Mamata Banerjee files nomination from Bengal poll epicentre Nandigram

The Trinamool chief, who took the challenge of contesting her former lieutenant and Bharatiya Janata Party (BP) candidate Suvendu Adhikari in his bastion, filed her nomination with one of her trusted soldiers, Subrata Bakshi by her side.

"Nandigram is the symbol of political battle. I decided to contest from Nandigram seeing people's huge craze," said Banerjee.

The Chief Minister, who is busy in political rallies, roadshows and visiting temples since Tuesday afternoon, will stay in Nandigram for the night and return to Kolkata to unveil the party's poll manifesto Thursday.

Adhikari, who led the Trinamool's 2007 Nandigram land movement which catapulted Banerjee to assume power in 2011, jumped to the BJP in Dec 2020. Ever since joining, the BJP leader targeted the Chief Minister giving a call to uninstall the present government through the elections.

In a bid to counter the BJP's alleged religious polarisation, Banerjee Tuesday asked her adversary not to play the Hindu card as people can't be divided on the basis of religion.

Banerjee said, "I will hold two rallies in two blocks. Some people will say 70/30 (divide people on the basis of Hindu and Muslim respectively). But we are for 100 per cent people. People can’t be divided like that."

"Don’t come to play Hindu card with me. First they should prove themselves as Hindus. They should participate in a competition with me over Hinduism," she added.

Meanwhile, Adhikari has already said he would defeat the Chief Minister by "half-a-lakh votes" in the polls. 

Nandigram will go to polls in the second phase Apr 1.