The spotlight of the 2026 Assembly elections has firmly shifted to Bhabanipur, where a closely fought contest is unfolding between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
According to early data from Election Commission sources, Banerjee is ahead after the third round of counting, leading by 898 votes. The margin reflects how fluid the race remains, with neither side managing to build a decisive edge so far.
The counting story so far has been anything but linear. In the first round, Banerjee secured an early advantage of 1,996 votes. The second round saw a reversal, with Adhikari moving ahead by 1,558 votes. By the third round, the lead flipped again in Banerjee’s favour.
These back-and-forth swings underline how sensitive the outcome is to booth-wise variations, making it too early to call the trend.
Counting process still in early phase
Counting began at 8 AM, starting with postal ballots before moving to EVM votes. Given that only initial rounds have been completed, officials caution that these numbers are preliminary and may shift as more rounds are counted.
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Despite that, Bhabanipur remains one of the most closely watched constituencies in the state due to its political significance.
Bhabanipur’s political legacy
Banerjee’s association with the seat dates back to 2011, when she won here in a by-election. Before that, Subrata Bakshi had secured the constituency in the same year’s Assembly polls.
Victories from Bhabanipur in 2011, 2016 and 2021 paved the way for Banerjee to take oath as Chief Minister each time. This election, however, carries added weight as Adhikari had defeated her in Nandigram in 2021.
High-voltage campaign from both camps
Both candidates invested significant effort in the campaign. Banerjee remained actively engaged on the ground, participating in rallies, meetings and foot marches.
Adhikari, too, concentrated heavily on the constituency following his nomination. During his filing, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said,
"Our Shubhendu-da wanted to contest from Nandigram. I told him he has to go to Mamata's home and defeat her. He has the record, too. Last time Mamata was able to form the government, but she lost in Nandigram. This time, Mamata will lose in all constituencies; she will also lose in Bhabanipur."
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Reactions from the ground
Reacting to early trends, Adhikari said, "So far BJP is ahead in 165 seats. I have a lead of about 7 thousand in Nandigram, in Bhabanipur, the first round was in the Muslim area, ward number 63. I was trailing by about 2000 votes. The second round was in the Hindu area, I covered 2000 and am leading by 2200."
With multiple rounds still pending, the contest resembles a constant rise and fall, with leads shifting rapidly between the two candidates. Trinamool leaders remain confident as Banerjee regains the lead, while BJP continues to bank on later rounds.
For now, Bhabanipur stands as a cliffhanger, with the final outcome hinging on the rounds yet to be counted.
