As Suvendu Adhikari 'wins' Nandigram, TMC calls for 'immediate' recounting
Mamata said she welcomes any verdict Nandigram gives, though she is aware some manipulations were done after the result was declared.
The Trinamool Congress on Sunday wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, for immediately recounting the votes in Nandigram, including the postal ballots after Mamata Banerjee lost the crucial constituency to Suvendu Adhikari. Though the Trinamool is on its way to form the government third time straight, Nandigram remains the bone of contention.
After trailing behind BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in the initial rounds of counting, Trinamool Supremo Mamata Banerjee reportedly narrowed the distance and news agency ANI reported Banerjee won by 1,200 votes.
Countering the claim, BJP leader Amit Malviya tweeted that Mamata was not the winner and Adhikari won by a margin of around 1,600 votes. From its official Twitter handle, the Trinamool Congress clarified that the counting was still going on. As Adhikari shared a photo of the document signed by the returning officers, several BJP leaders congratulated him on social media.
"My sincere thanks to the great People of Nandigram for their love, trust, blessings, and support, and for choosing me as their representative and the MLA from #Nandigram. It is my never-ending commitment to be of service to them and working for their welfare. I am truly grateful!," Suvendu tweeted.
Mamata, on the other hand, said she welcomes whatever verdict Nandigram gives, claiming that there was some manipulation after the results were announced.
"Forget Nandigram. For struggle, you have to sacrifice something. I struggled for Nandigram because I fought a movement. So now I have forgotten that. It's okay. Let Nandigram give whatever verdict it has to give. I accept that. I don't mind. It's nothing. It's just a match," she said.
This was the first time Mamata contested from Nandigram after her long associate Adhikari joined the BJP. Adhikari's political career revolved around Medinipur - he was a Congress councillor in the Contai Municipality, was a Trinamool MLA from Kanthi Dakshin, was a Lok Sabha MP from Tamluk Lok Sabha Constituency and then the MLA of Nandigram.
Follow all updates of West Bengal Assembly elections
Nandigram was the most keenly watched seat as it became a prestige issue for both Trinamool and the BJP, for both Mamata and Suvendu. While Nandigram violence of 2007 was one of the launchpads for Trinamool, the Adhikari family has strong roots in Nandigram. With the Adhikari family throwing its weight behind the BJP ahead of the crucial election, it was clear that Nandigram was the route for the chief ministership of Bengal.
n the run-up to the polls, Nandigram faced the heat of heavy campaigning and it was in Nandigram where Mamata met with an accident that left her wheelchair-bound. While the accident became an issue of the election, Suvendu Adhikari had earlier said he would quit politics if he loses from Nandigram.
