Mamata's decision to contest from Nandigram due to fear of defeat: BJP

The BJP on Monday said theTrinamool Congress is fearing that the ground beneath its feetis fast slipping away which is why Chief Minister MamataBanerjee has ''suddenly announced'' that she will contest theupcoming assembly poll from Nandigram.

Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district had witnessedmassive public protest against ''forcible'' land acquisition bythe then Left Front government, for creation of a specialeconomic zone, that propelled her to power in 2011.

''It appears that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hassensed defeat in Bhawanipore. She has therefore suddenlyannounced hat she will contest from Nandigram. But she will bedefeated there as well. The TMC will be defeated everywhere,''BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said.

In the last election, Banerjee had contested fromBhawanipur in south Kolkata, while Nandigram was the hometurf of poitical heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, who recentlyquit the TMC and joined the BJP.

Addressing a rally in Nandigram earlier in the day,Banerjee said, ''If possible, I will contest from bothBhawanipore and Nandigram. In case I am unable to contest fromBhawanipore, someone else will.'' Asked if Suvendu Adhikari would be the BJP candidatefrom Bhawanipore seat, Ghosh told reporters during a roadshow, ''it is for our party to decide which candidate will befielded from which constituency''.

Assembly elections are likely in the state in April-May.

Referring to the incident in which BJP activists werepelted with stones near Charu Market area in Tollygunje whenthey were conducting a roadshow, Ghosh said, ''the TMC onlyunderstands the politics of 'hamla aar mamla' (attacks andinstituting cases) against its political opponents''.

Speaking to journalists, Adhikari said, ''the TMC isscared after seeing the large turnout in this rally. Fivepeople emerged from a lane and started hurling stones. Themore they indulge in such activities, the more they will losepeople's support and their seats will gradually come down''.

Adhikari also claimed that mostly people from sevendistricts and very few locals had attended Banerjee's publicmeeting at Nandigram during the day.

Ghosh, Adhikari, Union minister Debasree Choudhury andBharati Ghosh were in the flower bedecked truck which wasaccompanied by party workers shouting 'Jai Sri Ram'.

The truck had not reached the spot when bricks andstones were hurled at the BJP activists.