West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday announced that he will retain the Bhawanipur Assembly constituency and vacate the Nandigram seat after winning both constituencies in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters at the Assembly premises after taking oath as an MLA from Bhawanipur, Adhikari said a bypoll would be held in Nandigram to elect a new representative. However, he assured residents that development work in the constituency would continue uninterrupted.
“Someone else will be elected as MLA from Nandigram. But I will not let the people there feel my absence during the next five years. I will fulfil all development promises I made to the people of Nandigram alongside the rest of the state,” Adhikari said.
Recalling the tenure of former TMC MLA Phiroja Bibi between 2009 and 2016, Adhikari stated that he had actively supported the constituency’s development despite not officially representing the seat at the time.
Adhikari secured a major political victory in the Assembly elections by defeating Mamata Banerjee in the Bhawanipur constituency by a margin of 15,105 votes. He also retained his stronghold of Nandigram, defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Pabitra Kar by 9,665 votes.
Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal for austerity measures amid the West Asia crisis, Adhikari announced steps to reduce the number of vehicles in his official convoy.
“The Prime Minister is our guide and mentor. We will follow the path shown by him. I have instructed that all unnecessary vehicles be removed from the CM’s cavalcade and only essential vehicles should remain,” he said.
