Suvendu Adhikari's rise: From Mamata loyalist to defeating her twice

Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021, beat her again in Bhabanipur as the BJP ended the TMC's 15-year rule in Bengal

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made history on Monday, sweeping to power in West Bengal and ending the 15-year rule of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The BJP won 206 seats of the state’s 294 Assembly seats, while the TMC was reduced to 80.

 

Mamata lost from Bhabanipur to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari by more than 15,000 votes.

 

This is the second time Adhikari defeated Mamata. Their last contest was in Nandigram during the 2021 Assembly polls. Adhikari's victory marked a major personal victory besides strengthening the BJP’s Bengal mandate in the state.

 

Suvendu Adhikari: From Congress to TMC

 

Adhikari comes from a strong political family. His father, Sisir Adhikari, was a Union minister during former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s tenure.

 

 

Like his father, Suvendu started his career with the Congress in 1995 before joining the TMC in 1998. He entered the state Assembly in 2006 after winning from Kanthi Dakshin.

 

Rise in the TMC

 

Over time, Adhikari became one of Mamata Banerjee’s close aides. In 2007, he emerged as a key organiser during the Nandigram agitation, which brought the TMC to power in West Bengal in 2011.

 

The 2011 victory also strengthened Adhikari’s political profile. He entered Lok Sabha after contesting from Tamluk, winning the seat twice in 2009 and 2014.

 

When the TMC returned to power in 2016, Mamata Banerjee inducted Adhikari into her Cabinet. He was sworn in as Bengal’s Minister of Transport and was later given charge of additional ministries.

 

Swtich to BJP and defeating Mamata twice

 

Once seen as Mamata's heir apparent and one of the TMC’s top leaders, Adhikari changed course in December 2020. He resigned from the Cabinet and quit the party. Two days later, he joined the BJP in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

 

Months later, during the 2021 Assembly polls, Adhikari contested against Mamata from Nandigram and won. However, the BJP was unable to make major gains in that election and won 77 seats.

 

Adhikari’s Nandigram victory cemented his position as one of BJP’s top leaders in West Bengal. He later became the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

 

While the BJP has not announced any candidate for the chief minister's post so far, Adhikari's twin victories against Mamata Banerjee make him among the frontrunners for the post.