Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has filed an election petition before the Calcutta High Court challenging the result of the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, where she was defeated by BJP leader and current Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in the 2026 Assembly elections.
The petition was filed nearly six weeks after the election results were announced. Banerjee lost the high-profile Bhabanipur seat by a margin of 15,105 votes in one of the biggest political upsets in West Bengal’s recent history. The constituency had long been regarded as one of her strongest political bastions.
According to court filings, Banerjee has sought judicial review of the election outcome, alleging irregularities in the electoral process. The matter is now expected to be heard by the Calcutta High Court in the coming weeks.
Banerjee personally visited the High Court along with several senior TMC leaders while filing the petition. The move marks her second major legal challenge against Adhikari’s electoral victories. In 2021, she had similarly challenged her defeat to Adhikari in the Nandigram Assembly constituency, a case that remains pending.
The legal challenge comes at a politically sensitive time for the Trinamool Congress, which suffered a major setback in the 2026 Assembly elections after the BJP secured power in West Bengal for the first time. Adhikari’s victory over Banerjee in Bhabanipur was widely seen as the defining contest of the election and a symbolic shift in the state’s political landscape.
Following the election results announced on May 4, Banerjee had publicly questioned the outcome and alleged that the mandate did not reflect the actual will of voters. Her latest court petition represents an effort to challenge the result through legal channels.
Political observers believe the case could attract significant attention because it involves two of West Bengal’s most prominent political figures and concerns a constituency that has played a central role in the state’s recent political battles. The High Court’s proceedings will be closely watched by both the ruling BJP and the opposition TMC.
