Kolkata: Shifting loyalties, BJP’s strengthened organizational control and allegations of lopsided deletion of SIR voters seem to have added layers of intrigue to Nandigram, making the high-stakes contest in the key seat one of the most watched in the West Bengal Assembly polls.
On the evening of May 2021, when Nandigram’s Returning Officer announced the victory of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari over Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee by a slim margin of 1,956 votes, the moment marked the beginning of a crucial chapter in the state’s politics.
Mr. Adhikari polled over 1.1 million votes to unseat the state’s most established leader, bettering the BJP’s tally by over one million votes from the 2016 polls by overcoming the disadvantage of not having any of the 17 gram panchayats or two panchayat samitis that make up the Nandigram seat.
He jumped ship from TMC on December 19, 2020, giving him barely three months to turn the tide in his favor.
“In the last five years, much more water has flowed down the Haldi river that bypasses Nandigram, with the BJP now controlling 11 of the 17 GPs and both panchayat samitis of Nandigram blocks I and II, giving Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, a crucial advantage in the 2026 polls,” say observers.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP significantly improved its performance in the Nandigram Assembly segment, securing a lead of 8,200 votes and 49.49% vote share against TMC’s 45.87%.
Nandigram goes to polls in the first phase of Bengal elections on April 23.
