Bengal polls 2026: BJP inducts 4 from TMC in Nandigram after Pabitra Kar defection

NANDIGRAM: In a desperate bid to offset Pabitra Kar and his wife Champa's defection to Trinamool, BJP on Friday inducted four Trinamool functionaries in the belt, including two Muslim faces, as Nandigram emerges as a high-stakes poll battle.

Trinamool on Saturday announced party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will visit Nandigram on March 25 to chair a closed-door meeting with booth-level workers and panchayat members.




BJP inductees include Jhuma Manna, former TMC pradhan of Boyal-I, Chandrakant Mondal, upa-pradhan of Boyal-II, Sheikh Sanjay Rahman and Ali Ahmed Laltu, local Trinamool organisers.

"Jhuma has worked with me for years, she stayed in TMC out of situational compulsion but has now joined for development and women's safety," Adhikari said. He suggested Kar's shift was due to "personal disputes" rather than ideology.

Kar has infused confidence in Trinamool ranks. Once Adhikari's "shadow" and "right-hand man," Kar's defection has altered the poll arithmetic in Nandigram Block II. During the last assembly election, Kar secured leads for Adhikari in Boyal-I, Boyal-II and Vekutia gram panchayats.

Trinamool believes fielding Kar has reclaimed a massive "pocket vote" from BJP. "In Nandigram Block I, BJP has no power to break our base. Now, with Pabitra in Block II, BJP's lead will vanish," a senior TMC functionary claimed, drawing parallels to Smriti Irani's defeat in Amethi against a local candidate.

Banerjee's visit is strictly organisational, party sources said. Trinamool functionary Bappaditya Garg said Banerjee would not hold a public rally but focus on managing poll strategy. "The goal is to brief grassroots workers," Garg said, though official confirmation is awaited.

Nandigram's electoral history shows a sharp divide: Block I traditionally favours TMC, while Block II leaned toward BJP in the last election. In 2021, Mamata Banerjee nearly closed the gap in Block II, only to lose by a slim margin in Sonachura.

By fielding Kar—who knows BJP's internal machinery—TMC hopes to flip the script.