Outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced defeat on Monday in the West Bengal assembly elections against Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, losing by a margin of 15,114 votes. This marks the second time that Banerjee has been defeated by Adhikari, the first being in the 2021 elections in Nandigram by a margin of nearly 2,000 votes. Adhikari, who also contested from Bhabanipur, emerged victorious from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram this time, with a larger margin in Bhabanipur.
Adhikari expressed his satisfaction with the results, stating that he had been confident of defeating Banerjee in Bhabanipur, just as he did in Nandigram in 2011. He highlighted the support he received from voters of various religions in Bhabanipur, attributing his victory to their backing. In Nandigram, Adhikari’s victory margin was lower due to a higher percentage of Muslim voters compared to Bhabanipur.
The defeat of Mamata Banerjee makes her the second sitting Chief Minister in West Bengal to be defeated, following the late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Bhattacharjee, who lost in 2011 to a Trinamool Congress candidate, refrained from further contests until his passing in August 2024. Banerjee, the first sitting Chief Minister in West Bengal, has now been defeated twice, once in Nandigram in 2021 and again in Bhabanipur in 2026, both times by Suvendu Adhikari.
