Bankura (West Bengal) [India], April 17 : Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Nandigram & Bhabanipur Assembly Constituencies, Suvendu Adhikari, on Friday reacted strongly to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegation that the BJP is attempting a "division of Bengal" under the guise of delimitation.
Speaking to ANI, Adhikari alleged that, whether it is the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAA) or Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Mamata has objected to almost everything.
"All of this is anti-national and against the Constitution. Whether it is CAA, NRC, or SIR, they have objections to everything. This will not be accepted. If you want to live in this country, you must abide by the Constitution," Adhikari said.
Earlier, on April 14, TMC candidate against Suvendu Adhikari on the Bhabanipur seat, Mamata Banerjee claimed the Delimitation Bill will divide Bengal.
"Their revenge will be in the box of democracy. This very month, the Delimitation Bill is being brought. It will cut you into pieces. It will divide Bengal. Then it will do NRC," she said.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha is continuing its discussion and vote on the passage of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, which provides 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and State Assemblies, along with the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) bill, 2026 extending it to Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, and the Delimitation Bill, which is set to increase and redraw Lok Sabha constituencies, increasing them to 850.
Earlier on Thursday, the Lok Sabha held a marathon 12-hour session to discuss the amendments to the women's reservation bill, which removes the need to implement the bill only after the census is conducted.
Polling in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the results of the Assembly elections scheduled to be announced on May 4.
The state is set to witness a high-voltage contest between the incumbent Trinamool Congress, which is seeking a fourth consecutive term, and the BJP, which is aiming to form the government after a strong showing in the previous elections.
At the state level, the 2021 elections saw 292 seats contested, with the All India Trinamool Congress winning 213 seats and a vote share of 48.5%, while the Bharatiya Janata Party secured 77 seats with 38.5% vote share. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (then Left-led alliance) registered a vote share of 8.7% but did not win any seats. NOTA accounted for 1.1% of the total votes polled.