Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has filed a petition before Calcutta High Court alleging malpractices in the counting of votes for the Nandigram Assembly seat in which Trinamul turncoat and BJP nominee Suvendu Adhikari defeated her by 1,965 votes.

The petition has been filed on Mamata’s behalf by advocate Sanjay Basu and is likely to be heard by Justice Kaushik Chanda on Friday, Trinamul sources said.

The petition claimed that the Election Commission official, in charge of counting for Nandigram, had initially declared Mamata as the winner on May 2, but the result was reversed in Suvendu’s favour later the same day.

Though Trinamul emerged triumphant in the election, Mamata’s loss in Nandigram left a sour taste in the victorious camp.

Trinamul had demanded a recount of votes but that appeal had been turned down by the returning officer.

Mamata on the day of results had accepted the Nandigram result but hinted at moving court.

“Accepting the verdict of the people of Nandigram. I salute the people there. It’s another thing that votes were looted there. We may move court,” she had told the media on May 2.

A day later, she had raked up the issue of malpractice in the counting of votes in Nandigram and alleged that the returning officer was threatened at gunpoint to ensure there was no recounting.

“I have received an SMS where the returning officer is pleading for his life… From 8,000 votes, suddenly it went to zero. For hours the server was down. I know that EVMs were changed. For forty minutes, there was a power cut in the counting centre. We will investigate all of this, we will go to court,” she had said.