Bengal bye-polls: BJP leads in Nandigram, Rejinagar

The Bharatiya Janata Party was leading in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bye-elections in West Bengal as counting of votes was underway on Friday.

In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasi Rani Rath was leading Congress candidate Milan Pradhan by more than 1 lakh votes after 13 rounds of counting, as of 2.10 pm. Two more rounds were remaining.

Rath is mother of an aide to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who was shot dead two days after the state election results were announced in May.

The Trinamool Congress faction led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided to support Pradhan after the faction’s candidate had withdrawn her nomination, shortly after photographs of her meeting Adhikari were shared online.

The bye-poll became necessary after Adhikari vacated the seat. The chief minister had won the Nandigram and Bhabanipur seats during the state polls.

Adhikari has held the seat since 2016. He left the TMC and joined the BJP in December 2020, months ahead of the 2021 polls.

In Rejinagar, BJP’s Shankharavh Sarkar was ahead of Aam Janata Unnayan Party’s Golam Nabi Azad by more than 46,000 votes after eight rounds of counting. Seven rounds were remaining.

Congress’ Abdullahil Kafi was third and the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC group’s Rabiul Alam Chowdhury fourth.

The bye-election in the Muslim-majority constituency became necessary after Aam Janata Unnayan Party...

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