For Subhendu, pride at stake

Nandigram: It's around noon. Subhendu Adhikari takes shelter - literally and symbolically - in the shadow of the 130-foot-tall Shahid Stambha, built in memory of the 14 villagers killed in police firing nine years ago.
The 42-degree heat was getting to him after a whirlwind tour of booths that included a dash to Sonachura and a ferry trip to Nandigram.A while ago, a polling agent had told him that voting was slow. It brought a frown to his face. The swelter was also making things uncomfortable. It is then that the Shahid Stambha brainwave hit him. His sedan headed for Bhangabera Road, where the Shahid compound now houses a free medical dispensary, prayer hall and a guesthouse.
Standing in the shadow of the tower, the Tamluk MP, who is contesting the polls expressly on CM Mamata Banerjee's wishes, gave an emotional speech to a jumble of journalists, aides and villagers. "Ei Shahid Stambha ei Nandigram. Nandigram ei Shahid Stambha. Ar Nandigram chara ami kichu na (This monument is Nandigram. Nandigram is this monument. I am nobody without Nandigram)," Adhikari said, keenly aware of the emotional legacy of the Nandigram killings and the fact that the tower is also a symbol of the land movement that propelled Mamata to power.
Adhikari is up against a tough opponent - the expectations raised by his previous electoral successes. The Tamluk MP is contesting the polls because Mamata wants a "minister from Nandigram". His victory is a forgone conclusion. The problem lies somewhere else. "For dada, it is more of a prestige fight than a political fight. Even a slight dip in his victory margin will be a serious prestige issue," said Abu Taher, a close aide since the days of the land struggle.
All through his campaign, Adhikari has urged people to help him surpass the 2014 victory margin of over 85,000 votes. This is why he was out in his constituency early on vote-day morning. Everywhere he went, his cult status showed.
In Kalicharanpur, women blew conch shells and showered petals, a rickshaw-wallah told his passenger to wait and hurried over to pay obeisance, and shopkeepers left their businesses and urged customers to come along to wish him luck. In Tekhali, a young supporter fed him muri and daab water with his own hands around 2.30pm. It was then that an aide whispered into Adhikari's ears that voting had picked up. He had managed to reboot the Nandigram legacy.