New Delhi, March 23 – The Bhabanipur constituency in South Kolkata, representing the state of West Bengal, is set for a fierce contest between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. Despite outward confidence, the Trinamool Congress is taking no chances.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee lost to her former aide, Adhikari, in Nandigram by nearly 2,000 votes. She subsequently sought re-election from Bhabanipur to continue as Chief Minister for a third consecutive term.
Adhikari, buoyed by his earlier victory, urged the BJP leadership to allow him to contest against her again, this time on her home turf. The party agreed, although he was also asked to file a nomination from Nandigram.
In the 2021 by-election, Mamata won Bhabanipur by a margin of nearly 59,000 votes, with her party's vote share rising by more than 14 per cent compared to Sovandeb Chatterjee's earlier tally of 58 per cent.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Trinamool's Mala Roy won the Kolkata Dakshin seat, leading in all Assembly segments, including Bhabanipur, where she was ahead by about 6,500 votes. However, the BJP had led in five of Bhabanipur's wards.
The Trinamool's state leadership has been tasked with reaching voters at the booth level before the April elections.
State president Subrata Bakshi, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, South Kolkata district president Debashis Kumar, and local councillors have been entrusted with the outreach, highlighting Mamata's welfare work as Chief Minister.
The Bhabanipur election is scheduled for the second phase on April 29. The Trinamool plans a month-long campaign beginning on Monday, March 23, while Mamata will also travel across the state to address rallies. Reports suggest she has asked party workers to remain vigilant on polling day until counting on May 4, warning against any alleged wrongdoing.
Trinamool leaders have implied that Mamata's defeat in Nandigram was due to a late power failure and alleged manual interference during counting.
This time, she has urged party members to be wary of power cuts, stressing that attempts to overturn the mandate could be made even later.
Meanwhile, the BJP candidate is banking on the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to weed out alleged bogus voters, along with anti-incumbency factors related to law and order and corruption.
While Mamata has cautioned her team against complacency, Trinamool General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee has predicted a vote difference in her favour that will surpass the 2021 by-election result.
The Diamond Harbour MP has asked supporters to ensure a higher turnout at the booth level, aiming to increase the margin to at least 60,000 votes.