Mamata Banerjee challenges Bhabanipur election loss in Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday sought a response from Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on an election petition filed by former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee challenging his victory from the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency.Justice Gaurang Kanth observed that the petition prima facie met the requirements laid down under the Representation of the People Act and found no grounds for its dismissal at this stage. The court directed the respondents to file their affidavits within four weeks, with a rejoinder to follow in the subsequent four weeks, and listed the matter for hearing after 12 weeks.The High Court also ordered that CCTV footage from the counting centre, along with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units used across Bhabanipur polling stations, be preserved pending further proceedings.Before taking up the matter, Justice Kanth disclosed that his elder brother serves as a national spokesperson for the BJP, stating that he wished to make the relationship known to avoid any future concerns regarding impartiality. Counsel for Banerjee expressed confidence in the judge and raised no objection to his hearing the case.Mamata Banerjee Moves Calcutta High Court Challenging Bhabanipur Election ResultBanerjee’s legal team alleged irregularities during vote counting, questioned the appointment of the returning officer due to an alleged conflict of interest, and claimed that a significant number of voters had been improperly removed from the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision process.

In a dramatic turn of events, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is taking her battle to the Calcutta High Court, disputing Suvendu Adhikari's 2026 election win in Bhowanipore. Banerjee, who faced a defeat margin exceeding 15,000 votes, has raised alarms about possible misconduct, including claims of CCTV malfunctions and the exclusion of her election agents from the counting process.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee has moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the result of the Bhabanipur Assembly election, where she was defeated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls.#BigBreakingNews#TMC chairperson #MamataBanerjee has filed a petition at Calcutta high court challenging the election result of #Bhawanipur assembly constituency. #WestBengalElection #WestBengalLegislativeAssemblyelection2026 #BJP #Bhabanipur #Kolkata #CalcuttaHighCourt pic.twitter.com/a1rg4LDIDN— Rajesh Saha (@Journo_Rajesh) June 16, 2026 Banerjee filed an election petition before the High Court on Tuesday, seeking judicial scrutiny of the constituency’s outcome. According to TMC sources, she personally visited the court registry to affirm the petition contesting the election result.In the high-profile Bhabanipur contest, Adhikari secured victory over Banerjee by a margin of 15,105 votes. The constituency had long been regarded as a political stronghold of the TMC leader, making the result one of the most closely watched outcomes of the 2026 Assembly elections.BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari Defeats Mamata Banerjee In Bhabanipur By 15114 Votes The votes for the West Bengal Assembly polls were counted on May 4, with the BJP registering a decisive statewide victory. Following the party’s landmark performance, Suvendu Adhikari was sworn in as West Bengal’s first BJP Chief Minister.The election petition is expected to initiate legal proceedings over the Bhabanipur result, with the Calcutta High Court likely to examine the grounds cited by Banerjee in challenging the outcome. The move adds a legal dimension to the political rivalry between the TMC and BJP in the state.

The Trinamool Congress chief lost the seat to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari by a margin of more than 15,100 votes.

Mamata Banerjee has challenged her Bhabanipur assembly election defeat in the Calcutta High Court. She lost the seat, previously her stronghold, by 15,105 votes to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. This challenge follows her earlier narrow loss in Nandigram during the 2021 Assembly elections.