Suvendu Adhikari Hails Bengal By-Election Wins as Gift for PM Modi
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Friday projected the party's twin victories in the Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly by-elections as a significant political milestone, declaring that the wins represent a 'gift' for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing party workers and media persons in Kolkata shortly after the Election Commission confirmed the results, Adhikari asserted that the mandate has increased the organisation's responsibility to expand its footprint across the state ahead of the 2026 general assembly elections.
In Nandigram — the high-profile constituency that witnessed a fierce contest in 2021 — BJP candidate Hasirani Rath secured a decisive victory with a margin of 122,753 votes after fifteen rounds of counting. The seat, historically associated with land-acquisition movements and once considered a Trinamool Congress stronghold, has now delivered a substantial mandate to the saffron party, signalling a shift in the region's political dynamics. Meanwhile, in Rejinagar, BJP nominee Shakharav Sarkar emerged victorious by a comfortable margin of 75,748 votes, further consolidating the party's gains in Murshidabad district, an area where it has traditionally struggled to make deep inroads.
Adhikari, who himself contested and lost from Nandigram in the 2021 assembly polls against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, framed the current results as validation of the BJP's organisational restructuring and outreach strategy. He emphasised that the victories were not merely numerical but reflective of growing public confidence in the Modi government's welfare schemes and the state leadership's grassroots mobilisation. The Leader of Opposition also warned that the Trinamool Congress should not interpret the by-election outcomes as isolated events, suggesting they foreshadow a broader electoral realignment in Bengal.
Political analysts observe that the twin wins, coming barely months before the 2026 assembly elections, provide the BJP with crucial momentum and a narrative of resurgence after a series of setbacks in recent municipal and panchayat polls. For the Trinamool Congress, the losses in two seats it previously held raise questions about anti-incumbency and candidate selection. As both parties now pivot to full-scale election preparation, the by-election results have effectively sounded the bugle for what promises to be a fiercely contested battle for Bengal's 294 assembly constituencies.
Key Highlights
- BJP wins Nandigram by 122,753 votes and Rejinagar by 75,748 votes in assembly by-elections
- Suvendu Adhikari calls victories a 'gift for PM Modi' and says organisational responsibility has increased
- Nandigram, once a Trinamool stronghold, delivers decisive mandate to BJP candidate Hasirani Rath
- Rejinagar win marks BJP's expanding footprint in Murshidabad district
- Results seen as momentum builder for BJP ahead of 2026 West Bengal assembly elections
Source: News18 Bengali
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