Kolkata, Feb. 1 -- With months to go for the West Bengal Assembly elections, there was much speculation for weeks about the gains that could accrue to the state from the union Budget placed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha on Sunday.
The Eastern state is set to elect a new government before mid-May, and Sitharaman's BJP is likely to be the principal challenger to the ruling Trinamool Congress led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
At 11 am, Sitharaman presented her budget, placing strong emphasis on transport connectivity and logistics, and announcing a series of large-scale rail, freight and inland waterways projects, some of which, if implemented, could have a bearing on the state's economy.
Sitharaman proposed a...