In one of the biggest political upsets in recent West Bengal history, Suvendu Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata’s prestigious Bhabanipur constituency, including the very ward where her Kalighat residence is located. Fresh booth-wise data released by the Election Commission highlighted the scale of the BJP leader’s victory, which many are now calling a symbolic turning point in Bengal politics.

The result appeared to fulfil Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s pre-election challenge to BJP workers: “Mamata ko unke ghar mein ja kar harana hai”, defeat Mamata Banerjee on her own turf.

Mamata Lost Even in Her Own Ward

According to Election Commission data, Suvendu Adhikari secured 8,932 votes in Ward No. 73 — the ward that houses Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence, while Banerjee received only 4,284 votes.

Across Bhabanipur, the BJP leader led in 207 out of 267 booths and secured nearly 63 per cent vote share. Mamata Banerjee managed around 30 per cent.

The defeat became even more striking at booth level. In several polling booths, Banerjee reportedly failed to cross even 50 votes. She secured:

43 votes at Booth No. 14
42 votes at Booth No. 16
41 votes at Booth No. 20
only 31 votes at Booth No. 105

Similar low figures were recorded across multiple booths in the constituency.

From Nandigram to Bhabanipur

The result marks a dramatic political reversal between the two rivals. Back in 2021, Mamata Banerjee had contested the Bhabanipur bypoll after losing to Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram and comfortably swept all seven wards in the constituency.

This time, however, Adhikari managed to dismantle Trinamool Congress dominance in one of its safest urban strongholds.

In the final tally, Mamata Banerjee secured 58,812 votes, while Suvendu Adhikari crossed 73,000 votes, winning by a margin of more than 15,000 votes.

BJP Expands Deep Into TMC Territory

What makes the victory politically significant is that Suvendu Adhikari had no major organisational base in south Kolkata before this election. A resident of Kanthi, nearly 150 kilometres away, he successfully transformed Bhabanipur into a major BJP battleground through aggressive campaigning and booth-level mobilisation.

Political observers believe the result reflects growing BJP penetration into urban Bengal, especially in areas once considered politically untouchable for the opposition.

For the BJP, the Bhabanipur victory is more than just another seat.

It is a symbolic win against Bengal’s most powerful political face on her own home ground.

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