BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari defeated Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by over 15,000 votes, his second victory over the TMC supremo in five years.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee by a massive margin in Bhabanipur. (PTI/File)
Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP’s ‘giant slayer’ who defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her home turf of Bhabanipur, said all Bengali Hindus voted for him and termed the outcome as a “victory for Hindutva.”
The BJP leader, who had campaigned against TMC on issues of religious appeasement, law and order and corruption, defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur with a big margin of 15,000 votes, delivering a huge political jolt to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has been pushed back to 77 seats.
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Speaking to reporters after his victory, Adhikari said, “This was very important. Defeating Mamata Banerjee was crucial. This is Mamata Banerjee’s retirement from politics… This time, too, she lost by over 15,000 votes.”
#WATCH | Kolkata | BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari shows his winning certificate after clinching the Bhabanipur assembly seat with a landslide against the West Bengal CM and TMC candidate Mamata Banerjee.He says, “This was very important. Defeating Mamata Banerjee was crucial. This is… pic.twitter.com/N1zY3EHW33
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2026
He claimed that Muslims openly voted for Banerjee, while Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists voted for the BJP, including the supporters of CPI(M). “This victory is a victory for Hindutva… All the Bengali Hindus voted openly for me. Along with them, Gujaratis, Jains, Marwaris, Purvanchalis, and the Sikh community all voted openly for me,” he said.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the people of Bhabanipur for the historic victory of Adhikari. “Hats off to the people of Bhabanipur. Their mandate has made it clear what fate awaits an anarchic ruler,” he said.
Hats off to the people of Bhabanipur.Their mandate has made it clear what fate awaits an anarchic ruler.
ভবানীপুরের মানুষকে কুর্নিশ।তাদের রায় স্পষ্ট করে দিয়েছে, একজন অরাজক শাসকের ভবিষ্যৎ কী হতে চলেছে।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 4, 2026
Bhabanipur Earthquake
Adhikari’s defeat will particularly sting the Trinamool Congress, as the seat was considered Banerjee’s stronghold in south Bengal and reinforced Adhikari’s reputation as a formidable challenger. What makes the outcome more significant is that Adhikari was a rising star in the TMC and a close aide of Mamata Banerjee, who is now her biggest rival, having defeated her twice.
Adhikari has won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, but it is the latter that will boost his reputation as a serious challenger, as he defeated his former mentor. Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee in 2021 from Nandigram by a slim margin of 1,956 votes, which shot him to national prominence.
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