NEW DELHI: What seemed largely impossible in 2021 became exhaustively debatable five years later. Can Suvendu Adhikari defeat Mamata Banerjee on her home turf, Bhabanipur? This question gained political legitimacy in 2026, given the nail-biting contest in the 2021 Nandigram battle, where Mamata had challenged her former protege.
Taking the battle to Suvendu's bastion Nandigram did not go well for Mamata, as the BJP leader defeated her by over 1,900 votes. That was round one between Mamata and Suvendu. The second round in 2026 was more intense, as Suvendu took the battle to Mamata's citadel, Bhabanipur.
This rivalry has defined the political trajectory of Suvendu Adhikari, who is now the Bharatiya Janata Party's chief minister-elect. The BJP's legislative party elected Suvendu Adhikari as its leader, making him the apparent choice for chief minister. He will be the saffron party's first leader to helm West Bengal.
“I announce the name of Suvendu Adhikari elected as Leader of West Bengal BJP Legislative Party,” said Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was appointed as the Central Observer for the election of the legislative party leader in West Bengal.
The contest between Mamata and Suvendu was a back-and-forth high-stakes battle in the Bhabanipur assembly constituency, culminating in a historic mandate favoring BJP's heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee by 15,105 votes.
Mamata's defeat in Bhabanipur, considered her bastion with deep TMC cadre support, resonates with the larger picture of the West Bengal verdict, where the BJP bulldozed the ruling Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule.
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