Mamata Banerjee loses to Suvendu Adhikari by over 15,000 votes in Bhabanipur in huge upset to TMC

Kolkata:

In a massive setback for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, the incumbent Chief Minister and the party chief Mamata Banerjee lost to her rival and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Suvendu Adhikari by 15,105 votes in the Bhabanipur seat. As per the Election Commission data, Mamata bagged 58,812 votes while Suvendu secured 73,917 votes. Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Shrijeeb Biswas stood third with 3,556 votes. It's being considered a huge setback for the TMC as the seat was considered the party's stronghold.

The constituency has played a crucial role in Bengal's political context over the past decade. In 2021, TMC veteran Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay won the seat after defeating BJP's Rudranil Ghosh by 28,719 votes. He later resigned to enable Mamata to contest the bypoll, which she needed to remain Chief Minister after losing Nandigram to Adhikari in the same year.

In the by-election, Mamata secured a decisive win against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal, with a margin of nearly 60,000 votes. The result reaffirmed Bhabanipur's reputation as a stronghold of the TMC, a position the party has largely held since 2011. 

(Image Source : ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA. )Bhabanipur Assembly election Result 2026.

Anti-incumbency wave at Bhabanipur

The tension at the Bhabanipur counting centre was palpable as the Chief Minister exited the venue. She was met by crowds of BJP supporters chanting "Ghotalabaaz Mamata dur hato" (Corrupt Mamata, go away), signalling a fierce anti-incumbency sentiment after 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule. Earlier in the day, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee termed the BJP's landslide victory in the state polls "immoral" and alleged that the mandate in more than 100 seats was "looted". "We will bounce back," she said while walking out of the counting centre at her Bhabanipur Assembly constituency.

 

What makes Bhabanipur politically crucial

Bhabanipur Assembly constituency falls under the Kolkata Dakshin district and is part of the Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha segment. The area is known for its socially diverse population, which plays a key role in shaping electoral outcomes. The voter base includes a large number of non-Bengali communities, making up nearly 40 per cent of the electorate. These include Gujaratis, Marwaris, Punjabis and Odias. Bengali Hindus form around 42 per cent of voters, while non-Bengali Hindus account for about 34 per cent. Muslims make up close to 24 per cent of the population.

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