NEW DELHI: The back and forth at high-stakes Bhabanipur assembly constituency ended up with historic mandate in favor of BJP’s heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated chief minister Mamata Banerjee by 15,105 votes.Mamata’s defeat in Bhabanipur, considered to be her bastion with deep hold of TMC’s cadre, resonates with the larger picture of the West Bengal verdict where the BJP bulldozed the ruling Trinamool’s 15-year rule.In what was round two between Mamata vs Suvendu, the trend began with Suvendu leading with thin margin before Mamata took over after round eighth by 15,000 votes.The margin continue to get thinner with passing hour before Suvendu, by around 16 suprassed Mamata by over very thin margin of 500 votes.The seat flipped dramatically after 16th around as Suvendu lead margin widened to over 6000 votes and got much wider by 18th round, corring the mark of 10,000 votes.Finally, in the 20th round, which is the last round, Suvendu emerged gaint salyer again by defeating Mamata Banerjee.Bhabanipur reamined on the edge all throughout the day, with both Mamata and Suvendu reaching the counting center in a tense face-off.Banerjee reached the Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls’ High School on Lord Sinha Road in the afternoon amid allegations by the Trinamool Congress that one of its counting agents had been forced out of the venue.Adhikari was already present inside the counting centre, adding to the charged atmosphere as the margin tightened.Emerging from the centre, Banerjee launched full-throttle attack, questioning the credibility of the process.“Do you think this is a victory? It is an immoral victory. More than 100 seats have been looted. The Election Commission is the BJP’s commission,” she alleged.Claiming irregularities, she said, “It is loot, loot, loot. We will bounce back,” and added that she had complained to officials, including the Chief Electoral Officer, but “they are not doing anything”.Banerjee also alleged that she was “pushed and berated” inside the counting centre. The tension at the center was palpable as Mamata exited the venue. She was met by crowds of BJP supporters chanting “Ghotalabaaz Mamata dur hato” (Corrupt Mamata, go away), signaling a fierce anti-incumbency sentiment after 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule.
Suvendu wins round 2 against Mamata
In 2021, Banerjee had contested against Adhikari in his home turf, Nandigram. She lost to the BJP leader by 1,956 votes. Now, Adhikari takes on Banerjee in Bhabanipur — the chief minister’s home constituency.Bhabanipur has long been a stronghold for the TMC chief. She has represented the seat as an MLA since 2011 and has not lost an election there. After becoming chief minister in 2011, she secured a decisive bypoll victory from Bhabanipur by 54,213 votes.In 2016, her margin narrowed as she defeated Congress candidate Deepa Dasmunshi, backed by the Left, by 25,301 votes, while the BJP secured 26,299 votes.In 2021, TMC retained Bhabanipur, with Sovandeb Chattopadhyay defeating BJP’s Rudranil Ghosh by 28,719 votes. BJP’s vote share rose to 35.2%, signaling a growing presence.Banerjee later returned to contest the Bhabanipur bypoll, winning by 58,835 votes and securing her third term as CM.
