Kolkata, 13 May (H.S.): West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced that he would vacate the Nandigram Assembly seat and retain Bhabanipur, from where he took oath as an MLA earlier in the day.

Adhikari had emerged victorious from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram in the recently concluded Assembly elections. Speaking to reporters at the Assembly premises, he said a bypoll would be held in Nandigram to elect a new representative.

However, the Chief Minister asserted that the people of Nandigram would never feel his absence during the next five years.

“I will fulfil all promises made for the development of Nandigram along with the rest of the state,” Adhikari said.

Referring to former Trinamool Congress MLA Phiroja Bibi, who represented Nandigram between 2009 and 2016, he said he had actively supported development work in the constituency even when he was not officially its MLA.

“I will continue to play a similar role this time as well,” he added.

In the recently concluded Assembly polls, Adhikari defeated Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee from the Bhabanipur constituency by a margin of 15,105 votes. In Nandigram, he defeated Trinamool Congress candidate Pabitra Kar by 9,665 votes.

Responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for austerity and fuel conservation amid the West Asia crisis, the Chief Minister said he had directed officials to reduce the number of vehicles in his convoy.

He stated that only essential security vehicles would be retained in the Chief Minister’s cavalcade.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh