Abhishek sets 60,000 victory margin target for Mamata, warns cadres against complacency
Kolkata (PTI): The TMC on Sunday held an organisational meeting in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s home turf Bhabanipur, where party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee set an ambitious target of ensuring her victory by more than 60,000 votes in the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections.
The meeting assumes significance as Bhabanipur, long regarded as Mamata Banerjee’s political backyard, is expected to witness a high-profile contest in the upcoming election with the BJP fielding Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari against her.
Addressing a closed-door workers’ conference at Ahindra Mancha in Chetla, along with Mamata Banerjee, her nephew Abhishek told booth-level leaders and party functionaries that Bhabanipur must emerge as the top-performing constituency in Kolkata, according to TMC sources.
“Bhabanipur must come first in Kolkata. Mamata Banerjee has to win by more than 60,000 votes,” he said, warning party cadres not to be complacent despite the constituency’s reputation as a TMC stronghold.
The meeting, attended by local councillors, booth workers and organisational leaders, was part of the party’s effort to strengthen its booth-level machinery in the constituency ahead of the assembly polls.
Among those present were state TMC president Subrata Bakshi, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, south Kolkata district president Debasish Kumar and councillors from the area.
Abhishek, considered number 2 in the TMC hierarchy, reminded party workers that Bhabanipur has 287 polling booths and asked them to improve on the party’s earlier performance.
“When Mamata Banerjee contested here earlier, we won in 231 booths. This time we must cross that figure and ensure victory in at least 232 booths,” he said.
Calling on booth presidents to function as “vigilant guardians” of their respective polling areas, the TMC MP said internal differences within local committees should not affect the organisational effort.
“You may like some people in your booth committees and dislike others. But remember that Mamata Banerjee herself is fighting here. That makes our responsibility much greater,” he said.
Mamata Banerjee, who also addressed the meeting, raised concerns over recent administrative changes during the poll process and accused the Centre of interfering in the state’s functioning.
“In the last three days, 50 officers have been removed. If anything happens, Narendra Modi and Vanish Kumar will have to take responsibility,” she told workers.
The TMC supremo also referred to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and said the party would extend legal assistance to voters who face problems.
“A supplementary list will be published tomorrow. If anyone’s name is deleted or they face difficulties, we will provide legal help,” she said.
According to party sources, the revision exercise has reportedly led to the deletion of around 47,000 names from the Bhabanipur electoral rolls, a development the TMC leadership is closely monitoring.
The constituency occupies a special place in Bengal politics. Mamata Banerjee had first represented Bhabanipur in the assembly before returning to the seat in 2011 through a bypoll after becoming chief minister.
In 2021, she again contested a by-election from Bhabanipur to retain the chief minister’s post after losing the high-stakes battle in Nandigram to Adhikari.
Though the seat has largely remained a TMC bastion, recent electoral trends have made the contest more closely watched. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, TMC candidate Mala Roy secured a lead of around 6,500 votes in the Bhabanipur segment, while the BJP gained ground in several municipal wards.
Against this backdrop, party leaders said Sunday’s meeting was aimed at ensuring there is “no room for complacency” in the constituency and that the organisational network remains fully mobilised for the upcoming electoral battle.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
