Mamata Banerjee submits nomination for Bhabanipur constituency, declares, “This is where it all started for me.”

On Wednesday (April 8), West Bengal’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee submitted her nomination papers as the TMC candidate for the Bhabanipur assembly seat, stating that everything in her life started from this place.

Surrounded by a crowd of supporters chanting ‘Mamata Banerjee zindabad’ and ‘TMC zindabad’, Banerjee conducted a roadshow from her residence in Kalighat to the Alipore Survey Building, where she officially filed her nomination.

With her hands folded and her signature smile, she walked approximately 800 meters, greeting party workers who lined the route.
“I was born and raised in Bhabanipur. Everything in my life began here,” Banerjee shared with reporters after submitting her nomination.

Calling for support for the TMC beyond just the Bhabanipur contest, she said, “I urge the people, not only in Bhabanipur but across all 294 seats, to secure victory for our candidates. We will win with a larger mandate.” In the 2021 assembly elections, the TMC had secured 213 seats.

Banerjee also voiced her concerns about names being removed from the electoral rolls, stating her party would approach the court again regarding the freezing of the voter list.

“It deeply pains me that numerous names have been omitted from the electoral rolls. I cannot comprehend why the voter lists have been frozen. We will pursue court action again,” Banerjee remarked.

The three-time MLA from Bhabanipur is set to face BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari in this prominent contest.

She was accompanied during her nomination filing by Rubi Hakim, the wife of Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, TMC block president of Ward 71 Bablu Singh, and Miraj Shah of the Bhabanipur Education Society.

Her family members were also present.

The TMC emphasized Banerjee’s roadshow and nomination as a representation of Bengal’s pluralistic ethos in Bhabanipur, a constituency where Gujarati businessmen, Bengali families, Punjabi households, and Muslim residents have coexisted for generations.

The ruling party aimed to depict Bhabanipur as a “mini-India” and a symbol of West Bengal’s inclusive identity.

The elections for the 294-member West Bengal assembly will take place in two phases—on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.