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BJP's Suvendu Adhikari leading Nandigram against TMC's Pabitra Kar by margin of 9,665 votes
By the end of 19 rounds of counting in Nandigram counting centre, Suvendu maintained a lead against Pabitra by a margin of 9665 votes.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is leading the Nandigram seat against TMC's Pabitra Kar as the clash in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections heads towards a finish.
By the end of 19 rounds of counting, Suvendu had polled over 127301 votes. TMC’s Pabitra Kar trailed in second place with 117636 votes, while CPI’s Santi Gopal Giri is a distant third with 2997 votes.
While Suvendu was leading comfortably throughout the day, the dynamics changed after 4 pm as Pabitra made great progress. However, Suvendu reversed the lead and after 19 rounds maintained a margin of 9665 votes.
Nandigram remains a crucial political battleground, currently represented by two-time MLA Suvendu, who is also seen as one of the party’s key faces in West Bengal and a potential chief ministerial contender.
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Adhikari has maintained a firm grip on the constituency. In the 2021 Assembly elections, he secured nearly 49% of the vote and notably defeated Mamata Banerjee. In 2016, his vote share was even higher, reportedly in the 65–67% range, underscoring his dominance in the seat.
In a strategic move, the TMC fielded Pabitra Kar against him this time. Kar, a former BJP member once considered close to Adhikari, joined the TMC just hours before his candidature was announced, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the contest.
A potential TMC loss in Nandigram would also be a personal setback for the party’s general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who has been closely monitoring the seat. “Nandigram is my responsibility. All of you take responsibility for the coming 25 days. For the next five years, I will be responsible for Nandigram,” he had said while addressing a workers’ meeting in Nandigram on March 25.
Suvendu is also fighting from another seat in Bhabanipur, where he is challenging Bengal CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. But in Bhabanipur, Suvendu is currently trailing by 7,184 votes. However, Suvendu is very confident that by the time all 20 rounds are counted in Bhabanipur counting halls, he will emerge as winner. Meanwhile, Mamata has alleged that EC and BJP have started to ‘loot’ TMC's votes by halting the counting process in different locations in Kolkata. She later visited some counting centres as well to ensure there was no foul play.
