History Repeats Itself In Nandigram Where Suvendu Adhikari Faces His Ex-Aide

A top leader versus a former aide -- this was the script that played out in Bengal's Nandigram in the last assembly election, with dramatic results. This time, it is about a see a reprise, with an aide of the sitting MLA -- the BJP's Suvendu Adhikari -- ready to take him on. 

This was the big surprise the ruling Trinamool Congress packed into its candidate list announced this evening.

Pavitra Kar, known to be a close aide of Adhikari, will contest against him. His name made it to the list within hours of his quitting the BJP and joining Trinamool.  

Photos and a video of Kar's meeting with Abhishek Banerjee -- Trinamool's second-in-command and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew, was announced triumphantly by Trinamool around 1 pm today.

Read: Ex-Suvendu Adhikari Loyalist Pabitra Kar Rejoins Trinamool Ahead Of Polls

"In the presence of our Hon'ble National General Secretary Shri @abhishekaitc, Shri Pabitra Kar, former BJP leader from Boyal-I Gram Panchayat under Nandigram-II Block in Purba Medinipur, joined the Trinamool Congress family today. Dissatisfied with BJP's anti-people stance, he has chosen to stand firmly beside @MamataOfficial and work in the true spirit of Maa-Mati-Manush for the welfare of the people," read the party's post on X, formerly Twitter. 

In the presence of our Hon'ble National General Secretary Shri @abhishekaitc, Shri Pabitra Kar, former BJP leader from Boyal-I Gram Panchayat under Nandigram-II Block in Purba Medinipur, joined the Trinamool Congress family today.

Dissatisfied with BJP's anti-people stance, he... pic.twitter.com/MtqJGhfOKJ

— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) March 17, 2026

Adhikari, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in Bengal, is yet to comment about Trinamool's flank attack.  

Kar, who quit Trinamool in November 2020 to join the BJP, had been instrumental to Adhikari's victory in Nandigram in 2021. He has also played a significant role in consolidating the saffron party's organisational structure in the Midnapore's Boyal-1 area.

Nandigram -- a 350-odd square km area had made its place in history as a milestone in Bengal's anti-land acquisition movement, which catapulted Mamata Banerjee to the post of the Chief Minister. 

In 2021, the same woman who led that movement, found herself facing Suvendu Adhikari -- her close aide who assisted her in the protests that reverberated across the country. 

Read: Mamata Banerjee's 2026 Endgame: A 226 Target, And Kolkata Dare For Ex-Aide

Upset with Banerjee, Adhikari had rebelled and joined the BJP just a few months ago. 

As he was made the BJP candidate from Nandigram, an area his family considered their backyard, Banerjee, who never backed away from a challenge, decided to contest against him -- setting the stage for a massive prestige fight. 

The results came as a huge shock to Trinamool. 

Banerjee lost to Adhikari by a narrow margin of 1956 votes -- even as her party went on to win a third straight term with a huge margin. 

The Chief Minister kept a stiff upper lip and went back to her regular constituency in Kolkata -- Bhabanipur, from where she will contest this year too. 

Read: Mamata Banerjee vs Suvendu Adhikari: Bengal's Biggest Fight Now In Kolkata

This time, Suvendu Adhikari has taken the battle to her again, pitching himself as her opponent from the south Kolkata seat. 

The move is seen as nothing less than a declaration of war. 

During her stint in the Lok Sabha, Banerjee had won six elections from south Kolkata. Bhabanipur has been sending her to the state assembly since 2011 -- the year she took over the Left citadel. 

But Adhikari had been emphatic. "I defeated her in Nandigram; this time I will defeat her in Bhabanipur as well. I will make her a former Chief Minister by a margin of 50,000 votes," he has said.