Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shuvendu Adhikari will today file his nomination papers from Nandigram for the West Bengal Election 2021.
The Nandigram seat is expected to witness the tough competition between BJP leader Shuvendu Adhikari and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). Shuvendu Adhikari’s nomination is expected to be attended by Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan, and veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty.
The presence of two Union Ministers at the rally to file the officer’s nomination underscores the importance attached by the BJP to the Nandigram seat from where Mamata Banerjee has already filed her nomination on behalf of the TMC. The fight for Nandigram is a question of political existence for Shuvendu Adhikari, as he has vowed to defeat Mamata Banerjee by a margin of 50,000 votes.
“I am the Bhoomiputra of Nandigram. Mamata Banerjee is an outsider here. I will defeat her and send him back to Kolkata,” Shuvendu Adhikari had said.
He said that his nomination was announced by the BJP last Saturday. While Smriti Irani has been asked to organize a rally in Haldia.
The officer’s nomination is being filed in Nandigram amid a high-voltage drama over the alleged attack on Banerjee. On Thursday, Mamta told the hospital that she would campaign in two days and hold rallies in wheelchairs.
Elections for the 294 seats of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27. The battle of Nandigram will be witnessed during the second phase. The votes will be counted on May 2.
The BJP has already claimed that it will come to power in West Bengal with more than 200 seats. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has claimed that the BJP will not be able to cross the double-digit mark.