BJP Wins Nandigram, Rejinagar Bypolls In Bengal; Hasirani Rath Secures Victory By 1.22 Lakh Votes

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls in West Bengal, with candidates Hasirani Rath and Shankharavh Sarkar defeating their respective rivals by significant margins.

In Nandigram, Rath defeated Congress candidate Milan Pradhan by 1,22,753 votes, securing 1,64,427 votes, or 75.94% of the total. Pradhan received 41,674 votes, accounting for 19.25% of the votes polled.

Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, a close aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who was shot dead on May 6, two days after the results of the state Assembly elections were declared.

In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar won with 1,29,914 votes, defeating Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) candidate Golam Nabi Azad, popularly known as Robin, who secured 54,098 votes. Sarkar won by a margin of 75,816 votes.

Why Were The Bypolls Held?

The Rejinagar bypoll was necessitated after AJUP chief Humayun Kabir won both the Rejinagar and Naoda Assembly constituencies in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. He chose to retain Naoda, leaving Rejinagar vacant.

The Nandigram by-election was held after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari vacated the seat to retain Bhabanipur, where he defeated former chief minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2026 Assembly elections. Adhikari had won both constituencies.

The two bypolls were closely watched as an early electoral test for the BJP government, which ended the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in West Bengal earlier this year.

Hasirani Rath’s Candidature Draws Attention

Rath’s candidature attracted considerable attention because of her family connection to Adhikari and the killing of her son, Chandranath Rath.

A close aide of Adhikari, Chandranath Rath was shot dead on May 6, two days after the Assembly election results were announced. The BJP backed Hasirani Rath in the bypoll after Adhikari decided to retain Bhabanipur, triggering the contest in Nandigram.

Congress Gets TMC Support After Candidate Withdraws

The Nandigram contest also witnessed political realignments within the opposition. Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate fielded by the Trinamool Congress faction led by Mamata Banerjee, withdrew from the race after meeting Adhikari.

Banerjee subsequently extended support to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan.

Pradhan’s campaign was also disrupted by his arrest in September in connection with cases dating back to the 2007 Nandigram agitation. He later secured bail from the Calcutta High Court and returned to the constituency to campaign.

The Congress alleged irregularities and voter intimidation during polling and demanded a repoll. The BJP rejected the allegations.

The results give the BJP victories in both constituencies, while the Congress’s Nandigram defeat and the opposition’s shifting electoral alignments add another dimension to West Bengal’s changing political landscape.