Post-Poll Violence Rocks West Bengal; Suvendu Adhikari’s Aide Shot Dead!

Tension continues to escalate in West Bengal amid widespread post-election violence. In a shocking incident, Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant of senior BJP leader and chief ministerial frontrunner Suvendu Adhikari, was shot dead by unidentified assailants on Wednesday night in Madhyamgram of North 24 Parganas district. Eyewitnesses said the attackers opened fire at close range in the middle of a busy road before fleeing the scene. Rath was rushed to a nearby private hospital with bullet injuries, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. Police teams reached the spot immediately and launched an intensive investigation to identify the accused and determine the motive behind the murder.

Meanwhile, political tensions intensified further in Kolkata after meat shops in New Market were demolished using bulldozers. The Trinamool Congress alleged that BJP workers were behind the vandalism, while the BJP countered that TMC activists carried out the act using party flags to frame them politically. Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand stated that nearly 80 people involved in violent incidents had been arrested so far. Preparations are also underway for the swearing-in ceremony of the new government on May 9, with Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and several NDA leaders expected to attend. Although the next chief minister has not yet been officially announced, Suvendu Adhikari is considered the leading contender. On the other hand, Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of “looting” the elections and announced that her party would move the Supreme Court over the issue.