Kolkata, Oct 2 — West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday explained why he chose to retain the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in South Kolkata instead of his original constituency, Nandigram, in East Midnapore, after winning simultaneously from both constituencies in the West Bengal Assembly elections earlier this year.
“Had I not retained Bhabanipur, then the bypoll would have been for Bhabanipur and not Nandigram. In that case, the Trinamool Congress candidate whom I defeated would have contested from Bhabanipur in the bypoll,” CM Adhikari said at Nandigram while campaigning for Hasirani Rath, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the bypoll there, which is scheduled for Oct 6.
In the Assembly elections earlier this year, Adhikari, as a BJP candidate, was elected simultaneously from Nandigram and Bhabanipur.
At Bhabanipur, he defeated his predecessor and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by a margin of over 15,000 votes.
Later, he retained Bhabanipur, necessitating a bypoll for Nandigram.
Speaking on the occasion, he also appealed to the voters of Nandigram to vote in such a manner that the deposits of the principal opposition parties are forfeited.
“The sin committed by Trinamool Congress has crossed all limits. So, Oct 6, the polling day, will be the day to teach them a lesson,” the Chief Minister said.
Referring to the assassination of his former personal assistant, late Chandranath Rath, who was killed on a public road at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on May 6 this year, and whose mother is Hasirani Rath, CM Adhikari urged voters to respond democratically.
“The voters of Nandigram will have to take a democratic revenge on Oct 6 for the murder of Chandranath Rath merely for being my assistant,” CM Adhikari said.
Speaking on the occasion, he also referred to the recent arrest of Sumit Roy, the executive assistant of Trinamool Congress General Secretary and the party’s Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, on charges of corruption.
“Sumit Roy has already been arrested on charges of corruption. Now a bigger thief will be behind bars soon,” the Chief Minister said, without clarifying whom he was indicating as the “bigger thief”.