Nandigram bypoll: Adhikari accuses Mamata of 5-year development freeze after 2021 defeat
Synopsis
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari has levelled a pointed charge: Mamata Banerjee's government starved Nandigram of development for five years — including blocking a long-pending railway station — purely out of electoral spite. With a bypoll imminent in the constituency that twice humiliated Banerjee, the stakes of this political narrative couldn't be higher.
Key Takeaways
West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari accused Mamata Banerjee of blocking development in Nandigram for five years (2021–2026) after her defeat there.
Adhikari claimed his government allotted 3.5 acres of land for a Nandigram railway station and transferred it to Indian Railways ; the station is targeted for completion by March next year .
Families of nine martyrs from the Left Front era were allegedly denied state jobs by the previous TMC regime; the BJP government has since offered each family one government post.
Mamata Banerjee lost to Adhikari in Nandigram in 2021 by under 2,000 votes and again in Bhabanipur in the 2026 elections.
Nandigram is headed for a bypoll after Adhikari retained Bhabanipur following his dual-constituency win in 2026.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday alleged that former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee deliberately withheld development from Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district for five years — from 2021 to 2026 — out of anguish over her electoral defeat there in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. Adhikari made the remarks at a public event in Nandigram, which is headed for a bypoll in the near term.
The Development Deprivation Charge
Adhikari cited the long-pending demand for a railway station at Nandigram as a key example, noting that only six acres of land were required for the project. He claimed the previous All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government under Banerjee failed to allot even that. 'The people of Nandigram had been deprived of development activities during the last five years of the previous Trinamool Congress regime. Mamata Banerjee deliberately deprived Nandigram out of her anguish of getting defeated from there in 2021,' Adhikari said.
He added that since assuming office, his government had already allotted 3.5 acres of land for the station and transferred it to Indian Railways, with the remaining land to follow. Adhikari projected the new station would be completed by March next year, adding: 'I will be the first one to get into a train from that station.'
Martyrs' Families and Alleged Neglect
Adhikari also alleged that family members of nine martyrs from the Left Front regime era were denied state government jobs by the previous TMC administration — again, he claimed, due to Banerjee's bitterness over Nandigram. He said his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government had immediately offered one state government job to a member from each of the nine families after taking charge following this year's Assembly elections.
The 2021 and 2026 Electoral Context
The rivalry between Adhikari and Banerjee in Nandigram has defined West Bengal politics for several years. In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, Banerjee was defeated by Adhikari by a margin of just under 2,000 votes — a result that drew national attention. She subsequently won a bypoll at Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in South Kolkata the same year, retaining her position as Chief Minister for a third consecutive term.
In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Adhikari contested and won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, defeating Banerjee at Bhabanipur for a second time. He chose to retain the Bhabanipur seat, making a bypoll in Nandigram necessary.
Bypoll Ahead: BJP Eyes Landslide
Adhikari expressed confidence that voters in Nandigram would deliver a 'landslide victory' for the BJP candidate in the upcoming bypoll. The constituency carries deep symbolic weight for both the BJP and the TMC, given its history as the flashpoint of the 2007 land acquisition protests that first propelled Banerjee to national prominence. A strong BJP performance there would mark a significant symbolic reversal.
Point of View
Which gives it more traction than generic development charges. What mainstream coverage underplays is the deeper irony: Nandigram was the constituency that made Mamata Banerjee's political career in 2007, and it has now become the site of her most consequential defeats. For the BJP, winning the bypoll here would close a symbolic loop. For the TMC, losing it again would deepen a narrative of decline in its own heartland.
NationPress
31 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Suvendu Adhikari say Nandigram was deprived of development?
Adhikari alleges that Mamata Banerjee deliberately withheld development from Nandigram between 2021 and 2026 because of her anguish over losing the constituency to him in the 2021 Assembly elections. He cited the stalled railway station project as a key example.
What is the status of the Nandigram railway station project?
According to Adhikari, his government has allotted 3.5 acres of the required six acres to Indian Railways, with the rest to follow shortly. He said the station is expected to be completed by March next year.
When did Mamata Banerjee lose in Nandigram and what happened after?
Banerjee lost to Adhikari in Nandigram in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections by a margin of just under 2,000 votes. She subsequently won a bypoll at Bhabanipur in South Kolkata the same year, retaining her position as Chief Minister.
Why is there a bypoll in Nandigram now?
In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Adhikari won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur. He chose to retain Bhabanipur, vacating Nandigram and triggering a bypoll in the constituency.
What did Adhikari say about the families of nine martyrs in Nandigram?
Adhikari alleged that the previous TMC government denied state government jobs to family members of nine martyrs from the Left Front era, attributing this to Banerjee's resentment over her 2021 Nandigram defeat. He said his BJP-led government offered one state job to a member from each of the nine families immediately after taking office.
