Bengal bypoll results: BJP ahead in Nandigram, Rejinagar as counting underway
Kolkata: Counting of votes began for the bypolls to the Nandigram Assembly Constituency in East Midnapore district and Rejinagar in Murshidabad district of West Bengal on Friday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates leading in both the seats.
In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath was ahead of the Congress candidate, Milan Pradhan. Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Mamata All India Trinamool Congress is not in the contest at Nandigram.
Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, the former personal assistant of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who was assassinated at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on May 6.
In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Sakharav Sarkar is ahead of the Congress candidate, Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi. As per the latest information available, Sarkar is ahead by around 6,000 votes.
The trend in Rejinagar is quite spectacular, considering that this is a minority-dominated Assembly constituency with over 65 per cent of the voters being from the Muslim community.
The polling was conducted on October 6.
At the time the report was filed, counting was on for the postal ballots. After the postal ballots are counted, the counting of the EVM votes will begin.
There will be 15 rounds of counting for each of the two Assembly constituencies. Counting started at 8 a.m., and the final trend is expected to be clear between noon and 1 p.m.
In the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections earlier this year, current Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was elected from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur Assembly constituencies in South Kolkata.
At Bhabanipur, Suvendu Adhikari defeated his predecessor and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by a margin of more than 15,000 votes.
Adhikari retained the Bhabanipur constituency, thus necessitating a bypoll for Nandigram.
On the other hand, former Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir contested and was elected as an AJUP candidate from Naoda and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies, both in Murshidabad district.
Later, Humayun Kabir decided to retain Naoda, thus necessitating a bypoll for the Rejinagar seat.