<p>New Delhi: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mamata-banerjee">Mamata Banerjee</a>, the giant killer of Jadavpur — who entered electoral politics in 1984 by defeating the CPM veteran Somnath Chaterjee in 1984 Lok Sabha elections from Bhabanipur — was defeated once again by her protégé turned challenger Suvendu Adhikari by 15,105 votes.</p><p>In the 1984 polls, held in the backdrop of former PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Congress was looking for candidates who would take on opposition stalwarts.</p><p>In Allahabad, Congress sprung a surprise on the old warhorse Hemvanti Nandan Bahuguna by fielding Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan. In Gwalior, just hours before the deadline to file nomination papers was to end, Madhavrao Scindhia entered the fray against BJP’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee.</p><p><em><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/assembly-elections-2026-results-west-bengal-assam-puducherry-tamil-nadu-kerala-poll-result-election-result-dmk-aiadmk-tvk-bjp-ldf-udf-congress-vijay-stalin-pinarayi-vijayan-ainrc-2026-polls-3989127">Track latest updates on assembly election results here.</a></em></p>.West Bengal assembly elections 2026 | BJP breaches Mamata's citadel: Full list of winners .<p>In Bengal too, the Left Front bastion, Congress was scouting for candidates who could challenge CPM leaders. Especially the Cambridge educated lawyer and Jadavpur MP Somanth Chaterjee who was fast emerging as the face and voice of the Left in parliament.</p><p>With no strong contender emerging, Mamata, then just 29 years of age, was handed the nomination.</p><p>The rest is history.</p><p>After a long struggle in state and national politics, Mamata broke away from the Congress, joined the Vajpayee-led BJP government at the center but her heart remained in the West Bengal politics.</p><p>She finally turned around to align with the Congress and served as railways minister in the Manmohan Singh government.</p><p>In Bengal, she continued to remain the face of the anti-Left formation, leading Nandigram and Singur agitations against land acquisition by the Left government.</p><p>When she was leaving to campaign for the 2011 assembly polls, Mamata Banerjee knew her time had come.</p><p>One of her close aides even suggested that she could even install a CM of her choice in West Bengal if TMC were to dislodge the Left.</p><p>A month later, Mamata Banerjee took oath as the state's chief minister.</p>
<p>New Delhi: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mamata-banerjee">Mamata Banerjee</a>, the giant killer of Jadavpur — who entered electoral politics in 1984 by defeating the CPM veteran Somnath Chaterjee in 1984 Lok Sabha elections from Bhabanipur — was defeated once again by her protégé turned challenger Suvendu Adhikari by 15,105 votes.</p><p>In the 1984 polls, held in the backdrop of former PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Congress was looking for candidates who would take on opposition stalwarts.</p><p>In Allahabad, Congress sprung a surprise on the old warhorse Hemvanti Nandan Bahuguna by fielding Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan. In Gwalior, just hours before the deadline to file nomination papers was to end, Madhavrao Scindhia entered the fray against BJP’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee.</p><p><em><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/assembly-elections-2026-results-west-bengal-assam-puducherry-tamil-nadu-kerala-poll-result-election-result-dmk-aiadmk-tvk-bjp-ldf-udf-congress-vijay-stalin-pinarayi-vijayan-ainrc-2026-polls-3989127">Track latest updates on assembly election results here.</a></em></p>.West Bengal assembly elections 2026 | BJP breaches Mamata's citadel: Full list of winners .<p>In Bengal too, the Left Front bastion, Congress was scouting for candidates who could challenge CPM leaders. Especially the Cambridge educated lawyer and Jadavpur MP Somanth Chaterjee who was fast emerging as the face and voice of the Left in parliament.</p><p>With no strong contender emerging, Mamata, then just 29 years of age, was handed the nomination.</p><p>The rest is history.</p><p>After a long struggle in state and national politics, Mamata broke away from the Congress, joined the Vajpayee-led BJP government at the center but her heart remained in the West Bengal politics.</p><p>She finally turned around to align with the Congress and served as railways minister in the Manmohan Singh government.</p><p>In Bengal, she continued to remain the face of the anti-Left formation, leading Nandigram and Singur agitations against land acquisition by the Left government.</p><p>When she was leaving to campaign for the 2011 assembly polls, Mamata Banerjee knew her time had come.</p><p>One of her close aides even suggested that she could even install a CM of her choice in West Bengal if TMC were to dislodge the Left.</p><p>A month later, Mamata Banerjee took oath as the state's chief minister.</p>