Man arrested with gold biscuits worth Rs 88 lakh near Bangladesh border
A person was arrested with gold biscuits worth Rs 88.34 lakh near the Bangladesh border in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, the BSF said on Wednesday. Vigil was stepped up at the Hakimpur check post in the Tarali-1 border outpost area on Tuesday on the basis of inputs that gold smuggling could be attempted, it said. The suspect, disguised as a farmer, was intercepted when he was heading towards Swarupdah from Hakimpur Market. A packet wrapped in brown tape was found concealed in a knot of his dress, it added.
Exit polls hint at Nitish-Modi comeback in Bihar, but Falodi betting market predicts neck-and-neck race
As the dust settles after polling in Bihar, most exit polls have projected a return of the Nitish Kumar–Narendra Modi-led NDA government, suggesting the alliance could secure close to 150 seats in the 243-member Assembly. However, opposition parties have dismissed these findings outright, insisting that the results on counting day could spring a surprise.Beyond the exit polls, political circles are closely watching another unconventional barometer of electoral mood — the Falodi betting market of Rajasthan, considered the most influential among India’s underground “satta bazaars.” Located in a small town near Jodhpur, the Falodi market has a long history of making strikingly accurate predictions, from state elections to sports outcomes, though it operates illegally.While most television polls have given the NDA a clear edge, the Falodi market tells a different story — one of a photo-finish contest. According to the betting trends, the NDA is projected to win between 105 and 135 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan, led by Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), could secure between 97 and 127 seats.The Falodi market also predicts a poor performance for Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, likely to win only 0–1 seat, while the RJD may emerge as the single-largest party with more than 75 seats, ahead of the BJP and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United). The Congress, a junior partner in the Mahagathbandhan, is expected to fare the weakest among the alliance constituents.Interestingly, despite the tight race, bookmakers still assign a 60 per cent probability to Nitish Kumar returning as Chief Minister, compared to 40 per cent for Tejashwi Yadav.Adding to the mixed signals, the Axis My India exit poll — one of the country’s most reputed survey agencies — has forecast a closer-than-expected battle in Bihar, differing slightly from other pollsters that have projected a decisive NDA victory.According to the Axis My India survey, the NDA could win 121–141 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan may bag 98–118 seats. The Jan Suraaj Party is expected to win 0–2 seats, while Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM may secure up to two seats. Other smaller parties could win between one and five seats.The vote-share projections, too, underline the razor-thin contest: the NDA is estimated to receive 43 per cent of the vote, compared with 41 per cent for the Mahagathbandhan.While opinion polls and betting trends both hint at a tight race, political observers caution that Bihar’s volatile electoral arithmetic — shaped by caste coalitions and last-minute swings — often defies forecasts. The final verdict, they say, will depend not on projections but on the “silent voter” who remains the decisive force in Bihar’s politics.
Murshidabad link surfaces in Delhi Red Fort blast; NIA team raids multiple locations in Bengal
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted extensive searches in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district in connection with Monday evening’s car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, which has been classified as a major national security incident.Within 48 hours of the blast, an NIA investigation team arrived in Bengal after a phone number traced from one of the arrested suspects in Delhi led them to a man in Murshidabad’s Nim village under Nabagram police station. The number, sources said, belonged to Moinul Hasan, a migrant worker who has previously travelled to Delhi and Mumbai for work.According to investigators, Moinul is believed to have come in contact with suspected members of a terror module during his stay outside Bengal. Acting on the intelligence input, seven NIA officers, assisted by local police, carried out an early morning raid at his residence. He was interrogated for several hours and his mobile devices and documents were seized for forensic examination.Officials said that the operation was not confined to Nim village alone. Raids were also conducted in other pockets of Murshidabad district, where several names have surfaced during questioning. “Some leads point to possible local support networks,” an official involved in the search said, without revealing further details.The NIA’s move comes amid widening investigations into the Red Fort blast, in which 15 people have so far been detained. Investigators are also probing the role of four doctors, suspected to be key operatives of a so-called ‘white-collar terror module’ based in Faridabad, Haryana.According to preliminary findings, the group was planning coordinated attacks in major Indian cities, and had been stockpiling explosives for months. The Delhi blast, investigators believe, may have occurred prematurely due to mishandling or haste, averting a larger catastrophe.Murshidabad’s emergence in the investigation has raised concerns, as the district has earlier figured in terror-related probes. In February this year, several members of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) — an extremist outfit with cross-border links — were arrested from the area. Subsequent raids across Assam and other states had led to the recovery of arms and documents indicating a wider network.Security agencies are now examining whether the Murshidabad connection to the Delhi blast is an isolated communication link or part of a larger recruitment and logistics chain operating through migrant networks.Investigations are continuing, and NIA sources indicated that more arrests could follow in the coming days as digital forensics and call records are analyzed.
Former Trinamul MLA Amal Acharya returns to Congress ahead of Assembly polls
In yet another political homecoming ahead of the Assembly elections, former Trinamul Congress MLA and BJP leader Amal Acharya rejoined the Congress on Wednesday. The induction took place at the state party headquarters, Bidhan Bhavan, in the presence of AICC observer Ghulam Ahmad Mir and WBPCC president Shubhankar Sarkar.Acharya, who once served as the North Dinajpur district president of the Trinamul Congress, was accompanied by around seven former panchayat samiti office-bearers who also joined the Congress. Party leaders claimed that Acharya’s return would strengthen the organisation in North Bengal and inspire more disgruntled leaders to come back to the fold.Speaking after rejoining, Acharya expressed both nostalgia and disillusionment over his political journey. “I joined Trinamul at the call of Mamata Banerjee and worked hard to build the organisation in my district. I was elected MLA twice. But in 2021, I was denied a ticket — I had expected at least a word of consolation, which never came,” he said.Acharya, however, dismissed suggestions that his return was merely an outcome of being denied candidature. “It’s not about getting or not getting a ticket. But I am also human — I felt hurt,” he remarked.A veteran of North Bengal politics, Acharya began his career in the Congress, later joining Trinamul during the party’s expansion phase. He was elected from Itahar constituency in both 2011 and 2016. After being dropped from the Trinamul list in 2021, he joined the BJP in the presence of state party president Sukanta Majumdar, though he remained largely inactive in the saffron camp.With his return, Congress leaders hope to revive the party’s organisational base in North Dinajpur, where it once held considerable influence.
