NEW DELHI: The decision to pit Suvendu Adhikari—who defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 elections—against her in Bhabanipur marked the beginning of Union Minister Amit Shah’s strategic effort to challenge the TMC leader in her stronghold. This approach culminated in the significant decline of the TMC’s influence in Bengal, with Adhikari’s victory being one of the most noteworthy upsets of the elections.
BJP sources indicated that Shah had committed to a comprehensive plan to unseat Mamata Banerjee, laying the groundwork for a successful campaign. With Adhikari positioned as a formidable candidate, Shah focused on assembling a dedicated team in Bhabanipur to ensure the effective execution of his strategy. Reports suggest that each night Shah spent in Kolkata involved meetings specifically addressing this constituency.
The demographics of Bhabanipur included approximately 25,000 Gujarati and 21,000 Marwari voters—key groups that could sway the election. Shah engaged with these communities individually, discussing their concerns over past voting experiences where they claimed TMC members employed strongarm tactics to suppress their participation. Allegations were made regarding instances of fraudulent voting. Shah assured these communities that necessary security measures would be implemented to facilitate their voting.
To streamline operations, Shah’s team designated a booth-level in-charge for every polling station in Bhabanipur. Their responsibilities included identifying any internal issues within the BJP and reporting on any intimidation tactics employed by the TMC. A specific goal was set for all BJP workers to cast their votes before 11 am, alongside efforts to maximize voter turnout.
Additionally, BJP members, including MLAs from other states who could resonate with various communities, were assigned to reinforce the campaign. Utilizing the Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation (SIR) process, approximately 47,000 names were removed from the voter rolls in Bhabanipur, ensuring the elimination of deceased or duplicate entries, which the TMC had alleged were exploited for fraudulent voting.
These concerted efforts resulted in a surprising defeat for Mamata Banerjee by over 15,000 votes, a result that was unanticipated by many. Following the outcome, Banerjee claimed that the elections were marred by undemocratic practices, alleging that the victory was secured through unfair means.
