Bhabanipur Next? Suvendu May Take 2026 Battle to Mamata’s Stronghold

As West Bengal moves towards the 2026 Assembly elections, political chatter suggests BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari may consider contesting from Bhabanipur, the constituency of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The speculation revives memories of their intense 2021 showdown in Nandigram, where Banerjee had left her traditional Bhabanipur seat to directly challenge Adhikari in a politically symbolic battleground linked to the anti-land acquisition movement that helped the Trinamool Congress end the CPI(M)’s rule in 2011.

By 2021, the former allies had turned rivals after Adhikari joined the BJP ahead of the polls. The Nandigram contest was decided by fewer than 2,000 votes, with Banerjee narrowly losing even as her party secured a strong statewide mandate. She later returned to the Assembly through a decisive by-election win in Bhabanipur, beginning her third term setting the stage for a possible role reversal in 2026.