Nandigram: It’s not every day a chief minister rolls up to a polling booth in an e-rickshaw. Voters lined up outside Nandanayakbar Primary School were treated to quite the spectacle, getting their first up-close look at Suvendu Adhikari since he assumed office as the state’s CM.Greeting the voters, Adhikari said, “I will always remain a Nandigram voter.”“Under the rules, I cannot retain two assembly seats. I have kept Bhabanipur, but my commitment to Nandigram and Nandanayakbar remains lifelong. That is my pledge. I promise the people of Nandigram… until my last day, my name will remain on the voter list here. If I had given up Bhabanipur, it would have created an opportunity for someone else to contest there again — someone who had lost in 2021. There are able people here and I will handle the rest,” said the CM after casting his vote.Assuring people that he would be back soon, Adhikari said, “I come every year for Jagaddhatri Puja, and I will come this time as well. Since I hold the responsibility of governing the state, it may be difficult (to visit Nandigram regularly) — but I have not changed, and I never will.”Speaking of a big win margin, the CM said, “In 2016, I won by my highest margin – 82,000 votes. I believe that record will be broken this time. Bypolls usually see lower turnout, but I believe at least 85% will vote. It may even reach 90%.”Saying that the opposition was “missing in action” in Nandigram, Adhikari said, “No booth camps, no polling agents, nothing…the people of Nandigram may have seen them (opposition candidates) during campaigning, in the media, and with outsiders, but no one knows them.”On Tuesday, Adhikari left his East Midnapore residence around 10.45am. He arrived at Nandanayakbar Primary School polling station at 11.50am, travelling in an e-rickshaw for more than a kilometre as the cemented pathway is unsuitable for four-wheelers. His security followed in five rickshaws.In the five-odd minutes that Adhikari went inside and came out after casting his vote, hundreds had gathered on both sides of the cemented road. As people saw the CM, slogans rang out.Acknowledging the fanfare, an unperturbed Adhikari started to make his way to the office on the main road even as his security personnel had a tough time pushing away the crowd. He stopped to speak to the waiting media and karyakartas and then to offer prayers at a Jagaddhatri and a Neel Sarawati temple. He left for Kolkata at 2pm.
