Battle for Bhabanipur: Mamata begins campaign with workers’ meet

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Sunday (March 21, 2026) began her campaign for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency with a workers’ meeting.

The meeting was held at Ahindra Mancha, with eight councillors of the Trinamool, including Minister Firhad Hakim, who is also a councillor from the area, also present. With Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari contesting against the Trinamool chairperson, the Assembly seat in south Kolkata has become a prestige fight for both the parties.

The constituency located in the heart of Kolkata has electors from different communities, including Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. Both Ms. Banerjee and her nephew, party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, reside in the constituency. The Chief Minister has won three consecutive elections from the constituency in 2011, 2016, and 2021.

After losing to Mr. Adhikari in Nandigram in the 2021 election by a margin of 1,956 votes, Ms. Banerjee had contested and won from Bhabanipur in a byelection held in September 2021 by a margin of 58,832 votes, securing 72% of the total votes polled.

In the 2026 Assembly election, the contest has become interesting for two more reasons. Firstly, the BJP had narrowed the gap with the Trinamool in the Bhabanipur Assembly seat during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, with the Trinamool’s lead dropping to 8,297 votes in 2024 as against 58,832 votes in the 2021 Assembly election. In five wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (63, 70, 71, 72, and 74), the BJP polled more votes while the Trinamool led in three wards— 73, 77 and 82.

The second important issue has been the deletions of voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The SIR process, which was controversial from the start in the State, saw deletion of about 47,000 electors and another 14,000 being put to judicial adjudication in the constituency.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier this month said that despite the deletions due to SIR, she will win Bhabanipur. “I will win from Bhabanipur even if there is only one voter left on the voter list,” the Chief Minister said on March 3, while addressing a gathering here.

Mr. Adhikari, who started the campaign a few days ago in Bhabanipur, has been playing up his chances of winning against the Chief Minister. The BJP leader is also contesting from Nandigram.

Amid the challenge from Bhabanipur and the first supplementary list of electors under adjudication set to be published on Monday (March 23, 2026), the Chief Minister postponed her visit to north Bengal. Instead of Tuesday, she will start campaigning in north Bengal on Wednesday (March 25, 2026).