BJP Dominates Bengal Bypolls, Leads By Over 1 Lakh Votes In Nandigram

The BJP on Friday dominated the West Bengal Assembly bypolls, establishing unassailable leads in both Nandigram and Rejinagar, with margins of 1,06,513 votes and 55,583 votes, respectively, including a surprise breakthrough in Muslim-majority Rejinagar, as counting trends pointed to a setback for a fragmented opposition.

According to the latest Election Commission figures, BJP's Nandigram candidate Hasirani Rath was leading over Congress nominee Milan Pradhan, supported by former CM Mamata Banerjee, by 1,06,513 votes after 13 rounds of



counting.

Rath, the mother of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's slain personal assistant Chandranath Rath, secured 1,44,453 votes against Pradhan's 37,940. The Left Front candidate Santi Gopal Giri is at a distant third with 5,322 votes. 

In Rejinagar, a constituency in Murshidabad district with a nearly 70 per cent Muslim electorate, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar was ahead of Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) nominee Golam Nabi Azad by 55,583 votes after ten rounds. Sarkar polled 88,919 votes, while Azad, son of AJUP founder Humayun Kabir, secured 33,336 after ten rounds of counting.