Mamata knocks at Calcutta High Court, challenges Bhabanipur assembly election result
The Statesman | 16 June 2026
Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) Chairperson Mamata Banerjee visited the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday to file a petition challenging the Bhabanipur assembly election result in which she was defeated by current West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari by a margin of 15,105 votes.
The petition sought the preservation of all poll-related records, along with several other legal remedies.
The TMC supremo was accoumpanied by party leaders Kunal Ghosh and Dola Sen.
Banerjee’s presence at the High Court comes on the same day the court is slated to hear a case challenging the recognition of rebel TMC Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly.
The case is slated to be heard at 3 pm before Justice Krishna Rao.
TMC MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay has alleged that constitutional provisions and assembly rules were violated during the process through which the assembly speaker recognized Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition. Chattopadhyay has requested the court to examine the legality of that decision.
Earlier on Friday during its first hearing, the court did not grant any interim stay order in the matter.
Representing Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, lawyer Kalyan Banerjee questioned why Ritabrata Banerjee had been granted recognition as Leader of the Opposition, seeking an immediate stay on the Speaker’s decision.
However, during the hearing, the State’s Additional Advocate General Billadal Bhattacharya strongly objected to Kalyan Banerjee’s arguments.