Bhabanipur bypolls: BJP upbeat about Tibrewal's chances; reminds Mamata of Nandigram loss

Clarifying why Priyanka Tibrewal was chosen to fight against Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee in the Bhabanipur bypolls, Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on Sunday, said that the battle was between two 'losers'. Pointing out that while Banerjee had lost from Nandigram and Tibrewal from Entally seat, he lauded the advocate's fight for justice against post-poll violence in Bhabanipur. By-elections in Bhabanipur, Samserganj and Jangipur Assembly Constituencies in the state are scheduled for September 30

Ghosh: 'No one can predict what will happen'

"Mamata Banerjee fought from Nandigram thinking that she would win, but she lost. No one can predict what may happen in politics. Priyanka Tibrewal has lead the fight for justice against post-poll violence here," said West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh in Bhabanipur. Tibrewal is set to file her nomination on Monday.

He added, "We have pitted one defeated leader against another. Mamata Banerjee too was defeated four months back by BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari.  In 1984 Mamata Banerjee had defeated Somnath Chatterjee. Before that who knew the name of Banerjee".

"Bhabanipur nijer meyekei chaay"

Anointing herself as 'Bhabanipur's daughter', Tibrewal had said, "Bhabanipur nijer meyekei chaay" (Bhabanipur wants its own daughter) in similar lines to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's pre-assembly polls slogan "Bangla nijer meyekei chaay" (Bengal wants its own daughter). Tibrewal claimed that she is the 'daughter of Bhabanipur' as she was born and raised there. Tibrewal has lost two elections in 2015 & 2021.

Tibrewal - BJP Bengal's youth wing vice-president - is the BJP’s counsel in the post-poll violence cases in the Calcutta High Court. Her efforts led to a CBI inquiry into the alleged murders and rapes during the post-poll violence in Bengal. Tibrewal had lost the Kolkata civic polls in 2015 and to Swarna Kamal Saha by more than 58,000 votes in Entally seat in 2021.

Bhabanipur bypolls

Lat week, the Election Commission of India (EC) announced that it will hold by-polls only at Bhabanipur on 30 September, upon the special request of the state government. Moreover, it will also hold polls in Bengal's Samserganj and Jangipur and Odisha's Pipli where polls were deferred due to death of contesting candidates in May. Bhabanipur - which is Mamata Banerjee's constituency - is currently vacant after MLA Sovandeb Chatterjee resigned after winning the seat. As Banerjee had lost her poll battle from Nandigram, defeated by BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, she has to be re-elected by November 5 to remain West Bengal's CM.