Tension grips Kolkata as vote counting in Bhabanipur assembly seat shows Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lagging behind BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by 563 votes with only four rounds remaining. The prestigious South Kolkata constituency, long a TMC bastion, is witnessing a fierce contest.
After 16 of 20 counting rounds at the local government school, Adhikari leads with 53,932 votes to Banerjee’s 53,369, per state election office data. Fresh from his Nandigram victory, Adhikari aims to humble the CM in her own backyard.
Banerjee left the counting venue amid tight security, returning home to Kalighat. She remained defiant, claiming current leads misrepresent voter will. Her words underscore TMC’s narrative of ‘real mandate’ versus ‘manipulated trends.’
Flashback to 2021: Adhikari’s narrow Nandigram win forced Banerjee into a Bhabanipur by-poll triumph with a massive margin, securing her leadership. Now, history might repeat with reversed fortunes.
Statewide, BJP dominates with leads or wins in 207 seats, TMC trails at 80. Heavyweights like Chandrima Bhattacharya, Shashi Panja, Sujit Bose, and Bratya Basu have fallen, signaling TMC setbacks.
Bhabanipur’s result will be pivotal. A loss for Banerjee could trigger speculation on her CM tenure, while victory would reaffirm her unyielding grip on Bengal politics. Counting continues amid high drama.
