Adhikari Slams Mamata Banerjee’s “Bengal Division” Claim, Calls Delimitation Constitutional

Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Suvendu Adhikari, contesting from Nandigram and Bhabanipur Assembly Constituencies, responded firmly on April 17 to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegation that the BJP is pursuing a “division of Bengal” under the pretext of delimitation.

According to reports, Adhikari stated that Mamata Banerjee has opposed nearly every initiative, including the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAA) and Special Intensive Revision (SIR). “All of this is anti-national and against the Constitution. Whether it is CAA, NRC, or SIR, they have objections to everything. This will not be accepted. If you want to live in this country, you must abide by the Constitution,” he said.

On April 14, Mamata Banerjee, who is the TMC candidate against Suvendu Adhikari in Bhabanipur, claimed that the Delimitation Bill would divide Bengal. She said, “Their revenge will be in the box of democracy. This very month, the Delimitation Bill is being brought. It will cut you into pieces. It will divide Bengal. Then it will do NRC.”

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha continues discussions and voting on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to provide 33 percent reservation to women in Parliament and State Assemblies. Also under consideration are the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 extending this reservation to Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, and the Delimitation Bill, which aims to increase and redraw Lok Sabha constituencies, raising their number to 850.

Earlier on Thursday, the Lok Sabha held a marathon 12-hour session to discuss amendments to the women’s reservation bill, removing the requirement to implement the bill only after the census.

Polling in West Bengal is scheduled in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with Assembly election results due on May 4. The state is expected to witness a high-intensity contest between the incumbent Trinamool Congress, seeking a fourth consecutive term, and the BJP, aiming to form the government following a strong performance in previous elections.

In the 2021 elections, West Bengal’s 292 seats saw the All India Trinamool Congress winning 213 seats with a 48.5 percent vote share, while the Bharatiya Janata Party won 77 seats with a 38.5 percent vote share. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (formerly the Left-led alliance) earned 8.7 percent of the vote but no seats, and NOTA accounted for 1.1 percent of total votes polled.