BJP on Saturday released the list of candidates for the first two phases of the West Bengal Assembly elections. The saffron party fielded former Trinamool Congress (TMC) heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari from the Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Medinipur district, pitting him in an intense contest against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
BJP’s decision to field Adhikari from Nandigram holds significance as the land agitation in Nandigram in 2007 played a key role in bringing TMC to power in Bengal in the 2011 Assembly elections.
By fielding Adhikari, the most prominent and significant turncoat against the Chief Minister, BJP seems to be trying to make the best of its defection strategy against the TMC.
Although Mamata had spearheaded the land agitation at Nandigram against the Left Front Government, Adhikari had played a key role in organising the movement. Adhikari was arguably the only leader in the TMC after Mamata who has a substantial mass base. He also wields significant organisational clout in Nandigram.
The former Transport Minister has repeatedly taken jibes at the TMC supremo claiming that whether he contests from Nandigram or not, he will ensure that Mamata returns “defeated and empty handed” from Nandigram.
BJP’s move to field Adhikari from Nandigram is likely to make Mamata’s fight in the constituency difficult as even when he was in the TMC, Nandigram was considered to be his bastion.
Adhikari’s clout in Nandigram becomes evident from the fact that he won from the constituency in the 2016 Assembly elections with a whooping margin of 81,230 votes. He had bagged 67.21 per cent votes.
However, Nandigram has a significant Muslim population which had backed Adhikari till he was in the TMC. It remains to be seen whether he can retain his Muslim vote base after joining the BJP.
On the other side, BJP fielded former cricketer Ashoke Dinda from the Moyna constituency. It has also put former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh in the Debra constituency, pitting her against another retired IPS officer Humayun Kabir fielded by the TMC.
Out of the 57 seats in Bengal for which BJP announced the candidate list, it has left the Baghnundi seat to the AJSU. It is yet to announce candidates for Barjora, Kashipur and Kharagpur Sadar.