As trade unions tried to enforce a nationwide strike -- Bharat Bandh -- on Friday, Sep. 2, in demand of a hike in minimum wage, public transport took a hit in many parts of India, but its effects were not being felt in many other parts.
There were stray incidents of violence reported from West Bengal and Kerala, both traditional Left bastions, where Red parties would want to regain relevance. Mumbai, or the whole of Maharashtra for that matter, seems to be going about its usual business, as are many other places, like Delhi and the NCT region, and even Rajasthan. However, Odisha and Karnataka seem to have been surprisingly affected.
Here are the live updates of the day, as they happened in different parts of the country.
3 p.m. IST: The entire coutnry is seeing increasingly normal scenes, as the more affected parts of the country emerge from protests.
2:25 p.m. IST: Kolkata seems to have shrugged off the stray incidents of violence in West Bengal and is returning to normal.
2:15 p.m. IST: Parts of Uttar Pradesh may have seen massive closures, with life slowing doen to a crawl there. However, that does not seem to be the case with Varanasi, which happens to be the home constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
2 p.m. IST: More confirmation from Chennai that the strike is ineffective in Tamil Nadu.
1:45 p.m. IST: Chandigarh may not have responded to the Bandh, but looks like parts of Haryana did.
1:35 p.m. IST: This is how Bharat Bandh is being enforced in Kerala.
1:20 p.m. IST: Even Chandigarh seems to have given the strike a thumbs-down.
1:10 p.m. IST: Like we had reported earlier, Hyderabad is functioning well, contrary to CPI(M) claims that the strike was "total" in Andhra Pradesh.
1 p.m. IST: Parts od West Bengal, with opposition to the strike from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seem to be defying the strike call.
12:50 p.m. IST: Here are visuals from Tamil Nadu that show people there have defied the strike call.
12:40 p.m. IST: Looks like even Madhya Pradesh has decided to give the Bandh a miss.
12:35 p.m. IST: Let's shift our focus from the interiors of the country to the borders. Does anyone have the answer to this question?
12:30 p.m. IST: Another corner of Tamil Nadu is unaffected by the strike.
12:15 p.m. IST: Now this gives a whole new dimension to the claims that IT employees are made to work like drones or manual labourers!
12:10 p.m. IST: Kerala's response to Bharat Bandh: While some protests, others work.
12:05 p.m. IST: And here's more information from Gurgaon. Looks like the strike has failed to make a dent in Delhi and the NCT.
12:02 p.m. IST: Further assertion that Mumbai has ignored the Bharat Bandh:
11:56 a.m. IST: Factories are working in Gurgaon, now known as Gurugram.
11:52 a.m. IST: CPI(M) again claims "total shutdown," this time in Andhra Pradesh. This, however, contradicts reports from Hyderabad, where things are said to be business as usual.
11:50 a.m. IST: Odisha seems to be really affected by the strike, with reports like the one below coming in from various parts of the state.
11:45 a.m. IST: Rajasthan, another state ruled by the BJP, seems equally unaffected.
11:40 a.m. IST: Maharashtra, ruled by the BJP, seems unaffected by the bandh. Mumbai and Nagpur were not all that affected, and now it seems that way with Pune, too.
11:35 a.m. IST: Here's someone answering the question a lot of people have been asking in Bangalore.
11:15 a.m. IST: CPI(M) claims total shutdown in Assam. That, however, may not reflect the ground reality.
11:07 a.m. IST: So while the trade unions and their members ask for more, so do drivers of auto-rickshaws. The only difference is the latter seem to be getting their way.
11:05 a.m. IST: So, while the rest of Bengal is on the boil, Kolkata is uncharacteristically placid.
11 a.m. IST: Clearly, the Left in West Bengal wants to be right in the middle of the action.
10:55 p.m. IST: Now, the nures have joined in.
10:40 a.m. IST: Looks like even ships have landed in hot waters with the Bharat Bandh!
10:32 a.m. IST: Good news for those travelling in Bangalore. If you manage to look past the accompanying annoyances, that is...
10:25 a.m. IST: Siliguri in West Bengal is on the boil.
10:20 a.m. IST: Nagpur, the Orange City, has not shown the strike a green flag. Then again, it is a saffron bastion.
10:17 a.m. IST: Even Hyderabad is unaffected by far.
10:05 a.m. IST: Mumbai, like has been reported so far, is showing no signs of even slowing down. Looks like it will take nothing short of maximum effort to stop the Maximum City.
10 a.m. IST: Now its the Bengaluru Traffic Police in action, taking the virtual route to provide updates to residents of the city of problems on real-life routes.
9:50 a.m. IST: The bandh is making its presence felt as far as Himachal Pradesh, where it is turning out to be fruitful indeed!
9:35 a.m. IST: Pune, it seems, is not only largely unaffected but also going great guns!
9:32 a.m. IST: Another incident of violence reported, this time from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. The other incident was from West Bengal. Both were once Left bastions.
9:30 a.m. IST: Apparently, Uber is implementing surge-pricing in some places, and this is people's reaction.
9:25 a.m. IST: More news from Uttar Pradesh. This time transport employees are making their preence felt.
9:20 a.m. IST: And now, Lucknow may come to a standstill, with more than 3 lakh people on strike.
9:15 a.m. IST: So we had earlier received reports of almost business as usual in Mumbai. And now this.
9:10 a.m. IST: Even Pune seems unaffected by the bandh.
9:07 a.m. IST: And the humour is starting to flow on Twitter. Trust social media to make light of any situation. It may be one of its biggest strentghs!
9:05 a.m. IST: Apparently the bandh has not had an effect on Coimbatore.
9 a.m. IST: Is there a fracture in the unity of the trade unions that have called the nationwide strike that is looking to cripple India for a day? Looks like it.
8:57 a.m. IST: Someone seems to be asking the relevant questions -- at least for the salaried class -- in the lead-up to what could be a long weekend.
8:55 a.m. IST: Here's someone who has to go to office in Bangalore today, but is actually happy for it!
8:50 a.m. IST: Protesters have just vandalised a bus in West Bengal. Isn't this the state whose chief minister had warned of stern action if such protests took place? It remains to be seen what Mamata Banerjee does next.
8:45 a.m. IST: Sonakshi Sinha's latest venture, "Akira," is expected to take a beating at the box office because of the Bharat Bandh.
8:40 a.m. IST: The Bengluru City Police are at it again, always looking to make people's lives a little easier.
8:35 a.m. IST: Apparently, even Chennai is taking a break from the bandh.
8:30 a.m. IST: Looks like some residents of Hyderabad and Delhi are yet to feel the full effect of the strike.
8:22 a.m. IST: Like we said earlier, this is a question of staying relevant for the Left parties, and the working class -- or the prloetriat, as they like to call it -- is a big vote bank.
8:20 a.m. IST: It seems the Bengaluru City Police are really prepared for anything that comes their way, and have anticipated many eventualities.
8:15 a.m. IST: Reports coming in from Mumbai of reduced traffic, but not so reduced as to give the impression of a total bandh.
7:55 a.m. IST: News from Kerala now, where vehicles are off the road as the state basks under a bright sun.
7:45 a.m. IST: Effects of the Bandh are now starting to show in eastern India as well!
7:15 a.m. IST: Bangalore is showing signs of the strike, but it is still too early in the day. Literally!
7:05 a.m. IST: Still no sign of a total bandh.
6:30 a.m. IST: It seems early morning commuters did not have a very difficult time, at least in Kolkata.
6 a.m. IST: As the day breaks, now is a good time to head out and get an idea of whether the bandh is coming into effect, and if so, to what extent.
5 a.m. IST: The discussion on the relevance of this nationwide strike rages on in social media.
4 a.m. IST: People seem to have some interesting ideas when it comes to negating the politicisation of the Bharat Bandh.
3 a.m. IST: Political observers say the Bharat Bandh is nothing less than an existential push by the Left parties in India, which have now lost their bastions in Kerala and West Bengal, and are looking to stay relevant. Their support towards the trade unions is one way out.
However, that does not exactly take away anything from the trade unions' demand to increase minimum wage.
2 a.m. IST: Public transport in Bangalore is expected to come to a standstill, with local transport unions joining the strike, and even autos and cabs may not ply, for fear of protesters targeting them.
1 a.m. IST: The strike, which started at midnight, is expected to continue for 24 hours. The true extent of its success will only begin to be gauged later in the day.
12 a.m. IST: The nationwide strike is expected to cost the nation Rs. 25,000 crore, as many offices and public institutions have decided to keep shutters down and show solidarity with the trade unions.
