Mamata Banerjee Faces Off Against Suvendu Adhikari in High-Stakes West Bengal Elections
Trinamool Congress Unveils Candidate List for Upcoming Elections
Kolkata: On Tuesday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) announced its candidate list featuring 291 names for the upcoming two-phase elections for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, setting the stage for a fierce contest in the Bhabanipur constituency, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will seek re-election.
Banerjee will again contest from Bhabanipur, facing off against the Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also revealed its initial list of 144 candidates, nominating Adhikari from both his current constituency of Nandigram in East Midnapore and Bhabanipur.
This marks the second electoral battle between Banerjee and Adhikari, who previously defeated her in Nandigram during the 2021 elections.
Following that, Banerjee won a by-election in Bhabanipur, allowing her to continue as Chief Minister for a third consecutive term.
While the TMC will contest in 291 constituencies, they have left three assembly seats in North Bengal—Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong—for their ally, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), led by Anit Thapa, who is also the Chief Executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
In Nandigram, the TMC has fielded Pabitra Kar, a former BJP leader and close associate of Adhikari, who joined the party mere hours before the candidate list was made public.
Banerjee expressed confidence, stating, "This time our candidates will secure victory in at least 226 Assembly constituencies. After these elections, the BJP will have no foothold in West Bengal."
In the previous 2021 Assembly elections, the TMC won 215 seats, while the BJP secured 77. The CPI-M-led Left Front and the All India Secular Front (AISF) had a seat-sharing agreement, with AISF winning one seat, while both the Left Front and Congress failed to win any.
This election cycle, the Congress and the Left Front are contesting independently.
Banerjee also issued a warning to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning, "If you truly believed in the people of West Bengal, why hurt their sentiments? Remember, the people will respond at the polls!"