West Bengal Bypoll Trends: BJP Takes Strong Lead in Nandigram and Rejinagar

The BJP established commanding leads in Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies in West Bengal after two rounds of counting for the October 6 bypolls, leading by more than 19,000 votes in Nandigram and 21,000 in Rejinagar.

In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath was ahead of Congress nominee Milan Pradhan by over 19,200 votes, while CPI candidate Sanitgopal Giri occupied the third position.

In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Sakharav Sarkar led Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) nominee Golam Nabi Azad by more than 21,000 votes. Congress candidate Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, who had been in second place during the initial round, slipped to third after two rounds of counting.

Counting is scheduled to continue for 15 rounds in each constituency, meaning the trends could change as more votes are counted.

Candidates backed by the two Trinamool Congress factions were trailing significantly in both seats. The Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, did not field a candidate in Nandigram. Its nominee in Rejinagar, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, was placed sixth.

The Democratic Trinamool Congress, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, was also struggling, with its candidate Safiuzzaman Sheikh in seventh place in Rejinagar. In Nandigram, the faction's candidate, Ehtesamul Haque, was placed fifth.

The early trend in Rejinagar drew particular attention from political observers because more than 65 per cent of the constituency's voters belong to the minority community.

A city-based political observer linked the trend to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's recent assurance that his government would not pursue community-based development policies.

The observer said the trend suggested that a section of minority voters might be prepared to support the ruling dispensation in light of that assurance.

Congress candidate Kafi, however, questioned the credibility of the electoral exercise. He described the trends as an indication of what he called a “farcical exercise” during polling on October 6, adding that the emerging results were exactly what the Chief Minister had predicted on polling day.

The final outcome in both constituencies will become clear after all 15 rounds of counting are completed.