The high-stakes battle for Bhabanipur reached a boiling point on Saturday (April 26, 2026) as a confrontation between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP workers forced security personnel to intervene. The incident unfolded just days before the crucial April 29 polling date, as the constituency’s two primary contenders — Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari — held public meetings within earshot of each other.
The tension marks a dramatic escalation in the “battle of Bhabanipur,” a seat Ms. Banerjee has held since 2011 but which the BJP has made its “biggest target” in the 2026 Assembly elections.
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Citing a “systematic breakdown of law and order,” the Congress party demanded the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for the immediate arrest of Papai Ghosh, whom they describe as a notorious repeat offender responsible for orchestrating violence in the Berhampore Assembly Constituency (AC-72). The formal complaint, authored by Niloy Pramanik and addressed to Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal, alleges that the administration’s continued inaction has directly “emboldened” Mr. Ghosh and his associates to carry out escalating acts of brutality.
