The BJP suffered a crushing defeat in the Contai Cooperative Bank election
in East Midnapore on Sunday, a stronghold of the leader of the Opposition
Suvendu Adhikari.

Trinamool Congress candidates swept the polls, winning 101 out of 108 seats in the election that was held on Sunday, with the results out within a few hours.

The BJP managed six seats and an Independent candidate claimed one.

The cooperative election that was held after five years garnered national attention after the Supreme Court, last Monday, ordered the deployment of central forces at a minimum of five locations for this largest state cooperative bank election.

The apex court’s directive followed a violent clash during the Tamluk Agricultural Society election in Nandigram last week, which resulted in the death of one person.

Political observers believe the BJP’s defeat in the Contai Cooperative election is a significant setback for the party, as it holds seven of the 16 Assembly seats in East Midnapore district, including Contai North and South, along with the Contai Lok
Sabha seat.

BJP leaders alleged widespread intimidation and rigging by the TMC.

“There was no real election. While central forces were present in only five booths, the Trinamool Congress prevented voters from casting their ballots in the remaining booths. The election turned into a farce, marked by widespread intimidation and vote rigging,” BJP South Contai MLA and district organisation committee’s president Arup Kumar Das said.

Although there was no clash, hushed tension and sporadic incidents of violence marred the Cooperative Bank election with multiple polling stations witnessing clashes between Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, despite stringent security measures by central and state police forces.

The election was a prestige battle for both BJP and TMC.

Adhikari, who was the chairman of the cooperative bank during his time with TMC, lost his position upon joining the BJP in 2020.

It prompted the BJP, led by the Adhikari family, to aggressively contest this election.

On the other hand, chief minister Mamata Banerjee was determined to win this election on Adhikari’s turf.

She had entrusted Ramnagar MLA Akhil Giri with the responsibility of leading her party to victory.

“The win of Trinamool Congress in this election is proof that Contai is no longer a stronghold of the Adhikari family. People are frustrated with this party (the BJP) and they have rejected them outright. They have lost the bypolls and now they have lost in this election. They will be nowhere in the 2026 Assembly polls,” Giri said.