Mamata Banerjee challenges Bhabanipur 2026 result in Calcutta HC
Synopsis
Mamata Banerjee has now filed election petitions against Suvendu Adhikari from two consecutive elections — Nandigram 2021 and Bhabanipur 2026 — with the first case still pending. Her surprise court appearance signals TMC's intent to fight the 2026 mandate in the courts even as Adhikari governs as Chief Minister.
Key Takeaways
Mamata Banerjee filed an election petition in the Calcutta High Court on 16 June challenging the Bhabanipur 2026 Assembly result.
Suvendu Adhikari defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur by more than 15,000 votes and became Chief Minister of West Bengal .
Banerjee was accompanied by Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh and party leader Dola Sen ; she filed the petition and left shortly after.
This is her second visit to the Calcutta High Court since the electoral setback; her first visit on 14 May was met with protests by a section of lawyers.
Banerjee had also challenged Adhikari's 2021 Nandigram victory via an election petition — that case remains pending before the court.
Mamata Banerjee, former Chief Minister and All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, on Tuesday, 16 June filed an election petition in the Calcutta High Court challenging the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency result from the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The petition contests the victory of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Banerjee by a margin of more than 15,000 votes.
Banerjee's Surprise Appearance at the High Court
Banerjee arrived at the Calcutta High Court unexpectedly on Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh and party leader Dola Sen. Her presence drew considerable curiosity among those at the court premises. She remained for a brief period, filed the petition along with a supporting affidavit, and departed shortly after.
One of Banerjee's lawyers subsequently confirmed that the TMC leader had filed an election petition specifically challenging the Bhabanipur result. This is the second time Banerjee has approached the Calcutta High Court since the Trinamool's electoral setback in the 2026 Assembly polls.
Her Earlier Visit and the Lawyers' Protest
Banerjee had previously visited the High Court on 14 May to personally argue in a post-poll violence case. On that occasion, a section of lawyers raised slogans against her inside the court premises, creating a tense atmosphere. Tuesday's visit came nearly a month after that confrontation.
A Pattern: The Nandigram Precedent
This is not the first time Banerjee has legally contested a constituency loss to Suvendu Adhikari. In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, Adhikari had defeated her from the Nandigram seat, and Banerjee had subsequently filed an election petition challenging that result as well. Notably, the 2021 Nandigram election petition is still pending before the court — meaning Banerjee now has active challenges against Adhikari from two successive election cycles.
In 2021, despite her loss in Nandigram, Banerjee was sworn in as Chief Minister after the TMC won a decisive majority statewide. The 2026 elections, however, produced a different outcome, with Adhikari leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a state-level victory and assuming the Chief Minister's office.
What the Petition Means
An election petition in the Calcutta High Court is a formal legal mechanism to contest the declared result of an Assembly seat, and if upheld, can lead to the result being set aside or a fresh election being ordered. The petition filed by Banerjee, backed by an affidavit, will now go through the court's standard legal process. Given the precedent of the still-pending Nandigram 2021 case, legal observers expect this petition to take considerable time to reach a conclusion.
With TMC now in opposition and Banerjee out of the Chief Minister's chair for the first time since 2011, the legal challenge signals that the party intends to contest the 2026 mandate on multiple fronts — both in the legislature and in the courts.
Point of View
Still pending after four years, is a cautionary precedent; election petitions in India rarely produce swift verdicts, and the political landscape can shift entirely before a court does. The more telling question is whether this legal strategy energises the TMC base or reinforces the perception that the party is relitigating losses it should be learning from. With Banerjee out of power for the first time in over a decade, how she handles opposition — in court and in the Assembly — will define TMC's trajectory heading into 2031.
NationPress
1 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What has Mamata Banerjee challenged in the Calcutta High Court?
Mamata Banerjee has filed an election petition in the Calcutta High Court challenging the 2026 Bhabanipur Assembly constituency result, in which Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari defeated her by more than 15,000 votes. She filed the petition along with a supporting affidavit on 16 June.
Why did Mamata Banerjee lose Bhabanipur in 2026?
According to the declared results, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by a margin of more than 15,000 votes in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. Adhikari subsequently became Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Has Mamata Banerjee filed an election petition against Suvendu Adhikari before?
Yes. Banerjee filed an election petition challenging Adhikari's victory over her in the Nandigram constituency in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. That petition is still pending before the court, making the Bhabanipur 2026 challenge her second such legal move against Adhikari.
Who accompanied Mamata Banerjee to the Calcutta High Court?
Banerjee was accompanied by Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh and party leader Dola Sen during her visit to the Calcutta High Court on 16 June. She stayed briefly, filed the petition, and left.
What happened during Mamata Banerjee's previous visit to the Calcutta High Court?
Banerjee had visited the Calcutta High Court on 14 May to personally argue in a post-poll violence case. On that occasion, a section of lawyers raised slogans against her inside the court premises. Tuesday's visit came nearly a month after that incident.
