New Delhi: West Bengal’s Bhabanipur Vidhan Sabha constituency in South Kolkata is set for a high-voltage contest between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. Despite outward confidence, the Trinamool Congress is taking no chances.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Mamata lost to her former aide Adhikari in Nandigram by nearly 2,000 votes. She later sought re-election from Bhabanipur to continue as Chief Minister for a third successive term.
Adhikari, buoyed by his earlier win, urged the BJP leadership to let him contest against her again, this time on her home turf. The party agreed, though he was also asked to file a nomination from Nandigram.
In the 2021 by-election, Mamata won Bhabanipur by close to 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 polls, 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.
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 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.
(IANS)
