VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html ‘Biggest anti-national of country’: CJP calls for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over SIR row Bengal BJP spending on polls NEW DELHI: The BJP spent Rs 286.99 crore on the West Bengal elections alone, more than the Rs 248.55 crore the Congress spent across five states and a Union territory that went to polls earlier this year, according to expenditure statements filed with the Election Commission.West Bengal accounted for more than half of the BJP’s total expenditure of Rs 529.38 crore across the five elections — in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.The BJP spent Rs 217.16 crore on general campaigning in Bengal and another Rs 69.83 crore on candidates and related expenses, news agency PTI reported.The party came to power in West Bengal for the first time, winning 207 of the 293 seats for which results were declared.BJP’s Bengal spending outpaces Congress’ five-state totalThe Congress, which contested 293 seats independently in Bengal despite having a limited presence in the state, won two seats. It reported spending Rs 42.08 crore in Bengal through its central headquarters and state unit.Of this, Rs 12.96 crore was spent on general campaigning, while Rs 29.12 crore went towards candidates and related expenses.The CPI(M), which ruled Bengal for decades before losing power in 2011, contested 197 seats and won one. Its state unit reported expenditure of Rs 8.23 crore, including spending on candidates.The expenditure statement of the Trinamool Congress, the BJP’s principal rival in Bengal, has not been made public yet.Congress spent more than BJP in KeralaKerala presented a different spending pattern. The Congress-led alliance displaced the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front, with the Congress winning 63 seats and the CPI(M) 26. The BJP won three seats.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe Congress spent Rs 105.34 crore in Kerala through its headquarters and state unit, higher than the BJP’s Rs 82.67 crore.Of the Congress’ expenditure, Rs 71.30 crore went towards general campaigning and Rs 34.05 crore towards candidates and related expenses.The BJP reported spending Rs 54.93 crore on general campaigning in Kerala and Rs 27.74 crore on candidates.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorPriyanka JaiswalPriyanka Jaiswal has four years of experience in digital journalism, news agency reporting and video production. Currently with The Times of India, she covers public policy, politics and global affairs. She is particularly drawn to human-interest stories that put people at the heart of an issue, spark awareness , and contribute to meaningful conversations.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSahil Wakode Death Case: CCTV Footage Surfaces; IIT Bombay Sets Up 10-Member Probe Panel’Illegal’ Changes to IT System Row: Timeline of Sandhu & Joshi’s Objections Over Form 6, ECINet, SIRVivek Joshi & SS Sandhu: The 2 Election Commissioners Who ‘Raised Objections’ Over SIR, Form-6CJP Takes On Election Commission After Report; Will This Lead To Next Jantar Mantar? | WatchCEC, ECs And The Power To Decide: What Happens When Election Commissioners Disagree?ECI’s ERONET Controversy: Voter Database Row, Software Errors & 17.6 Million Notices Raise QuestionsJaishankar Meets Rubio At UNGA, Raises India’s Concerns Over Trump’s Russia Sanctions Bill ImpactBJP Defends Election Commission Over SIR Row, Challenges Opposition To Impeach CEC In Parliament’This Is a Scandalous Story’: Opposition Attacks Gyanesh Kumar After Report Claims ECI DissentSIR, Form 6, Voter Rolls: EC Responds After Report Flags Objections By 2 Election Commissioners123Hot PicksIBPS PO Prelims Result 2026Bank strikeSpaceXGold Rate TodayOctober 2026 School HolidaysSchool holiday todaySamastipur girl molestationTelangana school holidayMumbai-Pune ExpresswayCBSE Date SheetTop TrendingAsian Games Medal TallyRahul GandhiPowerball JackpotDelhi Hit and RunUP EncounterDonald TrumpPM ModiNaomi OsakaJoe ThomasSupreme Court Ayushmann Khurrana reacts to ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ chant as a Pakistani spy in ‘Udta Teer’ at trailer launch event: ‘Whatever the script demands from me, I do’ More than 167,000 pounds of beef, pork and goat meat recalled across the US after federal officials found meat was produced without inspection and carried a false USDA inspection mark Scientists warmed a Colorado grassland for 29 years, but shrubs increased 150% while grasses and wildflowers fell 28% Delhi’s park, street, shop: Nowhere felt safe for these girls 
Mark Zuckerberg’s wife Priscilla Chan’s housing philanthropy helped finance 4,400 homes and protect 73,000 tenants in 5 years | World News Stock market crash today: Sensex tanks over 1,200 points, Nifty goes below 23,100 – top reasons for fall ‘The Paradise’ box office collection Day 1 [LIVE]: Nani, Raghav Juyal and Kayadu Lohar starrer action drama opens with Rs 12.55 crore India net amid mixed audience reactions Early Airport Arrival: Psychology says people who arrive three hours early at the airport are not just ‘early birds’, there is a surprising childhood reason behind it ‘Die then, we won’t stop’: Passengers begged driver to pull over before Noida bus caught fire; 9 dead California shoppers with disabilities say mall skincare stores pressured them into spending thousands; one man says he spent more than $50,000, and a congressman is now seeking state scrutiny Motivational quote of the day by Salma Hayek: ‘Nothing better in life than being a late bloomer…success can happen at any time and at any age,’ an inspiring life lesson explaining it’s never too late to achieve your dreams Psychology says panic-cleaning before parents visit may reveal more than a messy home: Why adults worry about judgement and family expectations Kristin Cavallari bought a secluded 130-acre Tennessee estate in 2024 and spent two years reshaping it, turning a barn into an indoor basketball court and a guesthouse into her podcast studio Rikishi had spent everything on his new Florida home when Yokozuna gave him a blank cheque to fix its broken heating system | World News South Africa 8/1 in 3.5 Overs Parineeti Chopra praises Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif for challenging motherhood stereotypes in Bollywood: ‘Nothing else that happens in my life impacts my career, so why should having a baby?’ Prince Harry left speechless during AI talk as teleprompter suddenly stops working Anant Chaturdashi Vrat 2026 Do & Don’ts: Fasting Rituals, Sacred Foods & How to Break Vrat ‘If pardoned for one murder, I’d shoot Gyanesh’: VIP chief targets CEC over SIR row An Alabama couple bought 21 acres in Jackson Hole in the 1990s; decades later, their family retreat is asking $40 million | World News HOSPEX enters its sixth edition as Kerala’s healthcare ecosystem evolves | India News Updated: Sep 24, 2026, 13:19 IST Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to replace Tilak Varma or Shivam Dube in ‘six months’, predicts ex-India cricketer In 1995, Johnny Depp bought 41 acres of land in Kentucky and sold it after a few years; in 2005, he repurchased it for his mother and, a decade later, listed it again at a much lower price Rome’s iconic Colosseum shuts unexpectedly after worker, 22, falls to his death Engineers dredged 500,000 cubic yards of sand from the Mississippi River and used it to build seven islands; six years later, the $25 million McGregor Lake project has restored 270 acres of aquatic habitat and protected 22 acres of wetlands In 2023, Jeff Bezos’ Earth Fund pledged $100 million for Pacific conservation; three years later, a new $25 million round is backing five nations to protect and manage 625,000 square miles of ocean How China helped arm Iran before Trump rolled out the red carpet for Xi 3-day bank strike from September 28: Centre government employees to get salary in advance on September 25; banks to open this Sunday, advisory issued to customers Medha Shankr spotted stepping out of rumoured boyfriend Samay Raina’s Rs 1.3 crore car, reacts to paps – Watch Psychology says children who don’t tell parents when they have been left out by friends may fear what happens after they tell them Rear right wheel of Sita aircraft detached during touchdown at Nepal’s Juphal Airport- watch Anushka Sharma joins Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift on list of most-followed WAGs in sports Nostalgic Foods 80S: 5 nostalgic foods that cost less than ₹5 in the 80s and made an ordinary school day feel like a special treat ‘Inappropriate to ask’: Years before Sahil Wakode’s death, IIT-Bombay professor warned students against caste discrimination NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission to decide at the earliest which of the two rival factions of the All India Trinamool Congress will get the party’s name and symbol.Hearing a plea filed by Mamata Banerjee, the top court asked the poll panel to inform it by Monday when it expected to take a final decision on the dispute.The Supreme Court also referred to the Shiv Sena factional dispute and said the row between the two AITC factions should be decided expeditiously.The development comes days after the Election Commission temporarily allotted Mamata Banerjee’s faction the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the “football player” symbol.The rival faction was allotted the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “envelope” symbol.Earlier, in an interim order, the poll panel froze the All India Trinamool Congress name and its “flowers and grass” symbol after recognising a factional dispute within the party. Neither faction can use the original name or symbol until the dispute is finally settled.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe temporary arrangement will apply to the upcoming bypolls, with candidates of the two factions contesting under the separate names and symbols allotted by the Commission.The Election Commission has been hearing competing claims over control of the party, its name and election symbol. Both sides have submitted documents and appeared before the Commission during the proceedings.The dispute reached the poll panel after rival groups staked claims to control the TMC. The commission subsequently sought submissions on issues including organisational control, authorised office-bearers, party assets, the party name and its election symbol.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSahil Wakode Death Case: CCTV Footage Surfaces; IIT Bombay Sets Up 10-Member Probe Panel’Illegal’ Changes to IT System Row: Timeline of Sandhu & Joshi’s Objections Over Form 6, ECINet, SIRVivek Joshi & SS Sandhu: The 2 Election Commissioners Who ‘Raised Objections’ Over SIR, Form-6CJP Takes On Election Commission After Report; Will This Lead To Next Jantar Mantar? | WatchCEC, ECs And The Power To Decide: What Happens When Election Commissioners Disagree?ECI’s ERONET Controversy: Voter Database Row, Software Errors & 17.6 Million Notices Raise QuestionsJaishankar Meets Rubio At UNGA, Raises India’s Concerns Over Trump’s Russia Sanctions Bill ImpactBJP Defends Election Commission Over SIR Row, Challenges Opposition To Impeach CEC In Parliament’This Is a Scandalous Story’: Opposition Attacks Gyanesh Kumar After Report Claims ECI DissentSIR, Form 6, Voter Rolls: EC Responds After Report Flags Objections By 2 Election Commissioners123Hot PicksIBPS PO Prelims Result 2026NSE IPOSpaceXGold Rate TodayOctober 2026 School HolidaysSchool holiday todaySamastipur girl molestationUPI transactionsMumbai-Pune ExpresswayCBSE Date SheetTop TrendingAsian Games Medal TallyRahul GandhiPowerball JackpotDelhi Hit and RunUP EncounterDonald TrumpPM ModiNaomi OsakaJoe ThomasSupreme Court Sep 24, 2026, 12:32 IST ‘Hanuman Ansh’ box office collection Day 49 [LIVE]: Vishal Chaturvedi and Shobhinaw Satyaa’s spiritual biopic on Neem Kaorli Baba sustains momentum, eyes Rs 290 crore India net “AI is real guys…”: UK-based Indian tech professional says he was laid off after 15 years in IT; ‘Years of experience gone… just like that” New SR-71? What we know about Nasa’s mystery X-plane built to fly higher, faster than ever New Jersey inspectors found 62 large natural-gas generators running without required permits at a massive AI data center; the state has now imposed a record $1.07 million penalty Updated: Sep 24, 2026, 12:09 IST ‘You cannot go there half-cooked’: Gautam Gambhir’s message for Hardik Pandya ahead of 2027 WC NSE sees tepid debut; exchange becomes ninth most valued listed company in India at Rs 4.63 lakh crore Mammootty returns to Kochi after fourth National Film Award; dedicates honour to Malayalam cinema; says, ‘ It was a new experience’ Quote of the day: “Love cures people, both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.” – Karl Menninger; why the love we give can be just as healing as the love we receive | Tamil Nadu Pocso case: Businessman Veeramani, aide arrested; what we know so far Australian homeowner blamed six neighbouring trees for damage to her 130-year-old heritage home and sought $23,650.86 for repairs; NSW court rejected the claim after finding no proven link to the trees