Latest news with #SunilBansal
News18
16 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
'Challenges In Minority Areas': Bengal SIR Exercise Tests BJP's Organisational Reach
Party insiders say that in several blocks, the BJP's organisation is either too weak or completely absent, hindering its ability to supply adequate manpower to the poll body. In Bihar, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was smoothly conducted, largely thanks to the combined organisational strength of the BJP and JD(U). The BJP-JD(U) alliance managed to provide the Election Commission with the necessary Booth Level Agents (BLAs), resulting in the EC having 1.5 lakh BLAs on the ground, not only from the ruling alliance but also from opposition parties like RJD. These BLAs, representing various political parties, assist booth level officers (BLO) in tasks such as the distribution and collection of enumeration forms and guiding voters. However, the situation in Bengal is proving to be more challenging for the BJP. While BLA-1s have been earmarked, sources reveal that the BJP has only managed to allocate around 43,000 BLA-2s so far, which is significantly below the required number. Party insiders acknowledge that in several blocks, the BJP's organisation is either too weak or completely absent, hindering its ability to supply adequate manpower to the poll body. This gap highlights the structural challenges the party faces in Bengal, despite publicly projecting confidence about the upcoming SIR exercise – a crucial step according to its national leadership for a fair Bengal assembly election. Although BJP sources are optimistic about appointing approximately 70,000 BLA-2s in the state, this would require forcing BJP's booth presidents – a vital electoral position during elections – to participate in the SIR. The BJP is concerned that this could overwhelm their booth presidents with too many responsibilities. This reality check comes after Sunil Bansal, BJP's National General Secretary and West Bengal In-charge, urged the party to use its network of Booth Level Agents to monitor BLOs, who are mostly state government employees. Bansal made this recommendation while addressing BJP leadership at the National Library recently. The Bengal BJP claims to have dedicated teams responsible for nominating BLAs. Keya Ghosh, Bengal BJP's media Co-Incharge, stated, 'We are aware of the crooked means of the ruling party, and that is why our teams are there to ensure the safety of our cadres who will be working as BLAs." However, when asked about the mismatch between the demand and supply ratio of BLAs, which was not an issue in the recent SIR exercise in Bihar, Ghosh responded, 'We face problems in certain minority-dominated areas. For instance, ED officials were not spared when they attempted to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan in Sandeshkhali. Imagine trying to run an organisation and grow in areas where even ED officials aren't safe." The Election Commission of India (ECI) had earlier initiated the Bengal SIR process by instructing the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal to prepare the list of booth level agents (BLA) as soon as possible. ECI Under Secretary Sanjay Kumar emphasised the importance of active participation by political parties and their BLAs in the SIR activities in his communication to Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal. In a recent development, Subhasish Chakraborty, a former Trinamool Congress MP, challenged the Election Commission's decision to seek information on Booth Level Agents nearly a year before the West Bengal Assembly elections. His counsel has sought an urgent hearing in the Calcutta High Court regarding this matter. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Why the BJP chose a soccer solution to its Bangla conundrum
In the midst of a sustained barrage from the Trinamool Congress over alleged targeting of Bengali speakers in BJP-ruled states—cases of individuals harassed for speaking their mother tongue or instances such as the Delhi Police reportedly referring to Bengali as the 'Bangladeshi language'—the state BJP appears to be crafting a counter narrative of its own. The party has decided to take the game, quite literally, to the playing field, and turned its eyes on the most celebrated sport in Bengal—and of the set in motion, the plan is to organise a state-wide football tournament not under the BJP's own banner, but bearing a name loaded with both cultural and symbolic resonance: the Narendra Cup. On August 14, senior BJP leaders in West Bengal met to fine-tune the concept, which party sources say was the brainchild of Sunil Bansal, the BJP's central minder for the state. The presence of All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey—also a BJP leader—at the meeting underscored the seriousness of the project. Chaubey has been brought in to provide technical expertise—from ensuring the matches are conducted according to official rules, to using his expertise for arranging medical support at the venues, booking playing fields and recruiting qualified target is to engage 20,000 young men in the age group of 18 to 35 for the tournament,' a source explains. While the blueprint is still being finalised, the emerging idea is that each mandal—a basic organisational unit in the BJP's structure—will be represented by one team. The party has 1,344 mandals across event is likely to kick off on September 11, a date chosen to coincide with the anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's celebrated 1893 address at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Naming the tournament after Vivekananda, born Narendranath Datta, is not just a nod to Bengal's spiritual heritage but also a political statement that ties the BJP's youth outreach directly to the prime minister as well. 'It cannot be mistaken that the use of the name Narendra has political connotations as well,' the source party's youth wing and state general secretary Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato has been entrusted with drawing up the road map. 'We are working on the details,' Mahato says tersely when asked about the event, declining to disclose more. The insistence on keeping the BJP's name off the banners and publicity materials is strategic, designed to project the tournament as a non-political celebration of sport and culture. In fact, it has been directed that the players are chosen based solely on their talent without seeing any partisan colour. Yet, in Bengal's charged political climate, few are likely to be in doubt about the tournament's origins or intent.'The BJP's 'Narendra Cup'! It's a nice trick,' says Krishanu Mitra, a Trinamool spokesperson. 'Bengal says Swami Vivekananda, the BJP hears Narendra Modi. Next they'll rename the Ganga as 'NaMo Ganga' and claim they're honouring Maa Ganga. Stop insulting Swamiji by confusing a monk who served humanity with a politician who serves his PR.'The choice of football as the vehicle for this outreach is telling. Bengal's passion for the sport runs deep, cutting across political, social and economic lines. Just recently, supporters of the state's two most storied clubs—East Bengal and Mohun Bagan—used high-profile Durand Cup fixtures to stage visual protests against alleged atrocities targeting Bengalis, unveiling large-scale tifos that doubled as political statements. Against that backdrop, the Narendra Cup becomes more than just a grassroots sports tournament—it is a cultural counterstrike, trying to position the BJP as a defender of Bengali identity, not merely by rhetoric but on the emotional terrain of the football invoking Vivekananda's name, mobilising thousands of young men and embedding the event in the very calendar of Bengal's public memory, the BJP is seeking to reclaim the conversation on Bengali pride from the Trinamool's framing. Whether the Narendra Cup will score politically is an open question, but it is clear that the party is betting on sport as both spectacle and symbol, hoping the roar from the stands will echo far beyond the to India Today Magazine- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
26-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Enforcement agencies initiate action to nab accused in HSVP scam who fled to Canada
Chandigarh: In yet another attempt to apprehend more key players in the Rs 68 crore funds diversion scam of HSVP, the enforcement agencies, namely the Haryana Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (HVACB) and the Directorate of Enforcement, have initiated proceedings against a former manager of a nationalised bank and a businessman from Panchkula. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While the anti-corruption bureau has initiated proceedings for the issuance of a lookout circular against Kulvir Singh and the businessman Sanjeev Bindal, the ED has simultaneously moved the special PMLA court for the issuance of open-ended non-bailable warrants against the accused. Sources informed that the move against the two accused comes after it was established that they escaped to Canada after the registration of the case by the Haryana police last year. According to information, Sanjeev Bindal and Kulveer Singh facilitated the main accused, the former senior accounts officer (SAO) of HSVP, Sunil Bansal, and Ram Niwas Surjakhera, the former MLA, and opened a secret bank account in the Manimajra branch of Punjab National Bank to transfer the amount of Rs 69 crore. From there, the funds were transferred into personal accounts maintained in various branches of a private bank, and the accused are believed to have withdrawn cash from there to procure their assets. "We are working in close coordination with the ED to ensure that each and every penny of govt funds is recovered and those involved are punished by the law of the land. We are in the advanced stage of the LOC process," said a senior official supervising the investigations in HVACB. In a related development, the PMLA court has also fixed Tuesday as the next date of hearing in an application moved by the defence counsel engaged by accused Sanjeev Bindal after the federal agency moved the application for open-ended warrants against him as well as Kulvir Singh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In another related development, the ACB has prepared a list of properties amassed and procured by Sunil Bansal, the main accused in the scam. The properties include residential bungalows in Panchkula, commercial space in the industrial area of Derabassi, and nearly a dozen residential flats in a newly carved-out multi-storey housing project in Derabassi. The cause of action dates back to March 2023 when the bureau registered the case into the alleged scam. Consequently, the ED also registered the enforcement complaint information report (ECIR) and arrested Sunil Bansal and Ram Niwas Surjakhera. Following this, the two agencies made six to eight more arrests.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Time of India
Haryana vigilance arrests 7 more in HSVP multi-crore funds diversion case
1 2 3 Chandigarh: The Haryana state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau arrested seven more persons, including residents of New Delhi and NCR, for using the diverted funds in the multi-crore funds diversion scam of HSVP involving a former MLA and a former senior accounts officer. With this, the total number of persons, including former MLA Ram Niwas and former SAO Sunil Bansal, arrested in the case has risen to 12. Those arrested on Monday include Naveen, a resident of Shekhpura village, Ganaur, Sonipat; Ramkesh, a resident of Sabhapur, Sonia Vihar, New Delhi; Surendra Kumar, a resident of Sonia Vihar, Delhi; Harkesh Sharma, a resident of Sonipat; Bharat Kumar, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh; Harish Kumar, a resident of Sonia Vihar; and Naresh, a resident of New Delhi. The Panchkula court ordered custody for them. During the investigation, it was found that Rs 38,62,400 was transferred to Naveen's bank account, Rs 42,40,900 to Ramkesh's bank account, Rs 42,40,900 to Surendra Kumar's bank account, Rs 1,52,31,800 to Harkesh Sharma's bank account, Rs 41,43,200 to Bharat Kumar's bank account, Rs 41,43,200 to Harish Kumar's bank account, and Rs 41,43,200 to Naresh's bank account from a fraudulently opened account at Punjab National Bank , Manimajra, Chandigarh, in 2018. In this case, the accused Vijay Kumar, Manoj Kumar Singla, Sunil Garg, Yash Bindal (private individuals), and Sunil Bansal, senior accounts officer, HSVP, were already arrested. Sunil Bansal closed the fraudulently opened account a day before his retirement on Feb 27, 2019, with the intention of embezzling govt funds. In this regard, a case was registered on March 7, 2023, under sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120B of the Indian Penal Code at Sector 7 police station, Panchkula. In another incident, the Karnal unit of HSACB arrested Inderjit Singh, reader of tehsildar Israna of district Panipat, while accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 for helping the complainant to get relief in a case of family partition pending in the tehsildar court. According to information, the accused reader struck a deal for Rs 50,000, out of which Rs 25,000 was to be paid in advance and the rest amount was to be paid after the verdict of the revenue court. Meanwhile, the complainant approached the ACB. A trap was laid, and Inderjit was caught red-handed. He shall be produced in the court in Panipat on Wednesday.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Hyderabad BJP Madhavi Latha in spotlight as MLA Raja Singh quits
HYDERABAD: Following the acceptance of the resignation of Goshamahal MLA from the party, the central leadership is likely to forward it to the speaker. According to well-placed sources, the BJP considers Singh no longer associated with the party and intends to request the speaker to take appropriate action. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Notably, the name of BJP candidate , who had unsuccessfully contested the Hyderabad Parliamentary seat, is currently being mentioned as a potential contender in the event of a by-election in Goshamahal. As per procedure, Singh himself must submit the resignation acceptance letter to the speaker of the legislative assembly. So far, Singh has resigned only from the party, not from the assembly, and the letter has not yet been submitted to the speaker. The conduct of a by-election now hinges on two key factors: when the resignation letter is formally submitted to the speaker, and what decision the speaker makes after reviewing it. Under Article 190(3)(b) of the Constitution, an elected legislator may resign from his or her seat by submitting a written resignation to the speaker (or chairman, in the case of the legislative council). The seat is deemed officially vacant only once the speaker accepts resignation. Sources within the BJP have indicated that party affairs in-charge, Sunil Bansal, will be in Hyderabad on Monday, for brainstorming. Meanwhile, there is speculation within the party that Madhavi Latha may be chosen to replace Raja Singh as the BJP candidate.
