LIVE: At the heart of BJP's manifesto is 'Sonar Bangla', says Amit Shah

Latest News LIVE updates: Polling for the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on March 27, April 1 and April 6. Stay tuned for latest updates

Latest News LIVE: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will provide 33 per cent reservation for women in all state government jobs if voted to power, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday while releasing the party's manifesto for high stakes election in West Bengal.

The manifesto for Bengal emphasised on women's safety, infra development, health, industry. 

Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken its election campaign a notch higher, stepping up attacks on opponents in poll-bound states.

"TMC runs on scams, while BJP governments run on schemes," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday at a poll rally  in Bengal, in a sharp dig at Mamata Banerjee-led government.
 

Stay tuned for LIVE updates on latest news

8:56 PM

Founders have never interfered with academic freedom, says Ashoka University Chancellor

Ashoka University's Chancellor Rudrangshu Mukherjee issued a statement on Sunday saying that the founders of the university have never interfered with academic freedom.

 

This letter comes days after the resignation of Ashoka University professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta. Ashoka University was at the centre of a controversy this week after the resignation.

 

"Today, when the Founders are being attacked for trying to compromise and curtail academic autonomy and freedom of expression, I find it necessary as Chancellor and given my association with Ashoka from its inception, to state unambiguously that the Founders have never interfered with academic freedom: faculty members have been left free to construct their own courses, follow their own methods of teaching and their own methods of assessment," Mukherjee wrote.

8:32 PM

Latest News: Overall exposure of debt mutual funds to NBFCs below 10%, says CARE Ratings

The overall exposure of debt mutual funds (MFs) to NBFC papers stood at Rs 1.6 trillion in February 2021. The percent-age share declined from 19 per cent in July 2018 to 9.7 per cent in February 2021, according to CARE Ratings.

 

The percentage share of funds deployed by MFs in commercial papers issued by shadow banks in February 2021 stood at 4.3 per cent of debt AUMs, compared with 9.5 per cent in September 2018. Read here

8:17 PM

Latest News: BJP Parliamentary party meeting to be held on Tuesday

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will hold a meeting of its parliamentary party on March 23.

 

Earlier the Parliamentary Party meeting was scheduled for March 17 but cancelled due to the death of Ram Swaroop Sharma, a party MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

 

Ram Swaroop Sharma died allegedly by suicide in the national capital on Wednesday.

 

According to Delhi Police sources, "No suicide note has been found yet." "Police received a call from a staffer. He was found hanging and the door was closed from inside," said Delhi Police.

7:58 PM

Congress govt in Assam will be run by state people: Rajeev Shukla

Senior Congress leader Rajeev Shukla on Sunday said that the government to be formed by the party in Assam after the assembly election will be run by and for the people of the state and will not be remote-controlled from Delhi.

 

The BJP-led government in Assam has played with the emotions and fortunes of the tea garden workers for the last five years, he alleged while addressing a press conference in Guwahati.

 

"The Congress government is going to be run by the people of Assam, for the people of Assam and not on the instructions of people from Delhi," Shukla said.

7:46 PM

Latest News: Rahul Gandhi to campaign in Kerala from Monday

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi would visit Kerala on Monday for campaigning ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled on April 6.

 

As per the scheduled programme, Rahul Gandhi would be interacting with the students at the St. Teresa College, followed by a reception at the Goshree Junction in Vypeen and later at the Veli junction at Fort Kochi.

 

He would also be addressing corner meetings at Pattanakkad, Alappuzha, Cheppad, Haripad and Kayamkulam.

7:30 PM

We promise a safe, appeasement-free and infiltration-free Bengal, says Amit Shah

7:11 PM

A Development Fund worth Rs 22,000 crore will be set up to make Kolkata an international city: BJP

To transform Kolkata into an international city, we will make a Kolkata Development Fund worth Rs 22,000 crore.  10 multistorey parking facilities will also be started. To ensure Kolkata becomes a UNESCO Heritage City, we will invest Rs 500 crore: BJP

7:09 PM

BJP promises to increase widow pension to Rs 3,000

• Widow pension will be increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000.

 

• 9 women police battalion and 3 women police reserve battalion will be started to safeguard women's security.

 

• Free education to backward classes till graduation level.

6:43 PM

A Common Eligibility Test for all state government jobs to keep a check on corruption: Amit Shah

We will start Common Eligibility Test for all state government jobs to keep a check on corruption, says Amit Shah in Bengal. 

6:40 PM

Three new AIIMS hospitals will be built in Bengal: Amit Shah

Three new AIIMS hospitals will be built in North Bengal, Jangalmahal and Sundarban so that locals don't have to travel to Kolkata to avail healthcare facilities: Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah 

6:34 PM

BJP manifesto promises free education for women: Amit Shah

We have decided to provide free education to women from KG to PG, says Amit Shah in Kolkata

6:31 PM

CAA will be implemented in the first Cabinet meeting: Amit Shah

CAA will be implemented in the first Cabinet and refugees who have been staying here for 70 years will be given citizenship. Each refugee family will get Rs 10,000 per year for 5 years, said Amit Shah in Kolkata

6:29 PM

Rs 18,000 will be transferred to 7.5 million farmers' bank accounts without any cut: Amit Shah

Continuing PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Rs 18,000 will be transferred to 7.5 million farmers' bank accounts without any cut

6:23 PM

We have decided that no infiltrators to be allowed in Bengal, says Amit Shah while releasing maifesto

We have decided that no infiltrators to be allowed in Bengal, says Amit Shah while releasing maifesto

6:19 PM

Amit Shah promises every household in Bengal at least one job in the next five years

Amit Shah promises every household in Bengal at least one job in the next five years