The aura of invincibility that surrounded Mamata Banerjee for more than three decades appears to have faded as the Bengal chief minister, known for her street-fighting prowess, made an impassioned plea to voters in Bhowanipore to elect her in the September 30 bypolls.

“If you don’t vote for me, I will not remain the chief minister. If you want to see me as chief minister, vote for me. Every vote is important for me,” Mamata said at two public meetings held at Ekbalpore and Chetla localities, both part of the Bhowanipore Assembly constituency.

Trinamul insiders admit that the recent Nandigram defeat may be playing on her mind. Yet, she is "Didi", they say. Overcoming adversity is what she thrives on.

Since her stunning debut in parliamentary politics in 1984 when a rookie Mamata defeated the former CPM stalwart, the late Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, she had lost only once in any election: 1989.

Mamata’s 1984 victory came riding on the sympathy wave in favour of the Congress led by Rajiv Gandhi after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Five years later, as the ghost of Bofors chased Rajiv, Mamata felt the brunt and lost to the CPM’s Malini Bhattacharya by 30,900 votes.

From 1991 till the last Assembly elections held this summer, Mamata had an undefeated streak which came to an end in Nandigram, where she lost to her once close aide Suvendu Adhikary, who had defected to the BJP, last December.

Even in 2004, Mamata was the sole MP to win her seat for the Trinamul Congress, as the party faced a rout across Bengal.

This time, while the Congress has refrained from putting up a nominee against her, the BJP and the CPM both are in the fray. Although it should be a cakewalk for her on her home turf, Mamata seems anxious. Once bitten, twice shy.

“Many are thinking that Didi will win easily. But every vote is important. Even loss of one vote could prove costly. Come rain or storm, whatever happens step out of your homes and vote for me,” Mamata told voters.

Trinamul insiders said they have never seen Mamata sound jittery in any poll campaign. “It is quite evident that the Nandigram defeat is playing on her minds. She is well aware the BJP can go to any length to see her removed as the Bengal chief minister,” said a Trinamul MP. “There is no doubt in Bengal there is no other leader who can stop the BJP.”

Mamata’s bete noire Suvendu Adhikary who campaigned for party nominee Priyanka Tibrewal in Bhowanipore on the same day urged voters to consider the "ills of the state government" and not go by persona.

“This is not about any one individual, rather the vote should be on the performance of the government. Only to ensure that she remains in the chief minister’s seat even the chief secretary of the state is pleading,” said Adhikary.

While announcing the bypolls, the Election Commission had said it had given the green signal for the polls to be held despite the Covid threat following a special appeal from the Bengal government.