Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The stage is set for Round 2 of Mamata Banerjee vs Suvendu Adhikari electoral rivalry in West Bengal. The West Bengal chief minister and the leader of the opposition in the state assembly are ready for another face off, this time in Bhabanipur seat, in the assembly elections to be held next month. The Round 1 of this contest was won by BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari in 2021 when he defeated Mamata in Nandigram by 1,956 votes. Mamata’s defeat took the shine off the overall impressive Trinamool Congress victory over the BJP in the assembly elections five years back. While the TMC won 215 seats and a vote share of 48%, the BJP tally stood at 77 with a vote share of 38%.Mamata and Suvendu, who was once a close aide of the Trinamool chief, parted ways in 2020. Accusing Mamata of corruption and electoral malpractice, Suvendu left the TMC and joined the BJP. Since then, they have been bitter rivals.
Mamata today announced a list of 291 TMC candidates preparing ground for a fierce electoral battle with the BJP in the state. The West Bengal chief minister expressed confidence that her party would secure a comfortable majority once again. “We will win more than 226 seats in the 2026 assembly polls. The BJP’s tally will decrease in this election. They will receive a befitting reply for their anti-people policies,” Mamata said annoucning the names of party candidates.The BJP, on the other hand, is confident about winning West Bengal this time and also Suvendu repeating his 2021 feat by once again defeating Mamata. “Suvendu Adhikari will win from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur by a massive margin. This is not just about the BJP; it reflects the mood of the people,” West Bengal BJP President and MP Samik Bhattacharya said.But while Suvendu will try to keep Mamata on the tenterhooks in Bhabanipur, he may himself face a tough terrain in Nandigram, where the TMC has fielded a former BJP panchayat chief.Pabitra Kar, who was known to be close to Suvendu Adhikari, rejoined the ruling TMC hours ahead of party’s announcement of candidates, and has been pitted against the BJP leader in Nandigram.The TMC, in a social media post, said Kar was “dissatisfied with the BJP’s anti-people stance”. Kar, who quit the TMC in November 2020 to join the BJP, played a significant role in consolidating the saffron party’s organisational structure in the Boyal-1 area and was believed to have been instrumental in securing a lead for the BJP in the region five years back.In the 2021 assembly elections, Suvendu Adhikari had managed a slender victory in Nandigram polling 1,10,764 votes, while Mamata managed 1,08,808 votes.However, this time around, it would be interesting to see who — Mamata or Suvendu — benefits from the breaking of the alliance between the Congress and the Left.Mamata targets Election Commission, questions timing of administrative reshuffleMamata launched a sharp attack on the EC, alleging that senior administrative and police officers were being transferred ahead of the assembly polls at the behest of the BJP.Addressing reporters while announcing the Trinamool Congress candidate list for the 2026 assembly elections, Banerjee wondered “Why are senior officers being transferred just before Eid? Are there plans to trigger riots before elections?”The chief minister alleged that the list of officers who were transferred was prepared at the BJP’s office and the decision was merely implemented by the Election Commission.She further alleged that some officials from outside West Bengal had been brought in to assist the BJP in the electoral process. Accusing the poll panel of acting under political pressure, the TMC supremo said the EC was “playing a nice game on behalf of the BJP”.“They should directly campaign for the BJP,” she said.Banerjee also alleged that the transfers were aimed at facilitating the movement of money and arms for the BJP ahead of the polls.
