In West Bengal’s Nandigram – Category A political territory – Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is trailing and her former aide Suvendu Adhikari is leading by a margin of 8,000 votes.

Nandigram is a prestige battle for Mamata Banerjee, who led a campaign here in the mid-2000s to protest against what she called a compromise of farmers’ rights. It was this movement that helped her uproot the 34-year-old Left Front regime 10 years ago.

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This time, Nandigram is more important than ever for the 66-year-old chief minister, who is fighting for survival in Bengal. If she loses Nandigram, the only seat she is contesting, it would mean a loss of face for Mamata Banerjee.

Suvendu Adhikari, 50, a former loyalist who strode over to the BJP in December last year, has to prove his worth to his new political masters, who took a calculated move of pitching him against Banerjee.

Suvendu Adhikari, relatively stronger in the constituency, was elected from Nandigram once in the past (Mamata Banerjee, after winning the election here, changed her constituency to Bhawanipur in Kolkata). 

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Banerjee did not let go of a single opportunity to attack Adhikari, calling him traitor, ‘gaddar’ and ‘cheat’.

Banerjee did not let go of a single opportunity to attack Adhikari, calling him traitor, ‘gaddar’ and ‘cheat’.

In the first three hours since counting of votes began, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) has taken a decent lead with 160 seats and the BJP at 119.

Bengal voted in eight phases and by the last few phases there was deep concern over crowded election rallies and roadshows full of unmasked people. Both the state and central government have been criticised for continuing with the campaign even when the Covid cases were rising in the state.