As the Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency gears up for a high-profile electoral battle in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari have disclosed their assets and legal cases in their nomination affidavits. Banerjee, owning immovable property valued at Rs 15.37 lakh, reported no movable assets or liabilities. In contrast, Adhikari declared cash-on-hand of Rs 12,000, immovable assets worth Rs 61.30 lakh, and movable assets worth Rs 24.57 lakh.
Over the past five years, Adhikari’s total assets have decreased by Rs 34.74 lakh. Notably, Banerjee has no criminal cases against her, whereas Adhikari has seen a surge in criminal cases filed against him in the last five years. In 2021, Adhikari had no criminal cases when contesting from Nandigram but now faces 29 criminal cases across various police stations in Kolkata and other districts.
Adhikari, contesting from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram, previously served as an MLA for Trinamool Congress and later for BJP. In the 2021 Nandigram elections, he defeated Banerjee by a slim margin, leading to her victory in Bhabanipur’s by-election. Nandigram goes to polls on April 23, while Bhabanipur’s polling is scheduled for April 29, with results on May 4.
