Mamata Banerjee may challenge Nandigram verdict in court

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has said that she will approach the court over alleged 'mischief' in Nandigram where she lost elections to her ex-aide Suvendu Adhikari.

"How come EC reverse Nandigram result after formally announcing it? We will move court," Mamata told reporters in Kolkata. "Returning officer of Nandigram said recounting order can lead to his life risk," she claimed.

Mamata, who is set to head the eastern state for another five years, has a window of six months to seek re-election. As per the rule, a CM and minister must become a member of the Legislative Assembly within six months from the date of swearing-in.

In Nandigram, which was the cynosure of all eyes due to its high octane election, BJP star candidate Suvendu Adhikari outsmarted Mamata Banerjee by a margin of 1,956 votes to emerge the winner in the constituency.

While Adhikari bagged 1,10,764 votes, Banerjee, his one time mentor, managed 1,08808 votes, according to the Election Commission. CPI(M)'s Minakshi Mukherjee finished in a distant third position polling just 6267 votes.

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. However, the request was turned down.