Election officials at deployment activities for Falta Assembly constituency re-polling, in South 24 Parganas on May 20, 2026.
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari. File
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal has issued an order prohibiting government officials and police from speaking to the media.The circular titled Dissemination of Information by any member of the All India Service, West Bengal Civil Service, West Bengal Police Service and other employees working under the Government of West Bengal directs a complete prohibition “without any government order, on any direct or indirect communication of any document or information with the press by the members of the services”.The government order also directs a complete prohibition on members of the services in indulging in any adverse criticism of any policy or decision of the Central or the State government as well as complete prohibition on any publication, interaction, utterance, publication, broadcast, contribution in any media, which can lead to straining of the relations of the State government with the Central government or any State governments.
Screenshot of the circular prohibiting government officials and police from speaking to the media, shared by Abhishek Banerjee.
| Photo Credit:
X/@abhishekaitc
The government notification dated May 19, comes ten days after the BJP government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in by West Bengal Governor R.N. Ravi. This is the first BJP government in West Bengal which was elected to power on the promise of clean administration and transparent bureaucracy.Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee shared the circular on social media and said, that the phrase ‘complete prohibition’ echoing through this circular like a warning ”not to protect governance, but to enforce silence upon Govt employees across Bengal”.“No speaking to the press. No writing articles. No participating in media programs. No criticism of the Centre or State government. No expression that may strain relations with Delhi. Under@BJP4India‘s remote-controlled governance,” he said."Complete prohibition." The phrase echoes through this circular like a WARNING - not to protect governance, but to ENFORCE SILENCE upon Govt employees across #Bengal. No speaking to the press. No writing articles. No participating in media programs. No criticism of the… pic.twitter.com/nTVWxkuWVX— Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) May 21, 2026The Trinamool leader said that under the BJP rule “silence is now an administrative requirement” and when a government cannot tolerate criticism, it starts crushing dissent.“This shocking circular is not about discipline, it is about curtailing free expression and systematically choking fundamental rights to ensure absolute obedience to the masters sitting in Delhi,” Mr. Banerjee said, describing the development as “strangulation of democracy”. Published - May 21, 2026 03:18 pm IST
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TVK top leader and Minister for Public Works and Sports Development, Aadhav Arjuna on Wednesday, May 20, urged the Congress, VCK and IUML to join the government and said it was the wish of Chief Minister Vijay. Updated
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay at Lok Bhavan during swearing in ceremony of 23 new Ministers on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Youtube/TVK
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is set to expand his 10-member Cabinet. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to 23 new Ministers in Lok Bhavan on Thursday (May 21, 2026).After being out of power for 59 years in Tamil Nadu, the Congress is poised to join the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government headed by CM Vijay on Thursday (May 21, 2026), ushering in a coalition era in the Dravidian State. The party, which won five Assembly seats in the alliance led by the DMK, was the first to rush to Mr. Vijay’s aid as he fell short of the majority mark.Also read: The emerging Rahul Gandhi-Vijay political partnershipThe TVK also invited the VCK and the IUML to join the Cabinet. “We invite VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan to be part of the Council of Ministers. This is the wish of the Chief Minister as well. Similarly, the IUML should also join the Council of Ministers. We have conveyed our invitation to the IUML leaders,” Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna told reporters in Chennai.Follow here for live updates,
T.N. Cabinet expansion: 23 new Ministers join T.N. Cabinet
May 21, 2026 10:28 B. Rajkumar, elected from the Cuddalore Assembly segment, takes oath B. Rajkumar, elected from the Cuddalore Assembly segment, takes oath as Minister. The 46-year-old is involved in real estate and business and holds a diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Muthiah Polytechnic in Chidambaram.-
N. Sai CharanMay 21, 2026 10:21 R.V. Ranjithkumar, elected from the Kancheepuram Assembly constituency, takes oathR.V. Ranjithkumar, elected from the Kancheepuram Assembly constituency, takes oath as Minister in T.N. Cabinet. R.V. Ranjithkumar holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tamil Nadu Open University. The 50-year-old is involved in farming, business and real estate.May 21, 2026 10:19 C. Vijayalakshmi, one of the frontline leaders of TVK, takes oath as MinisterC. Vijayalakshmi, one of the frontline leaders of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, takes oath as Minster. She was elected from the Kumarapalayam Assembly constituency in Namakkal district, defeating AIADMK strongman and former Minister P. Thangamani. Ms. Vijayalakshmi is self-employed and studied up to Class 12.-
N. Sai CharanMay 21, 2026 10:15 S. Kamali, TVK MLA, takes oath as MinisterS. Kamali, hailing from Rasipuram in Namakkal district, S. Kamali won the Avinashi Assembly segment, defeating Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan. Ms. Kamali, a homemaker, holds a Master of Arts degree in English Literature and a Bachelor of Education degree. The 28-year-old is one of the youngest Ministers in Mr. Vijay-led Cabinet. -
N. Sai CharanMay 21, 2026 10:12 A. Srinath takes oath as Minister in T.N. CabinetA long-time friend of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, A. Srinath won the Thoothukudi Assembly segment defeating former DMK Minister P. Geetha Jeevan. The 52-year-old started his film career along with Mr. Vijay in Naalaiya Theerpu in 1992. -
N. Sai CharanMay 21, 2026 10:01 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay arrives at Lok Bhavan Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay arrives at Lok Bhavan to attend the swearing in ceremony of his expanded cabinet.Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to 23 new Ministers. -
The Hindu Bureau.May 21, 2026 09:54 Mallikarjun Kharge approves induction of Congress Legislature Party leader into T.N. CabinetCongress general secretary K.C. Venugopal on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) said party p
Tamil Nadu’s new Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay was one of Tamil cinema’s biggest stars, who had dominated Kollywood for the past nearly 30 years. He made his debut as a lead actor in his father S.A. Chandrasekhar’s Naalaya Theerpu in 1992, after appearing as a child actor in Vetri in 1984. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in 68 films in lead roles, becoming the highest-paid actor in Tamil cinema. His 69th film Jana Nayagan is yet to be released.Tamil Nadu swearing-in ceremony LIVE updatesMr. Vijay, who has been elected from Perambur and Tiruchi East, is entering the Assembly for the first time. In February 2024, he had transformed his fan association-cum-social service organisation – Vijay Makkal Iyakkam – into the political party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. The 51-year-old actor-politician had discontinued his Bachelor of Science course at Loyola College, Chennai, in 1992 to pursue a film career. Apart from acting, he serves as the correspondent of Vijay Vidyashram and managing director and trustee of several trusts.Mr. Vijay’s portfolios include Public, General Administration, Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Forest Service, District Revenue Officers, Police, Home, Special Programme Implementation, Women Welfare, Youth Welfare, Welfare of Children, Aged, Differently Abled Persons, Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply.Here’s the complete profile of the council of ministers of Tamil Nadu and their respective portfolios.N. AnandN. Anand, known as ‘Bussy’ N. Anand, is the general secretary of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and is the second-in-command after party president C. Joseph Vijay. Before taking up a key political role in TVK, he headed Mr. Vijay’s fan club and social service organisation – Vijay Makkal Iyakkam.
Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar greets ‘Bussy’ N. Anand at the swearing-in ceremony in Chennai on May 10, 2026
| Photo Credit:
B. Jothi Ramalingam
Mr. Anand, who has been elected from the T. Nagar Assembly constituency in Chennai, holds the distinction of being elected to legislative bodies in two different States/Union Territories. He was first elected to the Puducherry Legislative Assembly in 2006 from the Bussy constituency, from which he earned his popular sobriquet. He was elected as the nominee of Puducherry Munntra Congress.A native of Puducherry, the 62-year-old leader studied up to Class IX in the Union Territory before entering public life. Over the years, he emerged as the closest associates of Mr. Vijay played a key organisational role candidate selection in TVK.Designated as Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources, he’s in charge of Rural Development, Panchayats and Panchayat Union, Poverty alleviation Programme, Rural Indebtedness and Irrigation, Irrigation Projects including Small Irrigation.K.A. SengottaiyanK.A. Sengottaiyan, one of the senior-most legislators in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, is the chief coordinator of the high-level committee of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. A 10-time MLA, Mr. Sengottaiyan was first elected to the Assembly from Sathyamangalam in 1977 as the AIADMK candidate.
K.A. Sengottaiyan being sworn-in as a Miniser in Tamil Nadu Cabinet by Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Chennai on May 10, 2026
| Photo Credit:
B. Jothi Ramalingam
Barring the elections in 1996 and 2001, the 78-year-old leader won consecutively from the Gobichettipalayam Assembly constituency in Erode district from 1980 onwards. This is the first time he has been elected as a TVK candidate. A prominent AIADMK leader for decades, he also served as the campaign manager of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and was part of her first Cabinet between 1991 and 1996. In 2011, he briefly served again in Ms. Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet before being dropped, and later became the School Education Minister in the Edappadi K. Palaniswami-led government in 2017.Before joining TVK in November 2025, Mr. Sengottaiyan had ma
Election officials at deployment activities for Falta Assembly constituency re-polling, in South 24 Parganas on May 20, 2026. Photo credit: X/ECISVEEP
Voting began on Thursday (May 21, 2026) morning for the re-polling to the Falta Assembly seat in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, amid tight security, officials said.More than 2.36 lakh people, including 1.15 lakh women and nine belonging to the third gender, are eligible to cast their votes across 285 booths in this re-polling, which commenced at 7 a.m,, they said.Polling for the Falta Assembly seat was held in the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections on April 29. After large-scale irregularities were reported, the Election Commission ordered re-polling in the constituency on May 21.A total of six candidates are in the fray, including TMC's Jahangir Khan, who announced he was withdrawing from the race on Tuesday (May 19).Even as Mr. Khan announced pulling out from the contest, his name remained on the EVMs as he couldn't officially withdraw his candidature. Among other candidates are Debangshu Panda of the BJP, CPI(M)'s Sambhu Nath Kurmi, and Congress' Abdur Razzak Molla.A total of 35 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed for the re-polling, with eight personnel, equivalent to one full section, at each booth, the officials said.On April 29, only four personnel, or half a section, had been stationed at each booth, they added.Additionally, 30 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) are on standby to respond swiftly to any disturbance.Political tensions have remained high in the constituency since allegations surfaced from multiple booths that perfume substances and adhesive tapes had been applied to EVMs during the earlier polling.Former Special Observer of the Election Commission, Subrata Gupta, had visited the constituency and conducted a scrutiny, following which evidence of alleged tampering was detected in at least 60 booths.Apart from the alleged EVM manipulation, authorities also found attempts to tamper with footage captured by web cameras installed at several polling stations.Questions were subsequently raised over the role of booth-level officers (BLOs), presiding officers, polling personnel and election observers.The TMC has won the Falta seat since 2001, barring the 2006 Assembly polls, when the CPI(M) had bagged the seat. Published - May 21, 2026 08:18 am IST
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