KOLKATA: BJP candidates Hasirani Rath and Sakharav Sarkar registered massive victories in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls in West Bengal, according to counting trends on Friday, with the Election Commission yet to announce the official results.
Rath, contesting from Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district, was leading by more than 1.15 lakh votes after the 15th round of counting, while Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was in second place with around 31,000 votes, according to news channel trends at 3.30 pm.
The Left candidate was heading for third place, while the Democratic Trinamool Congress faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, was placed fifth.
In Rejinagar, a minority-dominated constituency in Murshidabad district, BJP's Sarkar was ahead by more than 75,000 votes after the eighth round. The Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), led by Humayun Kabir, was in second place, while the Congress candidate was third.
The bypolls, held on October 6, were being watched as an early electoral test of Bengal's political landscape following the BJP's victory in the Assembly elections earlier this year.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, reacting to the BJP's performance at the state secretariat Nabanna on Friday, said voters across religious communities had supported his party.
“Cutting across their religious identity, all people, Hindus and Muslims, have voted for the BJP. We have got maximum minority votes. In Rejinagar, ‘didi’ o ‘bonera’ (elder sisters and sisters) from 35,000 Muslim families have voted for us. Sixty per cent of the 70 per cent minority voters have given their mandate to us,” he said.
Adhikari alleged that the Left and the TMC had misled minorities over the past five years by claiming that the BJP would send Muslims back to Bangladesh or put them in detention camps. “The minority brothers and sisters have now understood that it was a misleading campaign by the Opposition, and that is why they have voted for the BJP. I am happy that they have responded to my call for friendship,” he said.
Nandigram: A politically charged contest
The Nandigram seat fell vacant after Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly elections, retained Bhabanipur. The BJP fielded Rath, the mother of his slain personal assistant, Chandranath Rath, who was shot dead on May 6, two days after the BJP won the Assembly elections.
Nandigram holds particular political significance in West Bengal. It was the epicentre of the anti-land acquisition movement that helped propel Mamata Banerjee's TMC to power in 2011. In 2021, Adhikari defeated Banerjee in the constituency. He won Nandigram again in 2026 before retaining Bhabanipur, necessitating the bypoll.
The contest also saw divisions within the TMC. The faction led by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee withdrew its candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, after she met Adhikari. Banerjee subsequently extended support to Congress candidate Pradhan, describing the move as an effort to strengthen the INDIA bloc.
Pradhan had been arrested in cases linked to the 2007 Nandigram land acquisition agitation but later secured interim bail and returned to campaign.
The rival TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee fielded Mohammad Eteshamul Haque under the envelope symbol and a separate temporary party identity. The CPI nominated Santigopal Giri.
With a significant Muslim vote share in Nandigram, Adhikari had sought to reach out to minority voters during the campaign. The constituency has an estimated minority population of around 30 per cent, compared with approximately 70 per cent in Rejinagar.
Addressing a campaign meeting in Nandigram last week, Adhikari urged minority voters to support the BJP in the October 6 bypoll.
“I tell my minority brothers and sisters, do not turn your backs anymore. This is the opportunity for friendship. Let us all unite and ensure the win of the BJP candidate on October 6,” he had said.
He had also appealed to voters to join hands with the BJP, saying the party's leadership worked for everyone and that his government would do the same.
Rejinagar: Test for rival political camps
The Rejinagar seat fell vacant after AJUP founder Humayun Kabir, who won both Rejinagar and Nowda in the 2026 Assembly elections, retained Nowda. His son, Golam Nabi Azad, is contesting the bypoll on behalf of the party.
Kabir had won Rejinagar by nearly 59,000 votes in the Assembly elections.
The constituency, with a minority population of around 70 per cent, became a key focus of Adhikari's outreach to Muslim voters. The chief minister said his appeal for friendship had received a positive response.
For the Mamata Banerjee-led faction, the bypoll was also a test of its ability to retain political support after losing the original TMC name and symbol following an Election Commission directive.
