West Bengal bypolls: BJP leads by over 19,000 votes in Nandigram, 21,000 in Rejinagar

Representational image. File pic

After two rounds of counting in the October 6 bypolls, the BJP took commanding leads in both Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies.

As per IANS, BJP candidates are ahead by over 19,000 votes in Nandigram and 21,000 in Rejinagar.

CPI trails behind Congress in Nandigram

In Nandigram, BJP's Hasirani Rath is ahead of Congress's Milan Pradhan by over 19,200 votes. The CPI candidate, Sanitgopal Giri, is in the third position.

In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Sakharav Sarkar is ahead of Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP)'s Golam Nabi Azad by over 21,000 votes.

The Congress candidate Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, who was in the second position in the initial round of counting, is now relegated to the third position after two rounds of counting.

15 rounds of counting to be done

The two factions in the Trinamool Congress, namely the former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and Ritabrata Banerjee-led Democratic Trinamool Congress, trail well behind the frontrunners.

While the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress is not in the electoral race in Nandigram, the faction's candidate, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, is in sixth in Rejinagar.

The Democratic Trinamool Congress candidate Safiuzzaman Sheikh is in the seventh position. In Nandigram, the Democratic Trinamool Congress candidate Ehtesamul Haque is in the fifth position.

Rejinagar constituency holds significant position in West Bengal Assembly

Political observers viewed the Rejinagar trend as particularly significant, as more than 65 per cent of the constituency's voters belong to the minority community. One political observer linked the trend to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's recent assurance that his government would not pursue community-based development policies, as per IANS.

A local political observer while briefing about the situation said, "This trend shows that even a section of the minority community in West Bengal has decided to stay with the ruling dispensation keeping in mind the recent assurance by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari that the state government-led by him will not pursue community-based development activities," as cited by IANS.

However, the Congress candidate from Rejinagar, Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, said the results were a clear indication of what farcical exercise took place there on October 6. "The trend is exactly what the Chief Minister predicted on Tuesday," Kafi added.

(With inputs from IANS)