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West Bengal By-Elections Draw Questions Over Electoral Fairness
West Bengal is holding two special elections on October 6.
They are taking place in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
The results probably will not change who runs the state government.
Even so, the elections have become very politically important.
A candidate supported by the TMC was arrested over an old legal case before the vote.
In Rejinagar, another TMC candidate first said he would quit and then changed his mind.
The Election Commission has also temporarily frozen the TMC’s name and election symbol.
Critics say these events could make voters question whether the elections are being conducted fairly.
By-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar are scheduled for October 6, though the results are not expected to threaten the BJP government’s stability.
The Nandigram contest intensified after TMC-backed candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in connection with a nearly two-decade-old pending case.
In Rejinagar, TMC candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury announced his withdrawal and reversed it within hours, citing pressure on party workers.
The Election Commission’s interim freezing of the TMC name and flowers-and-grass symbol is being challenged before the Supreme Court.
Claims that 22 lakh of 27 lakh deleted electoral-roll names have been challenged remain in need of verification, the article says.
- Who
- The BJP government, the Trinamool Congress, the Indian National Congress, the Left Front, the Election Commission, and candidates including Milan Pradhan and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury.
- What
- Two Assembly by-elections are prompting controversy over candidate withdrawals, an opposition candidate’s arrest, the TMC’s frozen name and symbol, and disputed electoral-roll deletions.
- Where
- Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal, India.
- When
- The by-elections are scheduled for October 6; the article does not specify the year.
- Why
- The contests have attracted unusual political intensity because they are being treated as tests of the BJP government and because several actions have raised questions about electoral fairness.
Key facts
- By-election constituencies
- Nandigram and Rejinagar
- Polling date
- October 6; the year is not specified
- Nandigram vacancy
- Suvendu Adhikari vacated the seat after winning from two constituencies
- Arrested candidate
- Congress nominee Milan Pradhan was arrested in a nearly two-decade-old pending case
- Rejinagar candidate
- Rabiul Alam Chowdhury first announced withdrawal and then reversed the decision within hours
- TMC symbol dispute
- The Election Commission temporarily froze the TMC’s name and flowers-and-grass symbol; the matter is before the Supreme Court
- Electoral-roll claim
- The article cites a claim that 22 lakh of 27 lakh deleted names have been challenged, while saying it requires verification
Sources
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