Mamata Banerjee Files Nomination from Bhabanipur as Bengal Poll Battle Heats Up

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday filed her nomination papers from the Bhabanipur assembly constituency in Kolkata, setting the stage for a high-stakes contest against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in the upcoming state elections. The move comes amid growing tensions between the Trinamool Congress and the Election Commission over voter list revisions and official transfers.

High-Profile Clash in Kolkata Seat

Bhabanipur, a traditional TMC stronghold in south Kolkata, has emerged as one of the most watched constituencies in the 2026 West Bengal assembly polls. Mamata Banerjee, who has represented the seat in the past, arrived at the Survey Building to submit her papers. Shortly after filing, she addressed supporters, extending greetings across communities and pledging to work not just for Bhabanipur but for every corner of the state.

“I extend my greetings, my thanks, my respects, my salaam, my Jai Jinendra and Sat Shri Akaal to everyone. Today, as I filed my nomination, I want to say that along with the Bhabanipur constituency, I will work for every centre and every area. We will form the government,” Banerjee said.

Suvendu Adhikari Named BJP Candidate

The BJP has fielded Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, from the same seat. Adhikari, a former TMC leader who switched sides and defeated Banerjee from Nandigram in 2021, filed his nomination earlier on April 2. The direct contest between the two senior leaders has turned Bhabanipur into a symbolic battleground for urban and political dominance in Bengal.

TMC Delegation’s Tense Meeting with CEC

Meanwhile, a TMC delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien met the Chief Election Commissioner on Wednesday morning to raise concerns over the transfer of officials and the conduct of free and fair polls. The meeting lasted barely five minutes and ended on a sour note.

O’Brien later claimed that the CEC told the delegation to “get lost” within seven minutes. “The meeting started at 10:02 AM and ended at 10:07 AM. When we told him that you are transferring officials, and how you would want to conduct a free and fair election? And then he said, leave from here,” O’Brien alleged.

ECI Urges Decorum, Denies Allegations

Election Commission sources, however, countered the claim, stating that O’Brien was asked to maintain decorum in the Commission room. Officials described the behaviour as inappropriate and clarified that shouting is not acceptable during such meetings. The poll panel has repeatedly vowed to ensure fear-free elections in West Bengal, which is scheduled to vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29.

Massive Voter List Revision Sparks Row

The controversy comes days after the Election Commission released the final voter list following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Nearly 91 lakh names — about 11.85 per cent of the electorate — were deleted from West Bengal’s rolls since the exercise began last November. Of these, over 27 lakh were removed after judicial scrutiny of cases placed under adjudication.

The deletions have reduced the state’s electorate significantly, from around 7.66 crore to roughly 6.75 crore. TMC leaders have questioned the timing and scale of the revisions, while the Commission maintains the process was aimed at cleaning up the rolls and removing ineligible entries.

Broader Poll Landscape in Eastern States

As activity intensifies in Bengal, polling preparations are in full swing in other states going to the polls shortly. Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry are set to vote in a single phase on April 9, with campaigning concluding on Tuesday evening. EVMs and polling materials have already been dispatched to booths across these regions.

In Tamil Nadu, senior DMK leaders including Chief Minister MK Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin continued their campaign trail on Wednesday, highlighting welfare schemes such as housing for over 10 lakh people and free laptops for students.

Opposition Voices and Campaign Rhetoric

BJP leaders, meanwhile, have kept up their attack on the TMC government. Senior BJP MP Nishikant Dubey stressed the need to restore Bengal’s identity, while other candidates raised issues of law and order and women’s empowerment. The party released its sixth list of candidates for the state recently.

The Trinamool Congress has accused the poll body of bias and demanded a level playing field. The Election Commission has dismissed such charges and called for all parties to cooperate in maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.

What Lies Ahead for Bengal Voters

With nominations underway and the model code of conduct in force, the focus now shifts to campaigning and ground-level mobilisation. The Bhabanipur contest is expected to draw national attention as a test of strength between Banerjee and Adhikari. Larger issues such as voter list accuracy, official neutrality, and development promises will dominate the narrative in the days to come.

The final electoral rolls are now frozen, and the stage is set for what promises to be a fiercely fought assembly election in West Bengal. Both the ruling TMC and the BJP are leaving no stone unturned to consolidate their support bases ahead of the crucial polling dates in late April.

The Bharatiya Janata Party released its first candidate lists for the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala, naming 144 nominees for Bengal and 47 for Kerala. The announcement, made within 24 hours of the Election Commission declaring the poll schedule, signals that the BJP is wasting no time in building momentum for what promises to be one of the most fiercely contested election seasons in recent years.

Suvendu's Bold Double Challenge to Mamata

The biggest headline from the Bengal list is the decision to field Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari from not one but two constituencies — Nandigram and Bhabanipur. Both seats carry deep political significance. Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 Assembly elections in one of the most closely watched political battles the state had seen. Banerjee later returned to the Assembly through a by-election from Bhabanipur, a seat she has represented since 2011.

Bhabanipur is considered Banerjee's political stronghold, and Adhikari's candidature from that constituency is widely seen as the party's most high-stakes decision in the first list, underscoring his role as BJP's principal field commander in Bengal. It is an unmistakable message — the BJP intends to take the fight directly to the Chief Minister's doorstep.

A Diverse and Deliberate Bengal List

Beyond Suvendu, the Bengal list is notable for the range of candidates it brings together. Former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh has been fielded from Kharagpur Sadar, former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta from Rashbehari, former India cricketer Ashok Dinda from Moyna, and actor Rudranil Ghosh is also among the nominees.

Of the 144 nominees, 57 come from fields such as teaching, law, medicine, social work and the armed forces. Teachers account for the largest group with 23 candidates, alongside advocates, doctors, retired military personnel, journalists and cultural personalities. The party has also included 41 sitting MLAs and three former legislators, choosing to back its existing political networks rather than attempt a wholesale reshuffle.

Kerala: A State the BJP Wants to Crack

In Kerala, the BJP named state president and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar as its candidate from Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram district — the only Assembly constituency the BJP has ever won in the state, securing the seat back in 2016.

Other senior leaders fielded include former state chief K Surendran from Manjeshwar, former Union minister V Muraleedharan from Kazhakootam, Union Minister of State George Kurian from Kanjirappally, and senior leader Sobha Surendran from Palakkad. Among women candidates, the party has nominated former DGP R Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu, Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur, and Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North.

Though the BJP is yet to win an Assembly seat in Kerala at scale, recent wins in the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency and Thiruvananthapuram municipal polls have boosted its confidence heading into 2026.

The Election Schedule

West Bengal will vote in two phases — April 23 and April 29 — with vote counting for all states on May 4. Kerala, along with Assam and Puducherry, goes to the polls in a single phase on April 9. The Election Commission noted that reducing West Bengal to two phases, compared to eight in 2021, was a deliberate decision to make the process more convenient and manageable for all stakeholders.

What It Means

The speed with which the BJP released these lists — before most other parties had even begun internal deliberations — reflects a party that has learned from past election cycles and is determined to control the early narrative. In Bengal, the challenge is to unseat a Chief Minister who has won three consecutive terms and commands a formidable grassroots machinery. In Kerala, the goal is humbler but no less symbolic — to move from fringe player to credible force in a state dominated by the Left and the Congress. Both battles will define the BJP's 2026 story.