In West Bengal’s furiously-contested electoral landscape, even a physical wound can turn politics on its head.

The injuries sustained by chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram have drawn new battle lines, becoming an occasion for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to trade unseemly charges against each other.

While the ruling TMC has blamed the BJP for the injuries, BJP has accused Banerjee of orchestrating the incident for sympathy, with its leaders demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh has demanded a CBI inquest into the incident saying that it was important to know if it was a `well-scripted’ drama to gain sympathy, three weeks before the elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly takes place.

“It needs to be investigated how a leader with a Z-plus security was attacked. The state should order a CBI probe to bring out the truth,” Ghosh demanded on March 11.

Banerjee, undergoing treatment at the SKMM hospital in Kolkata, has alleged that she was deliberately attacked by some people on the evening of March 10 after she filed her nomination papers for the Nandigram seat.

A preliminary investigation by the police and a section of the eyewitnesses has hinted that the injuries may be the result of an accident, and not a deliberate conspiracy.

A day after the injury, the Chief Minister issued a video statement, lying on a hospital bed with her leg in a plaster cast, urging her party cadres to maintain peace. She said she may start her campaign in the next two-three days, albeit on a wheelchair.

“I appeal to my party cadres, supporters, activists and common people to maintain peace and calm. It is true that I was badly hurt last night and felt severe pain in the chest and head. I hope to be back on the field in the next few days. Maybe I will have to use a wheelchair, but I will manage,” said Banerjee who is seeking a third consecutive term as Chief Minister in one of the most fiercely-contested assembly elections

Many TMC leaders invoked a previous attack on Banerjee during a rally in 1990 when her bloodied images had turned into a major campaign issue.

The Shiv Sena, which has extended support to TMC in the polls, mocked the BJP for its demand for a CBI probe over the incident.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, Shiv Sena termed the demand as the biggest joke of the elections. The editorial predicted that the injury will cost the BJP 10 to 20 seats in West Bengal.

“There is an injury in Mamata Banerjee's leg. Now she will campaign and gather sympathy with the support of the workers by staggering or with crutches in her hands," it said. In an emotionally-charged Bengal, anything is possible.