Top battles, close contests and tainted candidates: Decoding Phase 2 elections in West Bengal  

In Nandigram, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is pitted against BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, her one-time protégé. In many other seats too, the contest is primarily between TMC and erstwhile Left or Congress leaders now being fielded as BJP candidates. 

The battle for Nandigram pretty much sums up the contest for the 30 assembly seats in West Bengal going to polls on April 1. In Nandigram, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee is up against Suvendu Adhikari, her one-time protégé and now a rising star in the BJP. In many other seats too, the contest is primarily between TMC and erstwhile Left or Congress leaders now being fielded as BJP candidates. In the 2016 assembly elections, TMC had won 21 of the 30 seats going to polls in the second phase. However, faced against a resurgent BJP this time, TMC may have a tough time retaining these seats. In 2016, BJP could secure only one of the 30 seats with a cumulative vote share of 7 per cent, almost double from 2011. The Left had bagged five seats and Congress three.