Suvendu files nominations from Nandigram, predicts saffron run in Bengal
The Statesman | 1 April 2026
Setting the stage for one of West Bengal’s most high-stakes electoral contests, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Monday filed his nomination papers from the politically symbolic Nandigram constituency, asserting that a “decisive mandate” in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was imminent in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Mr Adhikari submitted his nomination before the Sub-Divisional Officer at Haldia in East Midnapore district in the presence of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, former state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, and other senior party leaders. Two additional BJP candidates from the district also filed their nominations on the day, underscoring the party’s coordinated electoral push in the region.
Later, the BJP leader held a roadshow while filing nominations for both Nandigram and Bhawanipore constituencies, turning the process into a show of political strength ahead of the polls. Mr Pradhan joined the procession, which drew party supporters along key stretches.
Sounding confident about the party’s prospects, Mr Adhikari claimed that public support for the BJP had grown significantly since the last Assembly election. “The demand for the BJP among voters is far greater this time,” he said, adding that the party remained committed to establishing a “clean, corruption-free, development-oriented and ethical government” in West Bengal.
Predicting a major electoral shift, he told reporters that a “bhagwa tsunami” was sweeping the state. “Lotus will bloom, and a new government will come to power with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s blessings. The government will work for Indian culture, Sanatana culture and development,” he said.
The BJP has fielded Mr Adhikari from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, setting up a politically charged contest against the ruling Trinamul Congress. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting from Bhawanipore, her long-held political bastion, making it one of the most closely watched battles of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Nandigram continues to carry enormous political symbolism after Mr Adhikari defeated Ms Banerjee there in the 2021 Assembly polls by a narrow margin. Although the Trinamul Congress secured a sweeping state-wide victory that year with 213 seats, the BJP emerged as the principal Opposition with 77 seats, while the Congress and the Left Front failed to open their accounts.
Following her defeat in Nandigram in 2021, Ms Banerjee later entered the Assembly by winning the Bhawanipore by-election against BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal. The renewed face-off between the two leaders in Bhawanipore has added further intensity to the current electoral battle.
According to the Election Commission of India, elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be conducted in two phases on 23 April and 29 April, with counting scheduled for 4 May.