Ram Navami: Suvendu Adhikari leads rally ahead of Bengal poll face-off

West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari led a Ram Navami rally in Bhabanipur, where he will contest against CM Mamata Banerjee in the upcoming assembly polls. Adhikari had defeated Banerjee in Nandigram during the 2021 elections.

Adhikari's Ram Navami Rally in Bhabanipur

West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday led a Ram Navami rally in the Bhabanipur assembly constituency of Kolkata district ahead of the assembly polls. Adhikari is contesting the two-phase West Bengal assembly polls on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from Bhabanipur and Nandigram constituencies.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee lost the Nandigram seat in the 2021 assembly elections against Adhikari, but later secured victory in the Bhabanipur by-election against Priyanka Tibrewal. This time, the West Bengal elections will see a face-off between Adhikari and Banerjee for the Bhabanipur seat, while Adhikari will also try to retain Nandigram.

Ram Navami Celebrations and Traditions

Meanwhile, security arrangements were made for the procession by the Anjani Putra Sena in Howrah. The nine-day festival, also known as Ram Navratri, concludes on Ram Navami, which marks the birthday of Lord Ram. Throughout the festival, all nine days are devoted to honouring the nine incarnations of the goddess Shakti.' The festival is celebrated with great devotion across India, with rituals and prayers honouring the goddess in her various forms.

Ram Navami is the day when Lord Rama appeared in his human and divine form, and is celebrated with great reverence and festivities all over India, but especially in the sacred city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Leading up to Ram Navami, Hindus observe the 9-day fast during the Chaitra Navaratri, which consists of abstinence from alcohol, smoking, consumption of sattvic vegetarian food and immersing oneself in prayer and meditation to let the body go through a process of detoxification.

West Bengal 2026 Assembly Election Schedule

West Bengal will conduct elections in two phases, on April 23 and April 29, with counting of votes for both phases scheduled for May 4. The election process is scheduled to be completed by May 6.

Phase 1 Details

As per the ECI, the first phase covering 152 Assembly constituencies will begin with the issuance of the gazette notification on March 30, 2026. The last date for filing nominations for this phase is April 6, while scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 7. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until April 9. Polling for the first phase will be held on April 23.

Phase 2 Details

For the second phase, which covers 142 Assembly constituencies, the gazette notification will be issued on April 2, 2026. The last date for filing nominations is April 9, and the scrutiny of nominations will take place on April 10. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until April 13. Voting for this phase is scheduled for April 29. (ANI)

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