Pabitra Kar from Nandigram is contesting as a TMC candidate in the high-profile 2026 elections, with the main battle being with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Pabitra Kar, once the BJP’s chief strategist Suvendu Adhikari, is now the face of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) campaign to reclaim Nandigram. As the 2026 Assembly elections continue, the focus remains on the Purba stronghold of Medinipur, which has already cast votes in one of the most anticipated contests in the state.
The shift in Carr’s political allegiance determined the contest in this constituency. By bringing in a former BJP leader who deeply understands Adhikari’s local network, the TMC has turned a traditional partisan battle into a confrontation. The election outcome now depends on whether the former aide can successfully dismantle his former mentor’s influence.
Five facts about Pabitra Kar
- Pabitra Kar started his political journey with the Trinamool Congress and served as a pradhan in Boyal-1 gram panchayat in Nandigram-2 block, Purba Medinipur.
- During the politically significant Nandigram movement of 2007-08, he worked closely with then TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari and was part of the local organizational network that strengthened the party in the region.
- In November 2020, Kar left the TMC and joined the BJP, shortly before Suvendu Adhikari himself resigned from the TMC in December 2020.
- In the BJP, he served as vice president of the Tamluk district organization and helped expand the party structure at the ward level in Nandigram. He was considered part of the local network that supported Adhikari’s narrow victory by 1,956 votes over Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly elections. His wife also won the panchayat seat on a BJP ticket and became the president of the Boyal-2 Gram Panchayat.
- Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, Kar returned to the Trinamool Congress in the presence of Abhishek Banerjee and was immediately fielded as the party’s candidate from Nandigram.
- The 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in two phases. Although the first phase has already been completed, the second phase of voting is now approaching, and the results are scheduled to be announced on May 4.
