The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls in West Bengal on Friday, October 9, with its candidates winning convincingly in both the seats. While Hasirani Rath defeated the Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram by a huge margin of 1,22,753 votes, Shankharavh Sarkar won from Rejinagar against the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP)'s Golam Nabi Azad.
Months after ending the Trinamool Congress's 15-year reign in West Bengal in the 2026 Assembly elections, the BJP has registered a double bypoll win.
Hasirani Rath Wins Nandigram by More Than 1.22 Lakh Votes
Rath, who secured 1,64,427 votes (75.94 per cent of the total votes), trounced her Congress rival Pradhan, who managed 41,674 votes (19.25 per cent). The Nandigram verdict came as a surprise to many as the seat had gone to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the 2021 Assembly polls.
Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, a close aide of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who was shot dead on May 6, two days after the Assembly election results were announced. The BJP fielded her after Adhikari vacated the Nandigram seat to contest from Bhabanipur, where he defeated Mamata Banerjee.
Nandigram has been a crucial seat for the BJP to hold on to in West Bengal as Adhikari had contested from here against the TMC chief and had barely managed to win in 2021.
BJP's Shankharavh Sarkar Wins Rejinagar
Shankharavh Sarkar (1,29,914 votes) won Rejinagar by a huge margin of 75,816 votes over Golam Nabi Azad (54,098 votes).
Rejinagar is a Muslim-dominated area in the Murshidabad district and the BJP's win here has come as a surprise as it has to battle the Samajwadi Party and the AJUP, led by Humayun Kabir.
Rejinagar went to the polls as the vacant seat needed to be filled after Kabir, who had won both Rejinagar and Naoda in the 2026 Assembly polls, decided to retain Naoda.
The Rejinagar bypoll was also significant since the TMC and its allies had put up a united front to defeat the BJP.
Changes in Opposition Strategy, Polling Wrangles Add to Excitement Around Prefresh
Apart from the surprise results, the contest in Nandigram was marred by changes in the opposition strategy. Sanchita Pradhan Dey, who was being fielded by a TMC faction, pulled out of the fray after meeting Adhikari, prompting Mamata Banerjee to come out in support of Milan Pradhan.
Pradhan, who was out on a nine-year jail term for his role in the infamous 2007 Nandigram violence, was granted bail by the Calcutta High Court last week.
Congress accused the BJP of rigging and malpractice in the Nandigram polls and demanded a repoll. While the Congress stormed out of the counting hall in protest, the BJP dismissed the allegations as baseless.
With these double bypoll wins, the BJP gets its early election victory euphoria after its massive win in the Assembly polls. The opposition, on the other hand, will have to answer some difficult questions regarding their performance in the two seats.