Bengal Bypolls: BJP Candidates Lead by Wide Margins in Nandigram and Rejinagar

In Nandigram, located in East Midnapore district, Rath was ahead of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan by 97,402 votes. Her lead had already exceeded the constituency’s previous winning margin record, set in 2016.

In the third position was CPI candidate Santi Gopal Giri, followed by All India Secular Front candidate Ali Md Sabe Miraj Khan. The Trinamool Congress was not in the contest after its candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew her nomination.

Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, a former personal assistant to BJP leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who was killed in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on May 6.

In Rejinagar, in Murshidabad district, BJP candidate Sakharav Sarkar was leading Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) nominee Golam Nabi Azad by 70,250 votes. Congress candidate Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi was in third place.

Reacting to the counting trends, Chief Minister Adhikari said, “The nationalist force is heading for victories with landslide margins in both the constituencies.”

The bypolls were necessitated by developments following the Assembly elections held earlier this year. Adhikari had won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in South Kolkata, defeating his predecessor Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur by a margin of more than 15,000 votes. His retention of Bhabanipur led to the Nandigram bypoll.

In Murshidabad, former Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir won both Naoda and Rejinagar as an AJUP candidate. He subsequently chose to retain Naoda, necessitating the by-election in Rejinagar.