Mamata Banerjee seeks recusal of Justice Chanda from Nandigram poll plea hearing

As Calcutta High Court continues to hear Mamata Banerjee's poll challenge plea, the CM's lawyer has filed an application before the single-judge bench of Justice Kausik Chanda on Wednesday, asking him to recuse himself from the case. TMC has claimed that Justice Chanda ad been affiliated with the BJP till 2018, photos of him along with BJP West Bengal chief Dilip Ghosh at a BJP legal cell event. Justice Chanda is set to hear Banerjee's Nandigram poll plea challenging Suvendu Adhikari's victory at 11 AM.

TMC seeks Justice Chanda's recusal on Nandigram

TMC has alleged that Kausik Chanda, as an advocate, has represented the BJP against the state government in several cases dated 2012, 2013, 2014 till 2018. Banerjee's counsel too wrote to the secretary of the Acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, seeking reassignment of her petition as she was made aware that Justice Kausik Chanda, who is hearing her plea, was "an active member of the BJP". As per the Calcutta High Court's official website, Chanda was appointed as Additional Solicitor General of India on April 09, 2015 and held that position till September, 2019. Later in October, he was elevated to the Calcutta High Court's Bench as an Additional Judge.

The Nandigram battle

In a bid to protect her home-turf, Mamata Banerjee had battled BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in the place which had catapulted Mamata Banerjee into the CM post in 2011. Miffed by the rising influence of Banerjee's nephew - Abhishek Banerjee and IPAC poll strategist Prashant Kishor in Trinamool, Adhikari along with several other MLAs had switched to BJP. Taking the battle head-on, Banerjee had announced she will contest polls from Nandigram instead of her bastion Bhowanipore, leading to BJP fielding Adhikari.

While Nandigram is a Trinamool bastion, it is the Adhikari family - Sisir, Suvendu, Dibyendu and Soumendu which has massive sway in the district - leading to Suvendu's victory over Mamata by a margin of 1737 votes. Though Mamata accepted her defeat, she said that she will challenge the electoral verdict in court. The nail-biting clincher saw Suvendu Adhikari take the lead by 4000 seats over Mamata Banerjee, but later the margin reduced to mere 6 votes, before Mamata took the lead. Suvendu has been rewarded by BJP with his election as Leader of Opposition.