West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday claimed that the minority community had found a “friend” in the BJP and voted for the party in large numbers in the Rejinagar and Nandigram bypolls.
Speaking at the state secretariat, Adhikari asserted that the BJP secured around 60 per cent of Muslim votes in Rejinagar and 80 per cent in Nandigram, expressing confidence that the party's vote share would cross 60 per cent in the next elections.
“Minorities have voted in large numbers because they want to stand with the government,” he said, claiming that voters had realised they were misled by the previous government.
The BJP established substantial leads in both constituencies, with margins of 1,06,513 votes in Nandigram and 55,583 votes in Muslim-majority Rejinagar, as counting continued. Adhikari had won Nandigram by 9,665 votes in the Assembly elections held earlier this year.
Claiming that the bypolls reflected a shift in the political outlook of minority voters, Adhikari said the elections were conducted peacefully, unlike previous polls in the state that witnessed incidents of violence.
He also said the BJP's vote share stood at around 46 per cent in the bypolls and expressed confidence that it would rise to more than 60 per cent in the next elections.
“Whatever results I had predicted for the bypolls have come true,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)