The bylanes of Bhabanipur assembly constituency, aka Bhowanipore, in south Kolkata have become prime property this election season. Its walls have come alive in myriad hues, with posters, flags and graffiti of rival parties jostling for space. There are, of course, posters of its incumbent representative—Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress. The graffiti has the ruling party’s symbol, with text below that reads: ‘Cast your vote in favour of Mamata Banerjee’. Right next to it is the poster of leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, challenging Banerjee in her home constituency—a Trinamool stronghold ever since she came to power in 2011. The poster reads: ‘Ebar BJP sarkar [This time, it will be the BJP’s government].’
But that is easier said than done. Banerjee is seen as the daughter of the constituency, having lived here all her life. “Never in my life have I changed my residence. I had asked my mother once if I should, she had firmly said no,” said Banerjee, who kickstarted her campaign by chairing a meeting of party workers. “I stay here 365 days. Before stepping out for campaigning across the state, I come here to take Bhabanipur’s blessings.”
Banerjee also met booth agents, who had provided assistance to local residents during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. She believes that the availability of Trinamool workers during the SIR exercise will benefit the party electorally. Despite more than 47,000 electors being deleted from the 2026 final SIR list, the Trinamool is looking at a victory margin of 60,000 votes in Bhabanipur (in the 2021 bypolls, Banerjee had won by a margin of 58,832 votes). Party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has asked workers to secure an additional five votes each at the 231 polling booths where the party was leading in Bhabanipur, which is part of the Kolkata South Lok Sabha constituency—also a Trinamool stronghold.
Seeking support: BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari during his campaign | Salil Bera
“People of Bhabanipur know that Mamata Banerjee is the real leader,” said Trinamool MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay. “People admire her fighting spirit. I have seen her since her childhood. I have seen her fight in college. She stood by those who had been tortured by the CPI(M) then. That is her character. When she came to power, she extended all help to the poor and the middle-class people and that is her trump card in the elections.”
That feisty image of Banerjee has been her trademark long before her Singur and Nandigram agitation days. It is an image imprinted on the minds of most voters here. “She has fought for everyone here in the middle of Jadu Babu Bazar,” recalled a voter. “She has had injuries on her head, hands and feet.” And, age clearly hasn’t dimmed her fighting spirit—in February, she donned the lawyer’s garb to argue her case in the SIR petition in the Supreme Court.
Apart from her fearless streak and filial chord with the constituency, what has consolidated her connect with people are her government’s social welfare schemes.
“The BJP comes only during elections,” said Deepak Chowdhury, who claimed his vote is against corruption. “Mamata is a mass leader. People love her because of her good work. The councillor is also from Trinamool, which is a plus point.”
Devi, another voter, recalled the government’s work during Covid-19. “Didi does things for people’s welfare. Many don’t want to help, but Didi wants to help and stands by people. She helped a lot of people during Covid,” she said, adding that rural households received dal and rice that saved them from starvation then.
Adhikari, on the other hand, is seen as an outsider by a section of voters. “Is the person who is contesting from here a resident of this area? If anyone here has a problem, will we go to Nandigram (Adhikari’s constituency) to find him? Who will we go to? We will go to Mamata Banerjee, our leader. That is why we want our leader.” said Suraj Mondol, a Trinamool supporter.
Adhikari and Banerjee have electoral history. In 2021, Banerjee contested against him in his turf—Nandigram (from where he had won in 2016). She won the state, but lost to him by a margin of 1,956 votes. This time, Adhikari is taking the fight to her turf—Bhabanipur—while also contesting from Nandigram.
“Mamata Banerjee is going to lose once again,” said Adhikari, while kickstarting his door-to-door campaign in Bhabanipur. “Mamata Banerjee is the chief minister of West Bengal. This is not her individual fight. She ruined Bengal for 15 years. It is very important to defeat the Trinamool and the chief minister.” He added that he would win by a margin of 25,000 votes. If he does, he will be a key contender for the chief minister’s post, provided the BJP sweeps the state.
The BJP is confident of Adhikari’s winning capabilities. “It will be a tough fight. But the BJP has fielded its most capable leader,” said BJP leader Tapas Roy, who, like Adhikari, was once part of the Trinamool.
That confidence has trickled down to the party’s supporters as well. While S. Pandey, a woman BJP supporter, said that they are ready to fight and die for Adhikari’s victory, another supporter Asha Nath quipped, “A royal Bengal tiger has come to us. Mamata Banerjee will have to run with her shoes in her hand. She can run to Bangladesh.”