West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday, 2 October publicly explained his decision to retain the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in South Kolkata rather than Nandigram in East Midnapore, after winning both seats simultaneously in the West Bengal Assembly elections earlier this year. Speaking at a campaign rally in Nandigram, Adhikari made the case that retaining Bhabanipur was a deliberate strategic move — one designed to force the bypoll onto his original turf rather than cede it to the opposition.

The Strategic Logic Behind the Seat Retention

Addressing supporters while campaigning for Hasirani Rath, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Nandigram bypoll scheduled for 6 October, Adhikari laid out his reasoning plainly. 'Had I not retained Bhabanipur, then the bypoll would have been for Bhabanipur and not Nandigram. In that case, the Trinamool Congress candidate whom I defeated would have contested from Bhabanipur in the bypoll,' the Chief Minister said. By retaining Bhabanipur, Adhikari effectively ensured that the bypoll was held in Nandigram — a constituency he had already won and where the BJP holds considerable organisational strength.

Adhikari's Assembly Election Sweep

In the West Bengal Assembly elections held earlier this year, Adhikari, contesting as a BJP candidate, secured victories in both Nandigram and Bhabanipur. His win at Bhabanipur was particularly striking: he defeated his predecessor and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by a margin of over 15,000 votes. Under electoral rules, a legislator elected from two constituencies must vacate one, triggering a bypoll in the vacated seat. Adhikari's choice to hold Bhabanipur has now set the stage for the 6 October contest in Nandigram.

Chandranath Rath Murder and the Bypoll Candidate

The Chief Minister also invoked a deeply personal dimension to the bypoll campaign. Hasirani Rath, the BJP's Nandigram candidate, is the mother of Chandranath Rath, Adhikari's former personal assistant, who was allegedly killed on a public road at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on 6 May this year. Adhikari called on voters to respond through the ballot box. 'The voters of Nandigram will have to take a democratic revenge on Oct 6 for the murder of Chandranath Rath merely for being my assistant,' he said, framing the bypoll as both a political and moral reckoning.

Sharp Attack on Trinamool Congress

Adhikari trained his sharpest remarks on the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), urging Nandigram voters to ensure that deposits of principal opposition parties are forfeited. 'The sin committed by Trinamool Congress has crossed all limits. So, Oct 6, the polling day, will be the day to teach them a lesson,' he declared. He also referenced the recent arrest of Sumit Roy, executive assistant to Abhishek Banerjee — TMC General Secretary and the party's Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member — on corruption charges. 'Sumit Roy has already been arrested on charges of corruption. Now a bigger thief will be behind bars soon,' Adhikari said, without specifying whom he was referring to.

What to Watch on October 6

The Nandigram bypoll on 6 October is being closely watched as a test of BJP's hold in a constituency that became nationally prominent during the last assembly cycle. A strong win for Hasirani Rath would reinforce Adhikari's standing as Chief Minister; a close contest or loss would embolden the TMC. The outcome will also feed into the broader narrative around the law-and-order situation in West Bengal ahead of the next electoral cycle.