Assembly Elections 2026: Mamata, Suvendu In High-profile Clash As TMC Declares List For West Bengal Polls

Kolkata: A direct electoral showdown has been set up between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. On Monday, the BJP released a list of 144 candidates for Bengal, which included Suvendu Adhikari's name. He has been fielded from the Nandigram constituency—the very seat where he defeated Mamata Banerjee in the previous West Bengal Assembly Election.

Additionally, he has entered the fray in Bhabanipur, the constituency currently represented by Mamata Banerjee as its MLA. Now, Mamata Banerjee has also announced that she herself will contest from Bhabanipur. Thus, it has become clear that the scenario witnessed in Nandigram during the last election is set to repeat itself in Bhabanipur.

What did Mamata Banerjee say?

Mamata Banerjee's defeat against Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram had been a subject of intense discussion. It is widely anticipated that this time around, a high-voltage electoral battle is likely to unfold in Bhabanipur. On Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee also asserted that her party would win 226 seats in the state and secure power for a fourth consecutive term. Furthermore, Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission. "Didi" alleged that the Election Commission is transferring senior officials just ahead of Eid. She suggested that this appears to be a ploy to incite riots in the state prior to the Bengal elections. She warned that if any such incident were to occur, the Election Commission would be held solely responsible.

Mamata alleged that the Election Commission is acting at the behest of the BJP. She reiterated that if any untoward incident were to take place in the state, the responsibility would lie squarely with the Election Commission and the BJP. She claimed that the entire game is being orchestrated by the Election Commission at the BJP's bidding, adding sarcastically that it would be more appropriate for the Commission to simply campaign directly for the BJP. Through these remarks, Mamata Banerjee has signaled her intent to directly target the Election Commission. She has already been targeting the Election Commission regarding the deployment of central security forces (SIR). It is worth recalling that the 2021 Assembly elections witnessed a high-voltage contest between the BJP and the TMC.

How many seats did BJP win in West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021?

Speculation had even begun to mount that the BJP might, for the very first time, succeed in capturing power in the state. However, when the results came in, the BJP secured only 77 seats. Meanwhile, the Left parties and the Congress were completely wiped out. Nevertheless, this marked a major success for the BJP, as it had won only three seats in 2016. Thus, for a party to jump from three seats to 77 within a span of five years constituted a significant electoral triumph. This time around as well, the BJP appears poised for a tough fight; in line with this strategy, it has already announced the names of its candidates for nearly half of the seats.