Mamata Banerjee Moves Calcutta High Court Challenging Bhabanipur Poll Defeat

By Mahima Katal

Kolkata, June 16: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday filed an election petition before the Calcutta High Court challenging the Bhabanipur Assembly election result, in which she lost to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari by 15,105 votes.

According to TMC sources, Banerjee visited the High Court registry to affirm the petition. She was accompanied by senior party leaders Dola Sen, Derek O'Brien and Kunal Ghosh.

Adhikari emerged victorious in the Bhabanipur constituency and later went on to become the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal. The counting of votes for the Assembly elections was conducted on May 4.

A day after the election results were declared, Banerjee alleged that the electoral mandate had been manipulated. Addressing a press conference at her Kalighat residence on May 5, she claimed that the TMC had not genuinely lost the election and alleged that votes had been "forcibly looted."

This is not the first time Banerjee has challenged an electoral defeat. In 2021, she filed a similar election petition after losing the Nandigram Assembly seat to Adhikari, who secured 1,10,768 votes against her 1,08,808.

The Nandigram election petition was filed before the Calcutta High Court on May 21, 2021, and was initially assigned to Justice Kaushik Chanda. During the proceedings, Banerjee's counsel sought additional time and later moved a plea seeking recusal of the bench. On July 7, 2021, Justice Chanda recused himself from the matter and imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on Banerjee, observing that "calculated psychological offensives and vilification" had been employed to seek recusal.

Subsequently, Adhikari filed his written statement in November 2021. The matter was last heard in December 2021 and was adjourned to January 7, 2022, for further directions. The case remains pending.

In her 2021 petition, Banerjee accused Adhikari of engaging in corrupt practices under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The allegations included bribery, undue influence, promotion of enmity and irregularities in the counting process.

The latest petition is expected to trigger another legal battle between the two political rivals, whose electoral contests have repeatedly spilled into the courts.