Bhowanipore assembly constituency is again in focus in West Bengal after the high-pitched electoral battle. The sitting MLA of Trinamool Congress, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay from this AC resigned from Assembly so that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can seek re-election from there, through by-election. MLA Chattopadhyay had defeated Rudranil Ghosh, who was BJP’s candidate from the seat by a margin of around 28000 votes. As Minister of Agriculture, Chattopadhyay was among the 43 ministers in the new cabinet of Mamata Banerjee. In 2011 by-election, Mamata Banerjee had won from Bhowanipore, and she had retained the seat in 2016 Bengal assembly elections.

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Ms Banerjee had earlier decided to contest from Bhowanipore and Nandigram seats, but later on she gave away the seat to Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay to contest, deciding to fight from Nandigram. She took the battle in Nandigram on a one-on-one basis against Suvendu Adhikari, who was once her protégé in the TMC, but had later shifted to BJP. In a closely contested poll, she lost the seat of Nandigram to Adhikari, but won the overall mandate, making this year’s West Bengal election a politically interesting readout of the voters’ minds.

It was a common observation on the ground, that the election has challenged the brands of Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi, albeit to different extents. Challenge to brand Mamata was clear in the Nandigram poll result and the defeat of Modi’s image and campaigning was clear in the mandate given by the people of the state to ruling party TMC led by Mamata Banerjee.

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Article 164(4) under part VI of Indian constitution illustrates that if a leader who is not a member of the legislative assembly seeks to become the Chief Minister, then she/he needs to become a member of the assembly within six months from being nominated and sworn oath as the Chief Minister. For this purpose, By-election will be held at the Bhowanipore seat so that Mamata Banerjee can become a member of the legislative assembly within the six month-period, fulfilling the criterion to continue as CM.