West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday filed her nomination papers from the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency in South Kolkata, with her list of proposers reflecting the area’s diverse and cosmopolitan character.
The proposers named in her nomination include Ismat Hakim, wife of Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, representing the Muslim community; Nishpal Singh Rane, husband of actor and Trinamool Congress MP Koel Mallick, representing the Punjabi community; local TMC leader Bablu Singh, representing Biharis; and Bhabanipur Education Society representative Miraj Shah, representing Gujaratis.
Banerjee began her day from her residence on Harish Chatterjee Street and led a roadshow to the Alipore Survey Building, where she submitted her nomination. She was accompanied by senior party leaders, including Firhad Hakim, her family members, and local representatives, as thousands of supporters gathered along the route.
Speaking to the media after filing her nomination, Banerjee expressed deep emotional ties with the constituency. “My entire life has revolved around Bhabanipur. I have lived here since childhood and will continue to stay here. I bow to the people of Bhabanipur,” she said.
Police deployed security measures and barricaded parts of the route to manage the large crowd during the procession.
The Bhabanipur contest is expected to be closely watched, with Banerjee facing Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who is also contesting from his stronghold Nandigram in East Midnapore district.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Adhikari had defeated Banerjee in Nandigram by a narrow margin of less than 2,000 votes. Banerjee later secured victory in a by-election from Bhabanipur, enabling her to continue as Chief Minister for a third consecutive term.
