Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday declared that she would contest the upcoming assembly polls from Nandigram constituency.
Addressing the public meeting at Nandigram, the TMC supremo without naming anyone challenged the BJP to defeat her from that constituency.
“I know Nandigram more than anybody else. During the violence by the former Left Front government, I visited the place and stood by the common people here. I can forget my name but cannot forget Nandigram. It is a holy place. Let the opposition defeat me from this constituency,” mentioned Mamata adding that the BJP is a washing powder party.
Notably, Nandigram, the epicenter of a farmers’ movement had pushed TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to power in the state 10 years ago. The announcement by the TMC supremo of contesting from that constituency is significant as Nandigram is known as the stronghold of her former close aide Suvendu Adhikari, who had defected to the BJP last month.
Calling Nandigram constituency as her elder sister and Bhawanipore as younger sister, Mamata, presently an MLA from Bhawanipore constituency claimed she is equally a strong candidate from her home turf which is Bhawanipore constituency.
“I may fight from both seats. I am requesting our party president Subrata Bakshi to consider my candidature from both Bhawanipore and Nandigram,” mentioned the West Bengal Chief Minister.
According to poll analysts, Mamata’s decision to fight from Nandigram will not only give extra fuel to the grassroots cadres of the ruling Trinamool Congress and also that this decision is also a big challenge for the main opposition BJP in West Bengal.
Countering the chief minister, newly defected leader Suvendu Adhikari said that the TMC has managed to gather only 30 thousand people from seven districts in the state and also that he will be giving a befitting answer from his rally at Nandigram tomorrow.
However, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that fearing defeat from Bhawanipore constituency, the TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee had decided to contest from Nandigram.
