BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari defeated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency on Monday, winning by over 15,000 votes. The seat, which Banerjee had held since 2011 and previously won via a bypoll in 2021, is seen as a symbolic stronghold of her political base in Kolkata.

Adhikari, a former Trinamool Congress leader and cabinet minister, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in December 2020 and previously defeated Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 state elections. His victory in Bhabanipur consolidates his position as the main opposition figure in West Bengal and reinforces the BJP's growing electoral presence in the state.

The result underscores a deepening political rivalry between Banerjee and her former aide, once considered one of her closest lieutenants. Internal party tensions, particularly around the rise of Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee and strategist Prashant Kishor, contributed to Adhikari's exit from the Trinamool Congress.

Adhikari is now set to continue as Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly. The next state assembly elections are due in 2026, and the outcome in Bhabanipur is expected to influence campaign strategies across the state.