One cannot discuss politics and elections in West Bengal without mentioning the rivalry that is perhaps one of the biggest stories of political friends-turned-enemies across the states – Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee versus opposition leader and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari.
What began as a mentor-disciple relationship within the Trinamool Congress has turned into one of the most personal and symbolic electoral battles in Indian politics, a contest rooted in rebellion, betrayal, and political ineptitude.
The rivalry between Mamata and Suvendu
Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari, once part of the same party and considered close to each other – the TMC – are now rivals with the latter’s dramatic switch to the BJP in 2020.
The story of Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari cannot be told without Nandigram, the epicenter of Bengal’s political transformation.
Nandigram time for Mamata and Suvendu
In 2007, during the anti-land acquisition movement against the Left Front government, Suvendu Adhikari played a pivotal role and emerged as one of Mamata Banerjee’s most trusted organizers.
The Nandigram agitation helped propel the Trinamool Congress to power in 2011, ending 34 years of Left rule in West Bengal.
Adhikari rose rapidly within the party, serving as a minister in multiple portfolios and widely seen as Mamata’s chief strategist in rural Bengal. For years, he was considered the organizational backbone of the party in East Midnapore and one of Banerjee’s closest aides.
But the relationship began to deteriorate around 2019 amid internal power struggles and accusations of marginalization. In 2020, Adhikari defected dramatically to the BJP — transforming overnight from Mamata’s political general to her main rival.
The 2021 elections are the turning point
The rivalry that began in 2020 reached its peak during the 2021 Lok Sabha elections when Mamata Banerjee chose to contest from Nandigram – the stronghold of Suvendu.
The contest reached the end before Adhikari narrowly defeated the incumbent prime minister, one of the biggest symbolic upsets in Bengal politics despite the TMC winning the election overall.
Although TMC won the poll, the loss of Nandigram forced Banerjee to temporarily stay out of the assembly until she later won a bypoll from Bhabanipur or Bhowanipur.
The result permanently changed the political narrative in Bengal: the former aide successfully challenged his political mentor on his own ideological turf.
In the years since, Mamata and Suvendu have traded barbs over issues where the TMC and the BJP have clashed, including law and order, political violence and allegations of voter fraud.
In the latest flashpoint, the TMC sought the immediate removal of the returning officer from the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, alleging that he has a close relationship with Suvendu Adhikari.
Election 2026: Match 2.0 in Bhabanipur
Five years later, the rivalry entered a new phase. In the ongoing 2026 Assembly elections, Adhikari has taken the fight straight to Banerjee’s urban stronghold – Bhabanipur – making the constituency one of the most watched contests in the state.
The BJP in March released its first list of 144 candidates for the West Bengal Assembly elections, fielding leader Suvendu Adhikari from Mamata Banerjee’s incumbent seat of Bhawanipur in south Kolkata as well as from his traditional stronghold of Nandigram where he defeated the chief minister in 2021.
Voting for the West Bengal Assembly elections will take place in two phases, the first on April 23 and the second on April 29. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4, along with the counting of votes in the states of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Mamata Banerjee has returned to her familiar campaign style, presenting herself as a protector of Bengal against what she calls foreign political interference and election manipulation.
Recent speeches have accused the BJP of importing supporters and trying to influence voter lists ahead of the polls.
Adhikari, meanwhile, has portrayed the election as a battle for political change, using his 2021 victory as evidence that Banerjee’s dominance can be challenged.
As West Bengal heads to the polls, the election returns once again to the relationship that has reshaped state politics: a leader and her former deputy, now locked in a contest that will define the present – and perhaps the future – of Bengal.
