Bengal polls 2016: For the first time, Mamata has no CPI(M) rival

Kolkata, April 27: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, who is contesting this year's Assembly election from Bhabanipur constituency in Kolkata, will see a first.

Assembly Polls 2016 Coverage; List of 53 constituencies going to polls on April 30

This is the first time in her long political career that Banerjee will not have an opponent from the Left, or more specifically from the CPI(M) in an election she is contesting. This is unique for Banerjee has always been known to be a staunch critic of the CPI(M) and led the TMC to topple the 34-year-old rule of the Left Front in West Bengal in 2011, which was led by the CPI(M). [Mamata has lost just 1 election till date]

In this election, Banerjee will take on the Congress's Deepa Dasmunsi, a former Union minister, who has been fielded as the candidate of the Congress-Left tie-up. The third candidate in the fray is Chandra Kumar Bose, the grand nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who has been fielded by the BJP to extract mileage on the issue of nationalist sentiments. [Why the ABP Group is hell-bent to see Mamata lose]

Looking back at Banerjee's career since 1984 when she won her first big election, she has won eight of her nine contests and on all occasions, her opponent was from the CPI(M).

Here is a look at Banerjee's CPI(M) opponents in elections till date:

• 1984 LS election: Defeated CPI(M)'s Somnath Chatterjee at Jadavpur
  
• 1989 LS election: Lost to CPI(M) Malini Bhattacharya at Calcutta South
  
• 1991 LS election: Defeated CPI(M)'s Biplab Dasgupta at Calcutta South
  
• 1996 LS election: Defeated CPI(M)'s Bharati Mukherjee at Calcutta South
  
• 1998 LS election: Defeated CPI(M)'s Prasanta Sur at Calcutta South
  
• 1999 LS election: Defeated CPI(M)'s Subhankar Chakraborty at Calcutta(S)
  
• 2004 LS election: Defeated CPI(M)'s Rabin Deb at Calcutta South
  
• 2009 LS election: Defeated CPI(M)'s Rabin Deb at Kolkata Dakshin
  
• 2011 Assembly election bypoll: Defeated CPI(M) Nalini Mukherjee at Bhabanipur

Oneindia News