Mamata Moves Calcutta HC Challenging Suvendu Adhikari's Nandigram Win in Bengal Polls

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has moved the Calcutta High Court to challenge her protege-turned-bete noire Suvendu Adhikari’s victory from Nandigram constituency in the state assembly elections. The court will hear the matter on Friday.

In Nandigram, which was one of the keenly watched poll battles, BJP leader Adhikari outsmarted the TMC supremo by a margin of nearly 2,000 votes.

While Adhikari had bagged 1,10,764 votes, Banerjee secured 1,08808 votes, the poll panel had confirmed at the time.

In her election petition before the HC, Banerjee stated that Adhikari has “committed corrupt practices” of “bribery, undue influence, spreading enmity” and “seeking votes on the basis of religion”.

She also stated that the election to Nadigram was conducted in “complete contravention to the Constitution and the laws governing elections in India”.

“Suvendu Adhikari has engaged in several corrupt practices that have enhanced his winning chances and materially altered Mamata Banerjee’s chance of success in the election,” the petition said.

Reacting to the development, BJP leader and the party’s Bengal co-incharge Amit Malviya tweeted, “It would be fascinating to see Mamata Banerjee suffer the humiliation of Nandigram defeat twice over.”

There was massive confusion on the day of the results on May 2 about who had actually bagged the crucial Nandigram seat after reports stating that Banerjee had defeated Adhikari appeared in different media though there was no confirmation from the Election Commission.

The TMC had raised question over BJP’s victory in the seat.

“Something is fishy about Nandigram, don’t you think? A party wins nearly three-fourths of all the seats in the state and the Chief Minister loses her seat – something very fishy went on in Nandigram,” senior Trinamool leader Derek O’Brien had said.

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