Mamata wins Bhabanipur battle by over 58,000 votes, breaks her 2011 record

Banerjee got 84,709 of the total polled votes, BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal 26,320 votes and CPI-M candidate Shrijeeb Biswas 4,201 votes. 

The TMC chief's winning margin went past the one registered by TMC veteran Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay during the 2021 assembly elections. 

Winning the byelection, Banerjee said, "The central government had hatched conspiracy to defeat us in 2021 assembly elections. Despite that, we had won. I had personally fought an election but the matter is now subjudice. I won't comment." 

"People of the entire state were keeping track of this byelection... People have given a befitting reply," said the TMC supremo. 

Unlike 2016 or 2021 elections, the TMC under candidate Banerjee got lead in all eight Kolkata Municipal Corporation wards fall under the Bhabanipur constituency. 

The win was a must for the TMC supremo, who became the Chief Minister despite being a non-MLA, to continue with her uninterrupted stint as the Chief Minister.

Accepting her defeat, Tibrewal said, "I had shown how the TMC has used fake voters on the polling day. But I accept my defeat unlike my opponent who goes to court challenging a result."

The bypoll in Bhabanipur was necessitated following the resignation of West Bengal Minister and TMC veteran Sovandeb Chattopadhyay.

Chattopadhyay resigned to pave the way for Banerjee to contest and get elected to the assembly after she was defeated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram.

Though the Nandigram result has been challenged by Banerjee in the court, she has plunged into election again to remain in the Chief Minister's post.

As per Constitution, anyone can become a minister but he/she will have to get elected from any assembly constituency of the state within six months after the assumption of the post.