Suvendu Adhikari with Amit Shah

New Delhi: What seemed largely impossible in 2021, has become completely debatable after five years. Can Suvendu Adhikari defeat Mamata in her home constituency Bhabanipur? This question gets political legitimacy in 2026, given the exciting contest in the Nandigram battle of 2021, where Mamata challenged her former disciple.Fighting the battle in Suvendu’s stronghold Nandigram did not go well for Mamata as the BJP leader defeated her by over 1900 votes. That was the first round between Mamta vs Suvendu. The second round in 2026 was more intense, this time, Suvendu took the fight to Mamata’s bastion, Bhabanipur.This has been the rivalry with Suvendu Adhikari, who is Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) with the elected Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.The BJP legislature party chose Suvendu Adhikari as its leader, making him the obvious choice for Chief Minister, who will also be the first leader from the saffron party to take charge of West Bengal.“I announce the name of Suvendu Adhikari elected as the leader of the West Bengal BJP Legislature Party,” says Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has been appointed as the central observer for the election of the legislature party leader in West Bengal.The contest between Mamata and Suvendu in the high-stakes Bhabanipur assembly constituency was back-and-forth, ending with a historic mandate in favor of BJP veteran Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee by 15,105 votes.Mamata’s defeat in Bhawanipur, considered her bastion where the TMC cadre is deeply entrenched, echoes the bigger picture of West Bengal’s decision where the BJP demolished the ruling Trinamool’s 15-year rule.