NEW DELHI: BJP’s candidates maintained comfortable leads in Nandigram and Rejinagar as counting continued for the West Bengal assembly bypolls, with the Congress emerging as the runner-up in both constituencies.In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath was leading by 9,600 votes after the first round of counting, while Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was in second place. In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Sakharav Sarkar secured 11,614 votes after the second round, while Congress candidate Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi was trailing with 581 votes.Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) candidate Gulam Nabi Azad, son of party founder Humayun Kabir, had polled 446 votes in Rejinagar after the second round, according to trends shown by news channels. The Election Commission had not released official figures confirming the leads at the time of reporting.Counting began at 8 am amid tight security at the counting centres. The bypolls, held on Tuesday, are being watched as an early electoral test of West Bengal’s political landscape following the BJP’s victory in the Assembly elections earlier this year.Nandigram fell vacant after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the assembly elections, retained Bhabanipur. The BJP fielded Hasirani Rath, the mother of Adhikari’s slain personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, who was shot dead on May 6, two days after the BJP’s election victory.Rejinagar became vacant after Humayun Kabir retained Naoda, where he had also won. His son, Gulam Nabi Azad, is contesting the bypoll on an AJUP ticket. The results from both seats are being closely watched for an early indication of the BJP’s electoral strength in the state and the opposition’s position amid divisions within the TMC.Nandigram holds political significance for both the BJP and the TMC. The constituency was central to the anti-land acquisition movement that helped bring the TMC to power in 2011. It was also where Suvendu Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly election. Adhikari, now chief minister, won the seat again in 2026 but retained Bhabanipur, necessitating the bypoll. The BJP fielded Hasirani Rath, whose son Chandranath Rath, a former aide of Adhikari, was shot dead on May 6, two days after the BJP won the Assembly elections.
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The contest in Nandigram has also been shaped by divisions within the TMC. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction’s nominee, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew after meeting Adhikari, following which Banerjee backed Congress candidate Milan Pradhan. A rival TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee also contested the seat under a separate temporary party identity and the ‘envelope’ symbol. The result will indicate whether opposition cooperation can translate into votes and how the rival factions fare.More details awaited.
