brought the entire northern West Bengal hills to a standstill till Gurung escaped and GJM's new chairman Binay Tamang called off the protest.

But even in hiding, Gurung is not willing to give up without a fight. He has lent his support to BJP's Raju Bista. Boosting it further, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) has also supported Bista. The Trinamool Congress has fielded Amar Singh Rai to take on Bisht. Rai, the Trinamool Congress candidate, has the support on the Binay Tamang faction of the GJM.

Also in the fray are Sankar Malakar of Congress, Saman Pathak of CPI(M) and Harka Bahadur Chhetri, Jaan Andolan Party president.

The Hills will see a good electoral fight and the picture of Patlebas from both the sides will definitely have impact on the voters here.

Three Lok Sabha constituencies in north Bengal - Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Raiganj will go to the polls in the second phase of elections on Thursday. The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the BJP are the main contenders in the three seats which will see a four-cornered contest between the two parties, the Congress and the Left Front.

Three Lok Sabha constituencies in north Bengal - Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Raiganj will go to the polls in the second phase of elections on Thursday. The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the BJP are the main contenders in the three seats which will see a four-cornered contest between the two parties, the Congress and the Left Front. The most interesting fight will be in Darjeeling - famed for its tea, timber and tourism. In Darjeeling's Patlebas, the atmosphere appears to be that of election but flags are missing - a stark contrast to the 2017 violence. The Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency consists of Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Kurseong, Matigara-Naxalbari, Siliguri, Phansidewa and Chopra assembly segments. For the last few decades, Darjeeling has seen a familiar pattern - whoever gets the support of the dominant hill party, wins the seat. The BP won from here in 2009 and 2014, but 2019 is going to be different. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung, who has raised the issue of Gorkhaland, has always been big factor in the area but the Hill politics took a curious turn after he escaped to evade arrest. Zee travelled to Gurung's den, remnants of a burned car remind of the 2017 violence. The locality, which earlier had special Gurung army now is desolated, except for two BJP flags in a corner. People here still do not want to speak; they are still in a state of shock. "We had enough, now we need peace," said Gurung's former aide Nirnal. The agitation which started here in 2017 against the state government's decision to make Bengali language compulsory soon snowballed into an intense movement for statehood. It triggered widespread arson and vandalism, massive clashes, multiple casualties, political blamegames and the longest-ever shutdown of 104 days that brought the entire northern West Bengal hills to a standstill till Gurung escaped and GJM's new chairman Binay Tamang called off the protest. But even in hiding, Gurung is not willing to give up without a fight. He has lent his support to BJP's Raju Bista. Boosting it further, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) has also supported Bista. The Trinamool Congress has fielded Amar Singh Rai to take on Bisht. Rai, the Trinamool Congress candidate, has the support on the Binay Tamang faction of the GJM. Also in the fray are Sankar Malakar of Congress, Saman Pathak of CPI(M) and Harka Bahadur Chhetri, Jaan Andolan Party president. The Hills will see a good electoral fight and the picture of Patlebas from both the sides will definitely have impact on the voters here.

Bimal Gurung's house stands tall in Darjeeling, but Hills will vote without him this time

Author

Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Kamalika Sengupta

Home

Live Tv

Latest

World

India

Business

Entertainment

Sports

Opinions

Videos

Photos

Gravitas

Lifestyle

Science

Tech

Rajasthan News in Hindi: In-depth coverage of Rajasthan Crime, Political News, Education, Rajasthan Weather Update and Latest Rajasthan News on Zee News Rajasthan.