- By Aditya Jha
- Fri, 20 Mar 2026 06:34 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
West Bengal Election: With just a few weeks remaining in the West Bengal Assembly election, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has pulled a chess move in Nandigram, the bastion of BJP's senior leader Suvendu Adhikari. Pabitra Kar, who helped Adhikari in defeating Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly election in Nandigram, has joined TMC and is also set to take on his former mentor in the upcoming polls. While the TMC has asserted that a local candidate will challenge the dominance of Adhikari, the BJP remains assured of Adhikari's victory.
How Relevant Is Pabitra Kar?
Kar reportedly ran an aggressive campaign for the BJP in the 2021 polls, labeling Mamata Banerjee as an "outsider" in Nandigram. While the TMC registered a massive victory by winning 215 seats and a 48 per cent vote share, Adhikari managed to defeat Banerjee by over 1,000 votes. However, the ruling party has changed its strategy this time by fielding Kar, a "son of Nandigram's soil", to take on the BJP leader.
"We needed someone with deep local roots and acceptability across voters. Pabitra Kar fits that requirement," a TMC leader was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. "He joined the BJP only in 2020 and was never close to Adhikari. He is known to be close to Dilip Ghosh. He was later made the pradhan of Boyal-1 gram panchayat in the Nandigram-2 block," a senior TMC leader asserted.
Nandigarm- A High-Profile Seat
Nandigram holds significant importance for TMC and Mamata Banerjee, as the anti-land acquisition agitation in 2007 was one of the major reasons behind the party's rise in the state. While Banerjee's former associate Adhikari is a key part of the saffron party now, TMC has tried to make a comeback by fielding a local on the seat. The polls in Bengal will be held in two phases-April 23 and April 29-and the results will be announced on May 4.