Suvendu Adhikari retains Bhabanipur, quits Nandigram Assembly seat

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday took oath as the legislator from Bhabanipur constituency in South Kolkata on the floor of the Assembly.

By taking oath as the MLA from Bhabanipur, Adhikari made it clear that he will quit the Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district, where he was elected simultaneously in the recently concluded Assembly polls.

In Bhabanipur, Adhikari was elected by defeating the Trinamool Congress candidate and then sitting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by a margin of over 15,000 votes. At Nandigram, Adhikari was elected after defeating Trinamool Congress’ Pabitra Kar by over 9,000 votes.

This was the second time that Adhikari had defeated Mamata Banerjee. In 2021, Adhikari was elected from Nandigram after defeating Mamata Banerjee by a margin of a little less than 2,000 votes.

Subsequently, in 2021, Mamata Banerjee was elected in a by-election from Bhabanipur and retained the post of the Chief Minister for the third consecutive term. In 2026, not only was her party, the Trinamool Congress, defeated, but she also suffered a loss.

Like Adhikari, Aam Janata Unnyan Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir also got elected this time from two Assembly constituencies, namely Naoda and Rejinagar, both in the minority dominated Murshidabad district.

But it is not yet clear which seat he will retain and which he will quit.

On Wednesday, Adhikari reached the Assembly premises and then entered the House after bowing and touching his head to the staircase leading to the House. He was welcomed at the House by the pro-tem Speaker and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Maniktala Assembly constituency in North Kolkata, Tapas Roy.

As per protocol, the new Chief Minister was given the “Guard of Honour” at the Assembly premises. Thereafter, Adhikari garlanded and paid floral tributes to the statue of B.R. Ambedkar within the Assembly premises.

Thereafter, he went to the room allotted to him as the Leader of the House and the Chief Minister within the Assembly premises, and performed ‘puja’ in front of idols of Gods and Goddesses placed in his room.

Thereafter, he went inside the House and took the oath as the legislator from Bhabanipur, administered by the pro-tem Speaker. The oath programme for the newly elected legislators is being conducted on Wednesday and will continue on Thursday.

IANS