Supreme Court on Friday declined to consider a plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari in which he sought the transfer of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s petition, challenging his election from Nandigram constituency, outside the state.
Following the Apex Court’s refusal to entertain the plea, Adhikari withdrew his petition. The case relates to an election petition moved by Mamata Banerjee before the Calcutta High Court challenging Adhikari’s election win from the Nandigram constituency in the West Bengal Assembly polls. Adhikari later approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of Banerjee’s plea, pending in the Calcutta High Court, outside the State.
The Calcutta High Court had in July last year issued notices to Adhikari, the elected candidate of the BJP, and directed that the records and papers in relation to the election be preserved during the pendency of the petition.
In November last year, the High Court had adjourned the hearing of the election petition on the ground that a transfer petition had been filed by Adhikari before the top court and is currently pending adjudication.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had defeated Banerjee from the Nandigram constituency by a margin of nearly 2,000 votes during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.
As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), Adhikari won with a margin of 1,956 votes in Nandigram.