Mamata Banerjee Challenges Bhabanipur Election Result in Calcutta

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has approached the Calcutta High Court to challenge the election result of the Bhabanipur assembly constituency. On Tuesday, she personally filed the petition, requesting the court to investigate the legality of the election outcome. Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP defeated Mamata Banerjee by 15,105 votes in Bhabanipur. Mamata had previously served as an MLA from this constituency three times.

During the election process, Mamata alleged irregularities in vote counting and claimed she was physically assaulted. She stated that on May 3, a day before the results were announced, there was chaos outside the counting center in Bhabanipur. TMC workers accused BJP of allowing a vehicle with party flags to enter the strongroom premises without proper checks. Mamata spent nearly four hours at the counting center and alleged that counting was deliberately halted in constituencies where TMC was leading. She also accused BJP and the Election Commission of attempting to influence the election under pressure from central forces.

Suvendu Adhikari dismissed Mamata's allegations, calling them baseless and accusing her of creating drama. He stated that Mamata's claims about EVM-related issues were unfounded and that she was distressed by her defeat.

In 2021, Mamata had similarly challenged Suvendu Adhikari's victory in Nandigram, where she lost by 1,956 votes. Her petition in Calcutta High Court sought to overturn the result, but the Election Commission had rejected TMC's recounting request at the time.

Key Points

• Mamata Banerjee filed a petition in Calcutta High Court challenging the Bhabanipur election result.
• Suvendu Adhikari defeated Mamata by 15,105 votes in Bhabanipur.
• Mamata alleged irregularities during vote counting and claimed physical assault.
• Suvendu Adhikari dismissed Mamata's allegations as baseless.
• Mamata had previously challenged Suvendu's victory in Nandigram in 2021.