Suvendu defeats Mamata in Nandigram in nail-biting contest

In Nandigram, which was the cynosure of all eyes due to its high octane election, Bharatiya Janata Party star candidate Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday outsmarted Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by a margin of 1,956 votes to emerge the winner in the constituency, the Election Commission said.

While Adhikari bagged 1,10,764 votes, Banerjee, his one time mentor, managed 1,08808 votes, the poll panel confirmed.

Communist Party of India-Marxist's Minakshi Mukherjee finished in a distant third position polling just 6267 votes, the EC website said.

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There was massive confusion on who had actually bagged the crucial Nandigram seat after reports stating that Banerjee had defeated Adhikari appeared in different media though there was no confirmation from the Election Commission.

While Adhikari thanked the people of Nandigram for voting in his favour, the TMC demanded recounting alleging illegal incidents during Sunday's counting.

After the returning officer turned down its plea for an immediate recounting, the TMC wrote to the CEO asking him to reconsider it.

The CEO is yet to reply to the TMC's plea.