West Bengal polls: Suvendu wants to contest from Nandigram again, open to Bhabanipur if BJP asks
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal's Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said he would prefer to contest the upcoming assembly elections from the Nandigram seat, while not ruling out the possibility of fighting from other constituencies, including Bhabanipur, if directed by his party.
Speaking to reporters, the senior BJP leader said the decision on candidature would rest with the party, but described Nandigram as his first choice.
"In the BJP, there are no individual decisions. This is not a 'pishi-bhaipo' (aunt-nephew) party," he said in an apparent dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of TMC.
"Decisions in the BJP are taken collectively. Even if the party does not field me, that is fine; if it asks me to contest, that is also fine," he said.
However, when asked about his personal preference, Adhikari said he would like to contest again from Nandigram, where he defeated the chief minister in 2021.
"If you ask me, I would say I will contest from Nandigram. But if the BJP leadership asks me to do something else, that will also be followed. Nandigram is my political base and emotional asset," he said.
Asked about the possibility of contesting from Bhabanipur, the constituency represented by the CM, Adhikari reiterated that he would abide by the party’s decision.
His remarks have renewed speculation about whether he might contest from more than one constituency in the upcoming assembly.
The Nandigram seat gained national prominence during the 2021 assembly elections when Adhikari defeated Banerjee in a high-profile contest. Banerjee later returned to the assembly after winning a by-election from Bhabanipur.
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
