Kamal Ghorui
NANDIGRAM: In the 2021 Bengal polls, a wheelchair-bound Mamata Banerjee chose Nandigram’s Boyal as her anchorage, scripting one of the defining moments of a razor-edge contest that she lost to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari before winning a bypoll from Bhowanipore.In 2026, it was Adhikari — once her opponent, now facing aide-turned-foe Pabitra Kar — choosing the same Boyal as his base camp. It’s here that all eyes tracking Nandigram’s tense poll day were focused on Thursday. Around 12.45pm, Adhikari reached Sambhunath Primary School booth in Boyal, less than 100 metres from Kar’s home. “Listen to the voters and you will know why Trinamool is on its way out,” said Adhikari, the outgoing state leader of opposition.Kar’s wife, Siuli, the local panchayat chief, was at the booth. “News came that some outsiders from BJP had beaten up a local youth… Adhikari arrived here to disturb peace,” Siuli said. Minutes later, Kar arrived. As BJP and Trinamool Congress workers started a battle of slogans, central forces stepped in. I am not opposed to Suvendu as a person. I do not agree with his politics,” Kar said before walking inside the booth.Adhikari’s next stop was Boyal Maqtab Primary School, the same booth where Mamata Banerjee had sat for over two hours in 2021, accusing outsiders of voting en masse. “This time, there is no drama here. All goons have been bottled up,” Adhikari said as he left.Adhikari — who is also contesting from CM Mamata’s current seat, Bhowanipore, this time — started the day early, leaving his Contai residence around 6.45am. He voted at a school in Nandigram town at 8am, then toured booths where BJP had lagged in past elections.Adhikari pulled up polling staff at Nandigram BMT High School over “slow polling” and visited Garchakraberia, Kendemari and Bhekutia — all violence-prone areas. “TMC goons did not let me enter these booths in 2021. This time, they have been taught a lesson,” he said.Between 9.15am and 11.30am, Adhikari covered 44km in Nandigram. “I was with TMC in 2011… In 2021, the BJP was ready to change. This time, the people are ready, even more than 15 years ago,” he claimed.At Bhekutia, where a TMC worker was murdered in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Adhikari alleged voter intimidation before leaving amid “Joy Bangla” slogans. By evening, he was sharing jhalmuri with women voters. “Just watch how we conduct elections in South Kolkata (including Bhowanipore) and South 24 Parganas,” Adhikari said.
