FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | SPORTS WORLD White House believes it’s moving closer to initial agreement with Iran EDITORIAL Reel to rule NATION Nishant Kumar may join Bihar Cabinet, JD-U eyes 16 berths Page 9 Page 6 BRIEFLY India retains sporting ban on Pakistan: Shah to meet BJP MLAs-elect in Kolkata, decide on Bengal CM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 6 May New Delhi: The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has decided to continue its existing policy on sporting ties with Pakistan, retaining a complete ban on bilateral engagements between the two countries. However, the exemption for multi-nation competitions such as ICC events, the Olympics and the Asian Games will remain in place. In an official circular sent to National Sports Federations, the Indian Olympic Association, the Sports Authority of India, as well as the Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs, the government said: “Insofar as bilateral sports events in each other’s country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India.” Page 12 U so far refrained from officially announcing anyone’s name as Chief Minister. However, preparations are already underway for the swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Minister, scheduled to be held at the Brigade Parade Ground on 9 May at 10 a.m. Senior BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya on Wednesday visited Nabanna, the state secretariat, to hold discussions with Chief Secretary Dushmant Nariala regarding arrangements for the ceremony. Sources said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Shah, and several chief ministers from different states are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony. While the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, who has twice now beaten Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee in electoral contests, has emerged as the frontrunner for the Chief Minister’s post, other names doing the rounds are those of Mr Bhattacharya, Arsenal reach its first UCL final in 20 years as Saka’s goal seals win over Atletico Madrid Page 12 Page 5 nion Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to reach Kolkata on Thursday to chair a crucial meeting of the newly elected BJP legislators, aimed at selecting the party's legislature leader that will effectively determine who becomes the state’s next Chief Minister. Following the party’s sweeping victory in the Assembly elections, the BJP central leadership appointed Mr Shah as observer for the selection process, with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi named as co-observer. The BJP on Monday stormed to power in West Bengal, securing 207 seats in the two-phase elections held in April, decisively dislodging the Trinamul Congress from its long-held stronghold. Despite mounting speculation, the BJP leadership has Thursday, 07 May 2026 the state party chief, Utpal Brahmacharo, who won from Kaliaganj, and veteran BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters before entering Nabanna, Mr Bhattacharya reiterated the party’s firm stance against post-poll violence. “Violence will not be tolerated under any circumstances. If anyone uses the BJP flag to attack members of the Trinamul Congress, the party will not take responsibility at this moment, as we have not yet assumed power,” he said. He further alleged that the incidents being reported as post-poll violence were, in reality, internal conflicts within the Trinamul Congress. “What is being projected as political violence is essentially Trinamul versus Trinamul”. He claimed that BJP workers had been victims of violence even after the electoral outcome and warned of strict action against any leader found inciting unrest. Cong breaks ranks with DMK, decides to support Vijay govt Vijay’s coronation as CM on hold as Governor Arlekar yet to extend invite: Chennai, 6 May Chennai: The coronation of Vijay as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu expected for Thursday (7 May 2026), hangs in the balance with state Governor R V Arlekar making it clear that he can extend the invitation to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government only after getting the letter of support for the requisite number of legislators. With doubts lingering over the invitation from the Lok Bhavan, the swearing in of ‘Vijay Sarkar’ could be postponed in all likelihood. Page 8 Breaking ranks with the DMK, the Congress on Wednesday announced its decision to support Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay to form a secular government, which has predictably enraged its former ally with the Dravidian major slamming it as an act of ‘betrayal and backstabbing’. With the election results throwing up a hung Assembly, the Congress, with 5 legislators, is the first party to extend support to the TVK, which has emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member House. The speed and alacrity with which the national party has acted signals the teaming up of Vijay with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. “The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has decided to extend its full support to the TVK to form the government. Our support shall be conditional upon the TVK keeping out of this alliance any communal forces that do not believe in the Constitution of India,” AICC in-charge of Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar announ- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE ced in a statement, adding that this followed a formal request from Vijay to the Congress leadership. Explaining that the people of Tamil Nadu, especially youth, have delivered a very clear and overwhelming verdict for a secular, progressive and welfarist government, the statement said: “It is our constitutional duty to respect, uphold and help fulfil this mandate.” This marks the end of the more than a decade-long alliance with the DMK, which also puts the future of the INDIA bloc in to question. India, Vietnam upgrade ties to ‘enhanced Congress observers to meet new comprehensive strategic partnership’ MLAs amid leadership race in Kerala STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 6 May India and Vietnam on Wednesday agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to an “Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President To Lam unveiled an expansive roadmap covering trade, technology, defence, and cultural cooperation following delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House. Addressing a joint press meet, Mr Modi highlighted that the India-Vietnam partnership draws strength equally from “heritage and development,” pointing to deep-rooted civilisational links alongside growing strategic and economic engagement. He cited the recent exhibition SUBRATA DUTTA of Buddhist relics in Vietnam, which drew more than 15 million visitors ~ nearly 15 per cent of the country’s population ~ as a reflection of enduring spiritual ties between the two nations. Emphasising cultural preservation, Mr Modi announced that India is undertaking restoration work at temples of the ancient Champa civilisation, including My Son Sanctuary and Nhan Tower, and will expand efforts to digitise ancient manuscripts. He noted that President Lam’s decision to begin his India visit from Bodh Gaya symbolised the deep spiritual connection shared by the two countries. Calling the elevation of ties a “natural progression,” Mr Modi said the partnership would now expand across key sectors including connectivity, capacity building, sustainability, security, and supply chain resilience. Economic cooperation featured prominently in the discussions, with bilateral trade having doubled over the past decade to reach $16 billion. Both sides have now set a target of $25 billion by 2030, supported by measures to ease market access and strengthen sectoral collaboration. The Prime Minister also announced a memorandum of understanding between drug regulatory authorities to improve access to Indian medicines in Vietnam, alongside steps to facilitate smoother exports of agricultural, fisheries, and animal products. Both nations agreed to update the India-ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement by year-end to boost trade and investment flows, while expanding cooperation in critical minerals, rare earths, and energy to enhance economic security. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Thiruvananthapuram, 6 May After the resounding victory in the Kerala Assembly polls, lobbying for the Chief Minister's post is getting stronger in the Congress in Kerala, with three distinct factions aggressively staking their claim. With no chief ministerial face named during the campaign, three heavyweight leaders in the party are actively lobbying for the top post. AICC general secretary KC Venugopal (photo), Opposition leader in the outgoing assembly VD Satheesan, and former KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala are the top contenders for the Chief Minister’s post. While the KC Venugopal camp is asserting its right to the top office, claiming the backing of a majority of newly elected Congress MLAs, supporters of VD Satheesan argue he should lead the government, pointing to his strong performance and widespread popularity as the Opposition leader in the outgoing Assembly, veteran leader Ramesh Chennithala’s camp is seeking the position based on his extensive experience and seniority within the party ranks. In a bid to assess the views of the newly elected repre- sentatives, the high command has deputed senior leaders Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken as observers. They are expected to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow and will hold consultations with party MLAs at a scheduled meeting on Thursday. It has been reported that KPCC working president A P Anilkumar and Muvattupuzha MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan proposed Mr Venugopal’s name to the high command. Sources said of the 63 newly elected Congress MLAs, KC Venugopal has the support of 47. While Satheesan has the backing of 10, Ramesh Chennithala has the support of six. The VD Satheesan camp is trying to bring the MLAs who are Amit Shah: The strategist who redrew Bengal’s electoral map JAYANTA ROY CHOUDHURY New Delhi, 6 May On 4 May, when the BJP finally managed to paint Bengal in saffron, the party's stunning victory came wrapped in the quiet efficiency of a plan executed almost exactly as designed. An occurrence rare in Indian politics and rarer in the eastern state which historically has defied all pan-India trends and gone its own way, much to the consternation of leaders from Delhi. At the centre of that plan stood Amit Shah, whose imprint on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 2026 breakthrough was at once methodical and deeply personal in style and outcomes. “He worked with consistency, built up a core team, oversaw the structure which would deliver us results and kept interacting with us at the ground level to make changes wherever necessary,” said a top Kolkata-based BJP functionary, who had a ringside view of how the plan unfolded over the last several months. Since the heydays of the Hindu Mahasabha when Syama Prasad Mookerjee fought elections from Bengal, the right-wing organisation’s ambitions in Bengal had been thwarted by the state’s stubborn political culture. First, the Left-of-Centre Congress, then the Marxists and finally the Left democrats in the Trinamul Congress under Mamata Banerjee appeared to have entranced the populace with a blend of welfare politics, regional pride and wily organisational agility. However, what Mr Shah recognised, and acted upon, was that the BJP’s earlier approach, reliant on defectors and headlinegrabbing momentum, had reached its limits. He also recognised that local cultural sensibilities had to be worked into the plan to make it yield dividend. The recalibration began not in Kolkata but in Delhi, in a series of strategy sessions that resembled corporate briefings more than political conclaves. BJP leaders made their way to households to eat ‘mach-bhaat’, to woo the ‘mache-bhaate’ Bengali populace and break the oft repeated myth that the party was against non-vegetarianism. Constituencies were broken down into data points; voting histories were parsed with forensic attention. Mr Shah’s team mapped each seat with an almost technocratic precision, identifying not only winnability but the micro-issues that could tilt outcomes, a factory closure here, a law-and-order grievance there, an undercurrent of discontent among government employees. Key lieutenants who included Bhupender Yadav were deployed with defined mandates, overseeing the electoral machinery. More Bengali-speaking leaders and workers from Tripura, Assam and elsewhere were press-ganged to reinforce coordination on the ground. Their roles, however, were tightly choreographed within a command structure that remained firmly centralised. Late into the night, reviews were conducted, feedback loops tightened, and adjustments made. The campaign was run less like a mass movement than a disciplined corporate blitzkrieg. Call centres with Bengali speaking workers were set up in Delhi to launch massive social media messaging campaigns. Yet data alone does not win elections in Bengal, where politics is as much about symbolism as it is about arithmetic. Shah’s campaign therefore extended beyond spreadsheets into the realm of cultural signalling. “His visits to Gangasagar and the Kapil Muni Ashram in April were not incidental. They were calibrated gestures, aimed at embedding the BJP within the state’s cultural landscape rather than presenting it as an external force,” BJP insiders pointed out. On the ground, the shift was equally pronounced. Party workers were instructed to build from the booth upwards, emphasising local leadership rather than parachuting in high-profile leaders from outside. “The issues our workers foregrounded were carefully chosen ~ ranging from concerns over women’s safety, anxieties about industrial stagnation, to a growing fatigue with the corruption visible in the state and party administration under the incumbent government,” a party official said. Amit Shah himself became a constant presence, traversing districts with a relentlessness that blurred the line between strategist and campaigner. Rallies and roadshows were not merely displays of strength but instruments of calibration, each appearance feeding back into the campaign’s central nervous system. Promises were sharpened accordingly from the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission for state employees to a hard line on law and order with a freer hand to the police. For the politically important Matua community who were hit by the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, camps were set up to ensure they would either be enrolled for the next round of polls or be given citizenship certificates. The hard work paid off with BJP managing to win a resounding 207 seats in a 293-member Assembly, marking the end of a 15-year rule that once seemed unassailable. Politically, it seemed to prove BJP’s theory that even the Bengali electorate, often seen as uniquely resistant to national currents, could be persuaded by a campaign that spoke simultaneously to local grievances and broader national narratives. The question that arises from this victory is can this model be sustained, or will it too go through transformation as BJP learns to govern the ‘obstinate state’? After all, Bengal does have a habit of reshaping those who seek to govern it. However, as of now, it is Amit Shah who can be credited for reshaping Bengal’s political map, not with a sudden magician’s flourish, but with the steady hand of a strategist who chose calculated moves over high-stakes gambles. with KC Venugopal and Mr Chennithala over to their side. In this connection, some Congress leaders are of the view that elevating Mr Venugopal over Mr Satheesan risks creating a severe disconnect between the high command and the party's cadre. Because grassroots workers view Mr Satheesan as the primary architect of the UDF’s victory, bypassing him could undermine local party morale and disrupt the administrative momentum of the new government. However, Mr Venugopal’s organisational experience, backing of the majority of the newly elected MLAs and proximity to the national leadership give him a clear edge, as of now.