Mamata Banerjee moves HC to challenge Adhikari’s Bhabanipur victory

Kolkata (IANS): Former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee moved the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday to challenge the recent Assembly election results for the Bhabanipur constituency.

Banerjee filed an election petition and submitted a formal affidavit contesting the victory of her rival, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari secured the Chief Minister’s post after defeating Banerjee in the high-stakes Bhabanipur seat by a margin of more than 15,000 votes.

Accompanied by Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh and party leader Dola Sen, Banerjee spent a brief period at the court complex to complete the legal formalities before exiting.

A Recurring Legal Battlefield

This filing marks a striking parallel to the 2021 Assembly elections, where Adhikari famously defeated Banerjee in the Nandigram constituency.

• The Nandigram Precedent: Banerjee had similarly challenged the 2021 Nandigram results in the Calcutta High Court. That election petition remains pending.
• The Bhabanipur Escalation: With her latest petition, Banerjee has now placed two consecutive electoral defeats to Adhikari under judicial scrutiny.

Tense History at the High Court

Tuesday’s surprise visit marks Banerjee’s second trip to the High Court since Trinamool’s recent electoral debacle.

She last visited the court on May 14 to personally argue a case concerning post-poll violence. During that visit, she faced intense heckling from a faction of local lawyers who chanted anti-corruption slogans as she walked through the corridors. While her sudden arrival on Tuesday sparked immediate curiosity and drew large crowds, the filing proceeded without any reported disruption.