Kolkata, Apr 1:
In West Bengal’s election season, Bhabanipur is preparing for two processions, two rival political theatres and perhaps the most symbolic duel of the 2026 assembly polls.
On April 2, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is expected to file his nomination papers from the south Kolkata constituency, accompanied by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and an array of senior BJP leaders in what the party hopes will be a show of strength.
Six days later, on April 8, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to set out from her Kalighat residence and walk in a procession to the Gopalnagar Survey Building to submit her documents, surrounded by the TMC leadership that has stood by her through three decades of political battles.
The two marches, separated by less than a week, are set to frame Bhabanipur not merely as another assembly constituency but as the state’s principal political battlefield, where West Bengal’s two most formidable rivals will once again face one another.