Suvendu Adhikari, West Bengal’s Leader of the Opposition, has announced he will resign from one of the two Assembly seats he currently holds – Nandigram and Contai South – within the next 10 days.
Adhikari won both seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha and West Bengal Assembly elections held simultaneously. He secured victory in Nandigram by defeating TMC’s Sabuj Pratihar with a margin of over 64,000 votes, and in Contai South by approximately 30,000 votes against TMC’s Manas Kumar Pal.
The decision stems from a legal provision preventing an individual from simultaneously holding both a Lok Sabha and Assembly seat. Adhikari chose to retain his Lok Sabha seat representing Kanthi, having won it with a significant margin of over 2 lakh votes against TMC’s Chandra Sekhar Dubey.
He stated the decision was made after consulting with legal experts and party colleagues. Adhikari expressed gratitude to the voters of both Nandigram and Contai South for their support.
The by-election resulting from his resignation is expected to be a significant contest, with both the TMC and BJP likely to field strong candidates. Political analysts suggest the by-poll will be a test of the current political climate in West Bengal following the Lok Sabha results.
Adhikari’s victory in both Assembly seats was seen as a major boost for the BJP in West Bengal, particularly given his previous role as a key member of the TMC before switching allegiance. The upcoming by-election will be closely watched to see if the BJP can maintain its momentum in the region. He has not yet specified which seat he will vacate.
