West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday filed her nomination from the Bhabanipur assembly constituency at the Survey Building for the 2026 state elections. She will once again face BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in the constituency.

Adhikari had earlier defeated Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 assembly elections by a margin of 1,956 votes. After that loss, Banerjee entered the Assembly by contesting a bypoll from Bhabanipur following the resignation of MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay. Suvendu Adhikari submitted his nomination on April 2, accompanied by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP’s West Bengal President Samik Bhattacharya. He is contesting the elections from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram on a BJP ticket.

Banerjee has been actively campaigning and aiming to secure a win in Bhabanipur, often portraying the BJP as disconnected from Bengali culture, highlighted by her “egg and fish” remarks. She has also criticized the party over alleged attacks on Bengali-speaking migrant workers in other states. The TMC campaign is centered around welfare initiatives like the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme and Banerjee’s “10 Pledges” outlined in the party manifesto. Under the scheme, women from the general category will receive Rs 1,500 per month, SC/ST women Rs 1,700, and unemployed youth Rs 1,500 monthly.

On the other hand, Adhikari and the BJP are focusing on issues such as illegal immigration and aiming to replicate the Nandigram outcome in Bhabanipur. During Adhikari’s nomination filing, Amit Shah urged voters to cast their votes fearlessly and called for the removal of the TMC from power. Bhabanipur is expected to witness a high-stakes contest between the two leaders. Voting for the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.