West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed strong confidence about winning from Bhabanipur, where she is set to face Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Banerjee released the candidate list of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) from her Kalighat residence, announcing that the party will contest 291 seats while leaving three hill constituencies, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, to ally Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha led by Anit Thapa.
The move came a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded Adhikari from Bhabanipur, setting up a high-profile contest. Banerjee initially avoided a direct response to his candidature but later said, “I have unwavering faith in the people. I serve them year-round, this isn’t a one-day battle for me.”
Adhikari will also contest from Nandigram, where he had defeated Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly polls. After that loss, she returned to the Assembly by winning a bypoll from Bhabanipur.
In a strategic move, the TMC fielded former BJP leader Pabitra Kar from Nandigram shortly after inducting him into the party. Bhabanipur has since emerged as a key battleground, especially amid reports of large-scale deletions from the electoral rolls, though Banerjee has maintained she will win the seat even by a narrow margin.
