BJP Wins Nandigram By 1.22 Lakh Votes, Takes Minority-Dominated Rejinagar In Bengal Bypolls
The BJP on Friday retained Nandigram by a record margin and also won the minority-dominated constituency of Rejinagar, underlining its dominance in West Bengal politics.
A call to Muslims on a development pitch, the alleged police pressure on Opposition candidates and leaders, a personal campaign by the Chief Minister, and a divided Opposition culminated in a victory in these two seats, which was the first electoral test for both the ruling party and the Opposition in Bengal after the Assembly polls.
The BJP won Nandigram by a record 1.22 lakh votes, maintaining its lead since counting began. The party’s candidate from the seat that Suvendu Adhikari vacated was Hansirani Rath, the mother of the Chief Minister’s aide who was murdered days after the BJP came to power in May. She defeated Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, who finished a distant second. In Rejinagar, Shankharavh Sarkar defeated the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) by 75,691 votes. The AJUP candidate was Naoda MLA Humayun Kabir’s son Gulam Nabi Azad. Kabir vacated Rejinagar after winning the elections, making the bypoll necessary,
The election marks a decisive breakthrough for the BJP since it shows that in the face of its dominance, a large chunk of minorities have now decided to back it. In the Assembly polls, the minority vote had consolidated mainly behind the Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee. However, the principal Opposition party has since fragmented and was a marginal player in these bypolls. In Nandigram, it backed the Congress after its candidate withdrew from the fight, while in Rejinagar it managed to convince its candidate to stay in the contest hours after he too announced his withdrawal.
“The minorities have shown that they are clever. They have sided with development, they have answered Suvendu Adhikari’s call. They have shown that they are with the state government. It is a slap in the face to those who practice communal politics. We were able to make them understand. They want bridges, hospitals and industrial parks,” Shankharavh Sarkar told reporters.
“We earlier said that we will win the two seats. The win shows people’s acceptance. In Rejinagar it’s a unique achievement. It showed that those who never voted for us have decided to vote for BJP,” said Union MoS for Education Sukanta Majumdar.
Opposition’s allegations
The Opposition alleged that intimidation and rigging helped the BJP win. Milan Pradhan was arrested by the police on September 18, hours after Mamata Banerjee backed his candidature, and was released just days before the campaign was set to close.
In Rejinagar, Humayun Kabir alleged police harassment as new cases were slapped against him and old cases were revived, leading to a police interrogation. He claimed that 24 of his party leaders were arrested, of whom 12, including him, got bail. He subsequently decided not to campaign. On polling day, Kabir was detained for allegedly violating election rules and for an altercation with the police.
“Votes have been looted and democracy killed. Therefore, such results are natural. In booths where people could cast their votes, Congress will lead. In booths where votes have been looted, obviously BJP is leading. We had earlier demanded repolling in both constituencies,” Pradhan told reporters.
Abdullahil Kafi, the Congress candidate in Rejinagar, said, “It is obvious what happened during the polls. They used administration and police to block genuine voters while BJP workers and miscreants rigged the booths.”
Rejinagar, with a 70% Muslim population, was a Congress stronghold before Kabir won it in the Assembly polls. Last year, Kabir struck a controversial note when he started the construction of a Babri Masjid replica in the area.
On Friday, he again revived the call for the mosque’s creation and said he would leave the country. “First I will complete the Babri Masjid and then I will leave for Dubai. I will stay there. I cannot stay here anymore, let alone do politics. The atrocities by the police against me for months; they detained me for 12 hours on polling day. Earlier, one case after another was slapped against me. Then there are a section of people who betrayed me. That is why I want to leave. I am tired.”
The BJP’s message to voters in Rejinagar was that it was here to stay in the state for the next two decades at least and that the minority community would have to adjust and learn to coexist with it.
“Amra Delhi te aar Banglay kuri bochhor thakbo. Apnader amader sathei ghar korte hobe (For the next 20 years, both in the Centre and in the state, we will be there. You will have to stay with us. This election gives you a chance to stay with the government. It is for you to choose,” state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya told voters in Rejinagar.
The CM also reached out to voters in Rejinagar, promising to rain sops on them. “So you want a bridge here? Do you want a college here? Then send Shankharavh Sarkar to the Assembly. This is your chance. Please do not listen to the 70:30 story anymore (from the Opposition parties). On polling day, go and vote en masse for the BJP,” Adhikari had said at a public meeting in Shaktipur.
Apart from a bridge and a college, the CM also promised a 200-bedded hospital, development of an industrial park, five AMUL milk collection centres, and a promise to bring back 40,000 migrant workers to Rejinagar with the promise of jobs. In Nandigram, too, the CM had called upon the Muslims to become ‘friends of the government’.
