Stories
BJP Bypoll Victories in Bengal Reinforce Suvendu Adhikari’s Political Dominance
N
News18•09-10-2026, 18:31
BJP Bypoll Victories in Bengal Reinforce Suvendu Adhikari’s Political Dominance
- •The BJP secured landslide victories in the Nandigram and Rejinagar by-elections, serving as a major political triumph for West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
- •In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasi Rani Rath won by a record margin of over 1.22 lakh votes, cementing Adhikari’s undisputed command over his home turf.
- •The victory in the 70 percent Muslim-majority Rejinagar seat highlights the success of Adhikari’s development-focused outreach to minority voters.
- •Adhikari attributed the massive voter turnout and victory margins to women beneficiaries of the Annapurna Yojana welfare scheme.
- •The dominant wins silence a fragmented opposition and raise the BJP's assembly strength to 209 out of 294 seats.
Key Questions Answered
In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasi Rani Rath defeated Congress's Milan Pradhan by a record margin of over 1.22 lakh votes, while in Rejinagar, Shankharavh Sarkar beat AJUP's Golam Nabi Azad by over 75,000 votes.
In the minority-dominated Rejinagar seat, which has a 70% Muslim population, Suvendu Adhikari led a development-focused pitch resulting in the BJP claiming to secure nearly 60% of the Muslim vote.
Suvendu Adhikari directly attributed the massive voter turnout and victory margins to women beneficiaries of the Annapurna Yojana, a state social welfare scheme providing ₹3,000 per month to low-income households.
