WEDNESDAY 05 JUNE 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd Fb/thestatesman 1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR Others 172* BJP 243 30 12 BJP: 12 TMC: 29 Oth: 00 INC: 01 00 07 TMC: 29 SENSEX 72,079.054,389.73 NIFTY 21,884.501,379.40 GOLD 72,870760 ` vs $ 83.24 BJP: 07 AAP:00 Oth: 00 INC: 00 INC: 99* SILVER 94,0001,200 01 19 BJP: 19 Oth:00 36 01 INC: 01 BJD:01 Oth:00 43 00 BJP: 33 SP: 37 BSP:00 Oth: 03 INC: 06 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 76.081.25 Didi still invincible in Bengal In Bengal, the Trinamul Congress got 29 seats, and the BJP 12 seats ~ six less than what they got in the 2019 LS polls ~ while Cong won a single seat Modi has broken many political parties and now the people of the country has broken his backbone MAMATA BANERJEE BENGAL CM Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata. BISWAJIT GHOSHAL STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 4 JUNE he people of Bengal kept their faith in the Trinamul Congress in the general elections whose results were announced on Sunday, thereby dealing a body blow to the BJP-led NDA’s hopes of a strong performance in the state. In the process, combined with the reverses it suffered in states like Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, the BJP has been restricted to around 243 seats, although the NDA alliance has secured a total of around 291 seats, enough to form the government. In Bengal, the Trinamul Congress got 29 seats, and the BJP 12 seats ~ six less than what they got in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections ~ while Con- T gress won a single seat. Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee, speaking in the evening, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should resign owning moral responsibility for the BJP’s and NDA’s losses in the elections. “Modi has broken many political parties and now the people of the country has broken his backbone,” Miss Banerjee said, adding: “This is INDIA’s victory. People has voted against Modi. Bengal was the biggest target. The Union Home ministry had sent ED, CBI and Income Tax to scare our leaders. The leaders upto the level of councillors were called up and threatened. Shah should resign as people have given him a befitting reply,” she said. Among others, Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamul Congress national general secretary won from Diamond Harbour seat by 7.10 lakh votes, the highest every victory in Bengal. Trinamul Congress candidate Sayantika Banerjee won the Assembly by -election seat and defeated her nearest rival, Sajal Ghosh of BJP by more than 8,000 votes. Trinamul Congress candidate Yusuf Pathan, former cricketer, defeated Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury by over 80,000 votes in Behrampur. Behrampur was believed to be Adhir’s fiefdom and he was the leader of opposition in the past Lok Sabha.The lone Congress nominee to win was Mr Isha Khan Chowdhury, who was elected from Maldah South. NDA wins but Opp’s revival unnerves BJP ASHOK TUTEJA NEW DELHI, 4 JUNE Nobody ever thought the race in the Lok Sabha elections would be as tight as it turned out to be. The electorate's message to the BJP is loud and clear: A strong Opposition is essential for the functioning of a vibrant and accountable democracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have won a third term for the BJP and its NDA allies, but the revival of the Congress-led Opposition is the biggest takeaway from the election. It is indeed a healthy sign for the country and its democratic institutions. The election outcome clearly shows that while Mr Modi is still the biggest political figure in the country, the Opposition has successfully made big holes in the BJP's vote bank in key states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. The results also reflect that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has come into his own after years of hard labour and the BJP's relentless campaign against him. A much improved performance by Congress has finally given him legitimacy BJP supporters celebrate in the Capital. SUBRATA DUTTA and put a seal of approval on his leadership of the grand old party. The Congress will also now get the main Opposition status in the House, a privilege the party did not enjoy during the past decade. Another big winner of the elections is Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav whose party proved all political pundits wrong to bag a substantial number of seats in Uttar Pradesh, electorally the most important state in the country. The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, which was projected by the BJP government as one of its main achievements, does not seem to have electorally benefited the saffron outfit. It is now anybody's guess whether UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will continue to enjoy the party leader- BJD’s 24-yr-old fortress crumbles in Odisha STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 4 JUNE The 24-year-old fortress of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, crumbled in the face of a BJP wave sweeping across Odisha. Trends indicate that the saffron party is heading for a majority in the state assem- bly and is poised to sweep the parliamentary seats in the state. Celebrations erupted at the BJP party office, with leaders describing the results as historic and unprecedented.Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with central leaders Bhupender Singh Yadav and Narendra Singh Tomar, rejoiced and distributed sweets. In stark contrast, the BJD party office was deserted, with no leaders available to the media. The BJD, which had not lost an election since 2000, is heading towards a crushing defeat. This debacle dashed Naveen Patnaik's hopes of scripting history by winning a sixth successive term and becoming the longest-serving chief minister in the country. The trends show the BJP leading in 19 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, with the BJD and Congress ahead in one seat each. Naidu to be next Andhra Pradesh CM HYDERABAD, 4 JUNE TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu is all set to be sworn in for the fourth time as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh as the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance decimated theYSRCP in both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections held simultaneously with TDP surpassing the majority mark of 88 on its own. Mr Naidu, who was languishing in jail for 52 days as an accused in the skill development scam case will also be at the helm of national politics after two decades with TDP winning 16 LS seats out of the 17 it contested. Out of a total 25 LS seats YSRCP managed to hold on to 4, BJP won 3 and JSP secured 2. The Congress under YS Sharmila failed to open an account in this election too. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Andhra Pradesh has given exceptional mandate to NDA. I thank the people of the state for their blessings... We will work for the all round progress of AP and ensure the state prospers in the times to come.” The PM and Union home minister Amit Shah also spoke to Mr Naidu after the trends became clear and the Congress too reminded that it has promised special status to AP if it comes to power. Mr Naidu is likely to take oath SNS on 9 June. CMYK Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference in New Delhi WINNERS GANDHINAGAR ship's confidence for long. The BJP will now have to carry its NDA allies along in the day-to-day running of administration since it has not been able to cross the magical mark of 272 on its own, unlike in the 2019 elections when it had won 303 seats. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are wellknown for their mercurial behaviour in politics. The Opposition succeeded in building a narrative that the BJP will amend the Constitution if it attains a two-thirds majority in the House. KANNAUJ AMETHI Amit Shah Akhilesh Yadav KL Sharma LOSERS AMETHI Smriti Irani I express my gratitude to all the BJP party workers and supporters, those who have worked in the service of the constituency and the party with dedication and loyalty BEHARAMPUR Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
The Statesman is one of India's oldest English newspapers. It was founded in Kolkata in 1875 and is directly descended from The Friend of India (founded 1818). The Englishman (founded 1821) was merged with The Statesman in 1934. The Delhi edition of The Statesman began publication in 1931. The Statesman Weekly is a compendium of news and views from the Kolkata and Delhi editions. Printed on airmail paper, it is popular with readers outside India. The Statesman (average weekday circulation approximately 180,000) is a leading English newspaper in West Bengal. The Sunday Statesman has a circulation of 230,000.
