Archive · 6 Oct 2026
BJP Faces Minority-Vote and Fair-Election Tests in Two Bypolls
People in Nandigram and Rejinagar were voting in by-elections on Tuesday.
The BJP hoped to win both seats and said it expected large victory margins.
Its leaders also wanted support from some minority voters, including Muslim voters.
In the previous election, Suvendu Adhikari won Nandigram by 9,665 votes.
Rejinagar had been won by AJUP candidate Humayun Kabir by 58,876 votes.
The Trinamool Congress did not field a candidate in Nandigram this time.
A political scientist said the BJP also needed the elections to be peaceful and fair.
If there were violence or vote-rigging, that could hurt the party’s claims about how elections were being run.
Tuesday’s bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar were described as tests of the BJP’s ability to win minority votes and ensure a free and fair election.
BJP leaders predicted wins in both seats; state president Samik Bhattacharya said the Nandigram margin would be at least five times Suvendu Adhikari’s previous 9,665-vote margin.
In Rejinagar, the BJP needs some Muslim support, despite opposition votes being split among several parties, according to the report.
The Trinamool Congress withdrew its Nandigram candidate, while Congress nominee Milan Pradhan became a leading Opposition face after being arrested and released on bail.
A political scientist said violence or vote-rigging would undermine the BJP’s effort to demonstrate elections could be conducted fairly under its government.
- Who
- Voters, BJP candidates, and opposing parties in Nandigram and Rejinagar; BJP leaders included Suvendu Adhikari and Samik Bhattacharya.
- What
- By-elections were held in two seats, with the BJP seeking wins and minority votes while facing scrutiny over election fairness.
- When
- Tuesday; the article does not specify the date or year.
- Where
- Nandigram and Rejinagar, West Bengal, India.
- Why
- The BJP sought to win both seats and demonstrate strong support, while the report identified minority votes and a free and fair election as key challenges.
Election challenges
BJP’s position
Expected victory margins
Election challenges
The article notes the previous results and says the BJP needs minority votes to reach its targets, particularly in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
BJP’s position
Samik Bhattacharya claimed the BJP would win both seats by large margins, predicting a Nandigram margin at least five times Adhikari’s previous margin.
Election fairness
Election challenges
Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty said violence or incidents such as rigging would undermine the BJP’s effort to show elections could be free and fair under its government.
BJP’s position
The BJP’s stated challenge was to ensure a free and fair election; the article does not provide a separate BJP response to Chakraborty’s warning.
- Seats
- Nandigram and Rejinagar
- Previous Nandigram result
- Suvendu Adhikari won by 9,665 votes in the April election.
- Previous Rejinagar result
- AJUP candidate Humayun Kabir won by 58,876 votes in the April election.
- BJP’s stated Nandigram target
- Samik Bhattacharya said the win margin would be at least five times Adhikari’s previous margin.
- Nandigram opposition field
- The Trinamool Congress withdrew its candidate; Congress nominee Milan Pradhan emerged as a main Opposition face, according to the article.
- Challenges cited
- Winning minority votes and ensuring a free and fair election.