BJP eyes Mamata seat, alleges CPM out to divide Hindu voters

Suvendu Adhikari met BJP leaders in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency on Tuesday evening and purportedly issued directives for the party's win there next year, fuelling speculations that he would take on Mamata Banerjee on her home turf in the 2026 polls.

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unlikely to change her constituency and would contest from Bhabani-pur.

"During the meeting, Suvendu-da asked us to leave no stone unturned to ensure the BJP's victory in Bhabanipur. He also dropped several hints that he would contest from the south Kolkata seat, where the sitting MLA is Mamata Banerjee," said a BJP leader from south Kolkata.

"He (Adhikari) said all leaders should work together to defeat Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. If we win this seat, it will strengthen our footprint not only in Kolkata but also in Mamata Banerjee's stronghold," the leader quoted Suvendu Adhikari as saying.

A Trinamool Congress insider said the contest was unlikely to be easy for the party if Adhikari was fielded in Bhabanipur.

A source of concern for the Trinamool and hope for the BJP is the demography of the constituency. Almost 80% of the voters are Hindus with a significant number of Gujaratis and Punjabis. With signs clear that both parties would use religious polarisation as a vote-catching tool, the contest may be very close.