Nandigram: Pabitra Kar calls Suvendu ‘paper tiger’, vows to win by 30K votes
Kolkata: Nandigram in East Midnapore, which “hugely contributed” to Mamata Banerjee’s rise to power in 2011 by helping dismantle the erstwhile Left Front regime, has once again emerged as a political flashpoint, marked by intense rivalry between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP in an otherwise bipolar contest.
Political mercury surged in Nandigram after the TMC made a last-minute “dramatic stroke” by inducting Pabitra Kar and fielding him against BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, with Kar vowing to win by at least 30,000 votes.
Calling Suvendu a “paper tiger,” Kar pointed to the massive public support in Nandigram, with TMC rallies drawing huge crowds, including a large turnout from Ashadtala to Terpekhira.
“Spontaneous reaction of the people joining in the rallies says it all. I am 100 per cent confident that I will win by a margin of at least 30,000,” said Kar. Leaders belonging to Adhikari’s camp, however, claimed that winning the seat is just a matter of time.
Amid a volatile pre-poll atmosphere, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is set to kick off his campaign in Nandigram on Wednesday. His ‘Sebaashray’ camp, offering free medical care and medicines, has drawn large crowds, with locals saying such welfare outreach is shaping voter sentiment.
Many residents claimed development slowed after the BJP came to power in Nandigram, while others alleged that post-2021, politics increasingly shifted towards religious divisions. “People are tired of religion-based politics. Everything is seen through a prism of polarisation,” a local resident said, with some also alleging that Adhikari is visible only during elections.
According to the Election Commission data, Adhikari had received 1,10,764 votes (48.49 per cent) in 2021, while Banerjee had received 1,08,808 votes which was 47.68 per cent votes. However, Banerjee had filed a case in Calcutta High Court alleging “foul play” during counting. The case is
still pending.
In terms of voter demographics, Nandigram had 257,992 registered voters in the 2021 Assembly elections, up from 246,434 in 2019 and 231,866 in 2016. Muslim voters make up around 23.60 per cent of the electorate, while Scheduled Castes account for 16.46 per cent.
