Archive · 10 Oct 2026
BJP Bypoll Wins Spotlight Minority Outreach and Opposition Disarray
The BJP won two special elections in West Bengal, in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
Its candidates won by very large margins.
Rejinagar has many Muslim voters, so the result led to debate about whether the BJP is gaining support among minority voters.
BJP leaders said voters supported development and the government.
But overall election totals do not show exactly how each community voted.
TMC and Congress leaders said the elections were unfair or not genuine, while the BJP rejected allegations.
Opposition parties did not make the contests close.
The results also left questions about which opposition party or group can challenge the BJP.
The BJP won Nandigram and Rejinagar by large margins, with Hasirani Rath defeating Congress’s Milan Pradhan and Shankharavh Sarkar defeating AJUP’s Golam Nabi Azad.
The reported margins differ slightly: 1,22,753 votes in Nandigram and either 75,816 or 75,748 votes in Rejinagar.
The articles report a sharp rise in BJP vote share between the Assembly election and the bypoll; Rejinagar has a Muslim-majority electorate.
BJP leaders said minority voters backed the party over development, while the articles note constituency-wide totals cannot establish how individual communities voted.
TMC and Congress figures alleged intimidation, voter exclusion or irregularities; the BJP rejected allegations, while opposition candidates and factions failed to mount competitive challenges.
- Who
- BJP candidates Hasirani Rath and Shankharavh Sarkar, and candidates from Congress, AJUP, TMC and other opposition groups.
- What
- The BJP won the Nandigram and Rejinagar by-elections by large margins.
- When
- The results were reported on October 9; the articles do not specify the polling date.
- Where
- Nandigram and Rejinagar, West Bengal, India.
- Why
- The results prompted debate over BJP support among minority voters and the opposition’s ability to challenge the party; BJP leaders attributed the victories to development.
Opposition allegations and cautions
BJP claims and response
Election conduct
Opposition allegations and cautions
TMC called the results a farce and alleged voter exclusion, prevention of voters reaching booths and police-backed booth capture. Congress leaders also alleged intimidation, muscle power or that no genuine election took place.
BJP claims and response
The BJP rejected allegations made about election conduct.
Minority voter support
Opposition allegations and cautions
The articles caution that constituency-wide results cannot establish how individual communities voted, and that opposition fragmentation and candidate choices may have affected the outcome.
BJP claims and response
BJP leaders said minority voters supported the party because of development; Suvendu Adhikari claimed the BJP received around 60 per cent of Muslim votes in Rejinagar and 80 per cent in Nandigram.
- Nandigram winner
- Hasirani Rath (BJP); reported vote totals vary: 1,64,427 in one article and 1,64,227 in another.
- Nandigram runner-up
- Milan Pradhan (Congress), with 41,674 votes.
- Nandigram margin
- 1,22,753 votes; one article calls it the highest since 1967.
- Rejinagar winner
- Shankharavh Sarkar (BJP), with 1,29,914 votes according to one article.
- Rejinagar margin
- Reported as 75,816 votes in one article and 75,748 in another.
- Rejinagar electorate
- Muslims account for nearly 70 per cent of the constituency’s electorate, according to one article.
- Turnout
- 80.89 per cent in Nandigram and 80.08 per cent in Rejinagar.
- Reported BJP vote-share change
- From around 27 to 63 per cent in Rejinagar and approximately 50 to 76 per cent in Nandigram between the Assembly election and the bypoll.
