Kolkata: Shifting loyalties, BJP’s strengthened organisational control, and allegations of skewed SIR voter deletions seem to have added extra layers of intrigue to Nandigram, making the high-stakes contest in this key seat one of the most closely watched in West Bengal’s Assembly polls.
In the evening of May 2, 2021, when Nandigram’s Returning Officer announced BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s victory over Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee by a razor-thin margin of 1,956 votes, the moment marked the beginning of a crucial chapter in the State’s politics.
Mr. Adhikari bagged more than 1.1 lakh votes to humble the State’s most recognised leader, improving the BJP’s tally by more than one lakh votes from the 2016 polls by overcoming the disadvantage of not having even one of the 17 gram panchayats or the two panchayat samitis which make up the Nandigram seat.
He jumped ship from the TMC on December 19, 2020, and barely had three months then to turn the tide in his favour.
“In the last five years, a lot more water has flowed down the Haldi river, which circumvents Nandigram, with the BJP now controlling 11 of the 17 GPs and both panchayat samitis of Nandigram I and II blocks, giving Adhikari, the leader of Opposition in the Assembly, a vital advantage in the 2026 polls,” observers say.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP vastly improved its Nandigram Assembly segment performance, by securing a lead of 8,200 votes, and a 49.49% vote share as against TMC’s 45.87%.
Nandigram goes to the polls in the first phase of elections in Bengal on April 23.
