Key Facts
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, challenging her defeat to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari in the Bhabanipur assembly seat during the April 29 state elections. The petition alleges irregularities and bias in the electoral process.
Details of the Petition
Mamata Banerjee, represented by senior lawyer and Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee, argued that the election was marred by bias. Kalyan Banerjee stated, "Mamata Banerjee came to court to challenge the entire Bhabanipur election process. There is reasonable evidence of bias in the process. For example, the chief electoral officer (Manoj Kumar Agarwal) became the chief secretary after the elections. Whoever helped was rewarded by Suvendu Adhikari."
Adhikari defeated Banerjee by 15,105 votes at her traditional seat in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur in the second phase of the two-phase state polls. The results were announced on May 4, and Adhikari became Chief Minister. Banerjee had refused to resign as CM, alleging that the polls were rigged after deleting several million names during the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.
Background: Previous Defeat
This is the second time Mamata Banerjee has been defeated by Suvendu Adhikari in five years. In 2021, she challenged him at his traditional Nandigram seat and lost by 1,956 votes. Her petition regarding Nandigram is still pending in the High Court.
BJP's Response
Bengal parliamentary affairs minister Shankar Ghosh dismissed the petition as a futile attempt. "She challenged the 2021 Nandigram results as well and moved court. Now that her party is facing oblivion, let her make another futile attempt," he said.
Parallel Development: LoP Controversy
In a related matter, the High Court on Tuesday deferred its hearing on a TMC petition challenging Assembly Speaker Rathindra Nath Bose's decision to recognize a group of 58 rebel TMC MLAs as the opposition, with expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition (LoP). On June 3, Bose recognized the rebel group in the 294-member House.
On June 1, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha were expelled from TMC after Adhikari said their written complaint led to a CID probe into alleged signature forgery. The two legislators alleged that signatures of several TMC MLAs were forged on a May 19 resolution nominating Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the assembly's LoP. Abhishek Banerjee, who forwarded the resolution to the speaker, was questioned by CID for 5.5 hours on June 11 and 8.5 hours on June 14.
On June 11, Justice Krishna Rao questioned the speaker's decision to recognize an expelled party member as LoP without the party's consent. "The person appointed as the LoP doesn't belong to any political party. He was expelled," the bench observed. Kalyan Banerjee argued that the speaker's decision violated the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. The state's additional advocate general requested time to file an affidavit, and the hearing was deferred to Wednesday.
All-Party Meeting Controversy
On Tuesday, the speaker called an all-party meeting to decide formalities for the upcoming budget session starting June 18. TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh alleged that neither he nor any official TMC MLA was invited. "I did not receive any invitation. Our senior most MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, who was supposed to be the LoP as per our recommendation, was not invited either. Instead, an expelled party member was invited as the LoP. The speaker is not following Constitutional norms," he said. The speaker did not comment, but Shankar Ghosh said the meeting was held according to rules: "All parties were invited as per rules."
FAQ
Why did Mamata Banerjee challenge the Bhabanipur election result?
Mamata Banerjee alleged bias in the electoral process, including the appointment of the chief electoral officer as chief secretary after the elections, and claimed that several million names were deleted from the electoral roll.
What is the status of her 2021 Nandigram petition?
Her petition challenging the 2021 Nandigram result is still pending in the Calcutta High Court.
What is the controversy about the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal?
Speaker Rathindra Nath Bose recognized 58 rebel TMC MLAs as the principal opposition group and appointed expelled TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee as LoP, which TMC claims violates constitutional norms.