Key Highlights
- Record win: BJP’s Hasirani Rath won Nandigram by 1,22,753 votes, the highest margin in the seat’s history since 1967.
- Vote share: She secured about 75.94% of the votes polled.
- Runner-up: Congress’s Milan Pradhan got 41,674 votes; the CPI was third.
- No TMC candidate: Mamata Banerjee’s party withdrew its candidate and backed Congress.
- Why the bypoll: CM Suvendu Adhikari won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur earlier this year and kept Bhabanipur.
The BJP has won the Nandigram Assembly bypoll in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district by a record margin. Hasirani Rath defeated Congress’s Milan Pradhan by 1,22,753 votes.
The Result
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Hasirani Rath | BJP | 1,64,427 |
| Milan Pradhan | Congress | 41,674 |
| Santi Gopal Giri | CPI | 5,779 |
| Ali Md Sabe Miraj Khan | AISF | 1,607 |
| (Candidate) | Democratic Trinamool Congress (Ritabrata Banerjee-led) | 853 |
Breaking Adhikari’s Own Record
This is the highest margin ever recorded in Nandigram since 1967. The previous record belonged to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won the seat in 2016 as a Trinamool Congress candidate by 81,230 votes.
“Before the bypolls, I predicted that the victory margin for the BJP candidate this time would surpass my own record in 2016. This is what exactly happened,” Adhikari said. He also claimed the margin would not have been possible without the BJP candidate winning a majority of minority votes in the constituency.
Why It Matters: A Dramatic Swing in Months
The scale of the shift stands out. In the Assembly election earlier this year, Adhikari won Nandigram by just 9,665 votes, with about 50% of the vote. In the bypoll, the BJP’s share rose to about 76%, a jump of roughly 25 percentage points.
The contest was also shaped by what the opposition did not do. Mamata Banerjee’s party withdrew its candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, at the last moment, and Banerjee announced support for the Congress candidate. Even with that consolidation, the Congress could secure only about a quarter of the BJP’s votes.
Nandigram has long been one of Bengal’s most politically symbolic seats, and the margin gives the ruling BJP a strong early signal of support months into its government.
Why the Bypoll Was Held
Earlier this year, Adhikari won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in South Kolkata, where he defeated Mamata Banerjee by just over 15,000 votes. He chose to retain Bhabanipur, leading to the Nandigram bypoll.
The Candidate
Hasirani Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, Adhikari’s former personal assistant, who was killed in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas on May 6.
What Comes Next
The result of the Rejinagar Assembly bypoll in Murshidabad district is yet to be announced.
The Bottom Line
From a narrow win months ago to a record-breaking landslide, Nandigram has delivered a decisive verdict for the BJP, and a tough message for the opposition.
With inputs from IANS.
Key Highlights
- Record win: BJP’s Hasirani Rath won Nandigram by 1,22,753 votes, the highest margin in the seat’s history since 1967.
- Vote share: She secured about 75.94% of the votes polled.
- Runner-up: Congress’s Milan Pradhan got 41,674 votes; the CPI was third.
- No TMC candidate: Mamata Banerjee’s party withdrew its candidate and backed Congress.
- Why the bypoll: CM Suvendu Adhikari won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur earlier this year and kept Bhabanipur.
The BJP has won the Nandigram Assembly bypoll in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district by a record margin. Hasirani Rath defeated Congress’s Milan Pradhan by 1,22,753 votes.
The Result
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Hasirani Rath | BJP | 1,64,427 |
| Milan Pradhan | Congress | 41,674 |
| Santi Gopal Giri | CPI | 5,779 |
| Ali Md Sabe Miraj Khan | AISF | 1,607 |
| (Candidate) | Democratic Trinamool Congress (Ritabrata Banerjee-led) | 853 |
Breaking Adhikari’s Own Record
This is the highest margin ever recorded in Nandigram since 1967. The previous record belonged to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won the seat in 2016 as a Trinamool Congress candidate by 81,230 votes.
“Before the bypolls, I predicted that the victory margin for the BJP candidate this time would surpass my own record in 2016. This is what exactly happened,” Adhikari said. He also claimed the margin would not have been possible without the BJP candidate winning a majority of minority votes in the constituency.
Why It Matters: A Dramatic Swing in Months
The scale of the shift stands out. In the Assembly election earlier this year, Adhikari won Nandigram by just 9,665 votes, with about 50% of the vote. In the bypoll, the BJP’s share rose to about 76%, a jump of roughly 25 percentage points.
The contest was also shaped by what the opposition did not do. Mamata Banerjee’s party withdrew its candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, at the last moment, and Banerjee announced support for the Congress candidate. Even with that consolidation, the Congress could secure only about a quarter of the BJP’s votes.
Nandigram has long been one of Bengal’s most politically symbolic seats, and the margin gives the ruling BJP a strong early signal of support months into its government.
Why the Bypoll Was Held
Earlier this year, Adhikari won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in South Kolkata, where he defeated Mamata Banerjee by just over 15,000 votes. He chose to retain Bhabanipur, leading to the Nandigram bypoll.
The Candidate
Hasirani Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, Adhikari’s former personal assistant, who was killed in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas on May 6.
What Comes Next
The result of the Rejinagar Assembly bypoll in Murshidabad district is yet to be announced.
The Bottom Line
From a narrow win months ago to a record-breaking landslide, Nandigram has delivered a decisive verdict for the BJP, and a tough message for the opposition.
With inputs from IANS.