West Bengal Byelections / BJP Candidate Hasirani Rath Wins Nandigram Bypoll by Record 1.22 Lakh Votes

Kolkata, Oct 9: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Hasirani Rath scripted electoral history in West Bengal's Nandigram Assembly constituency, securing a record-breaking victory margin of 1,22,753 votes in the bypoll held in East Midnapore district, officials said on Friday.

The win marks the highest-ever margin recorded in the constituency since 1967 and further strengthens the BJP's position in one of the state's most politically significant seats.

Hasirani Rath, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the bypoll for Nandigram Assembly Constituency in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, was declared elected by a record margin of 1,22,753 votes.

While Rath secured 1,64,427 votes, Congress's Milan Pradhan came in the second position, securing 41,674 votes.

CPI's Santi Gopal Giri was in the third position, receiving 5,779 votes, followed by All India Secular Front (AISF) candidate Ali Md Sabe Miraj Khan in the fourth position, securing 1,607 votes.

Ritabrata Banerjee-led Democratic Trinamool Congress finished in the fifth position, securing just 853 votes.

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Mamata All India Trinamool Congress was not in the electoral race at Nandigram this time, as its candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew her nomination at the last moment, following which Mamata Banerjee announced her support for the Congress candidate.

This is the highest-ever victory margin by any winning candidate from Nandigram since 1967. The previous record was held by current Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in 2016, when he got elected from Nandigram as a Trinamool Congress candidate by a margin of 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. This would not have been possible unless our candidate had secured the majority of the minority votes in Nandigram,” said Suvendu Adhikari while reacting to the Nandigram bypoll result.

In the Assembly elections earlier this year, Adhikari was elected from Nandigram by a margin of just 9,665 votes, securing 50.37 per cent of the total votes polled. Statistically, BJP witnessed a 25.79 per cent positive vote swing in the bypoll, with Rath securing 75.94 per cent of the total votes cast.
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Earlier this year, Adhikari was elected simultaneously from Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency in Kolkata, defeating Mamata Banerjee by a margin of over 15,000 votes. He later chose to retain the Bhabanipur seat, necessitating the bypoll in Nandigram.

Hasirani Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, the former personal assistant of Suvendu Adhikari, who was assassinated at Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on May 6.

The final result of the bypoll for Rejinagar Assembly Constituency in Murshidabad district is yet to be announced.
(With inputs from IANS)