Mamata Vs Suvendu: Battle for Nandigram all set to grab focus

While a section of the political circle in the state is describing this battle as David versus Goliath, political analysts are not quite sure who is David and who is the Goliath in this battle for Nandigram. They feel that both the chief minister as well as Adhikari have some definite positive points to their credit which will make the contest in Nandigram more keen and tight.

Kolkata:It is final and official now. Now it will be the "son of the soil" versus the "most influential political personality" of the state. With BJP having announced the name of Suvendu Adhikari as the party candidate from Nandigram in East Midnapore district and chief minister, Mamata Banerjee has already announced her name as the Trinamool Congress candidate from the same constituency, the "battle for Nandigram" will now be the most spiced up electoral bout in the recent past.

When a sitting chief minister contests from a particular constituency, he or she always has an advantage of the public psychology that the chief minister will be their representative in the assembly and naturally the development work in that constituency will be more than the other constituencies. Secondly, although faded a bit from what it was in the last 10 to 15 years, Mamata Banerjee is still considered as the most popular mass leader in Bengal. Finally, Nandigram being a Muslim- dominated constituency and generally it is expected that anti- BJP sentiment among the minority community will help the chief minister to sweep the polls. If these three are considered from a wider perspective, then undoubtedly the chief minister is ahead of her former cabinet colleague in the race for Nandigram

However, political analysts feel that since the name of the opponent is Suvendu Adhikari, the challenge for the chief minister is tougher. First, Adhikari is the true "son of the soil." And the influence of his family among the locals of not only Nandigram but the entire East Midnapore district is immense. Secondly, Trinamool Congress's erstwhile watertight organizational network in Nandigram till 2019 ended much because of Adhikari's personal charisma there besides the chief minister's own popularity. At the same time, because of Adhikari's role in the land movement in Nandigram between 2007 and 2009, his personal acceptance among the minority community, there is still immense. Many newborns in Muslim families in Nandigram is still named Sheikh Suvendu.

At the same time, there is an external factor that might play a role in favour of Adhikari. Although it is yet to be officially decided by the Congress- Left Front- Indian Secular Front (IASF) alliance, who will be fielded from Nandigram, but possibilities are high that ISF will the chance to contest from Nandigram

Now ISF's founder Abbas Siddique has immense influence among the mosques and mazhars in Nandigram. And if finally ISF fields any heavyweight candidate in Nandigram and the minority votes are divided, then the advantage will surely be for Adhikari.