West Bengal elections 2026: Suvendu Adhikari takes early lead against Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The West Bengal Assembly election 2026 has placed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari at one of the most closely watched political contests in the state. He took on chief minister Mamata Banerjee in the high-profile Bhabanipur constituency in the second phase of voting in Bengal. Polling concluded on April 29. Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP candidate from Bhabanipur constituency in West Bengal Assembly elections 2026. (PTI)Bhabanipur seatAdhikari’s contest in Bhabanipur carries weight. Once a close aide of Banerjee and a key organiser in the Trinamool Congress, he is now her principal challenger from the BJP. Bhabanipur has long been considered Mamata Banerjee’s political stronghold. The seat is closely tied to her leadership identity since 2011. For Adhikari, the seat represented one of the toughest electoral challenges of his career, as he attempted to penetrate a voter base that has repeatedly backed the CM. Adhikari’s political reputation has been built on hard-fought electoral contests. His most significant victory came in Nandigram in 2021, where he defeated Banerjee by a narrow margin in one of Bengal’s most intense political battles. While Bhabanipur has traditionally favoured the Trinamool Congress, recent elections have indicated tightening margins in parts of South Kolkata. Adhikari’s campaign has focused on governance concerns and anti-incumbency sentiments. Suvendu Adhikari joined the BJP in December 2020 after resigning from the TMC. Born on December 15, 1970, in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, Adhikari holds a postgraduate degree from Rabindra Bharati University. He began his political career with the Congress and joined the Trinamool Congress in 1998. He became known after leading the 2007 Nandigram movement against land acquisition. He served as MLA from multiple constituencies, including Kanthi Dakshin and Nandigram, and was elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Tamluk (2009, 2014). He also held key ministerial portfolios in the Mamata Banerjee government, including Transport and Irrigation. Adhikari resigned from the TMC in December 2020 and joined the BJP soon after. In the 2021 Assembly elections, he defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram by a narrow margin of 1,956 votes, a high-voltage contest that elevated him as the BJP’s top leader in the state. His career has included legal and political controversies. He was questioned by the CBI in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam, though no charges have resulted in conviction. He was also named in the Narada sting operation case, which involved allegations of cash-for-favour dealings involving several Trinamool leaders. Mamata Banerjee is the founder and leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). She started her political career with the Congress party and was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984. In 1997, she founded the TMC after leaving Congress. She served as Union railway minister twice before becoming CM in 2011 after ending the Left Front’s long rule in West Bengal. Her tenure has also seen political rivalry with opposition parties, including allegations over governance and political violence, which she and her party have denied or contested.