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BJP Faces Little Opposition Amid Nandigram Bye-Election Controversy
Nandigram was preparing for a special election on October 6.
The BJP was campaigning strongly, while its opponents appeared to have fewer people and signs on the streets.
Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in older cases, then received temporary permission to campaign.
Opposition politicians said the police were making it harder for them to compete, but the BJP’s candidate denied that the complaints were true.
The Trinamool Congress candidate had withdrawn, and some people said local Trinamool workers had switched to the BJP.
Some voters said they planned to support the party running the government because they wanted to keep receiving help.
The article describes a contest that many voters and politicians saw as one-sided.
Nandigram’s October 6 bye-election featured a BJP campaign that appeared far more visible than its rivals’ campaigns.
Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in older cases and received interim bail to campaign in the election’s final week.
Opposition figures accused the police and local administration of intimidation and unfairly disadvantaging their campaigns; the BJP’s Hasirani Rath rejected the accusations.
The Trinamool Congress candidate withdrew after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, and the party was largely absent from the ground, with locals saying many workers had joined the BJP.
Voters interviewed described backing the party in power for practical reasons, while some expressed hopes that political competition could return.
- Who
- The BJP, Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, and other opposition figures and voters in Nandigram.
- What
- A bye-election campaign described by the article as heavily tilted toward the BJP, amid opposition allegations of intimidation and an unfair contest.
- Where
- Nandigram, West Bengal, India.
- When
- The bye-election was scheduled for October 6; the article also describes campaigning in the days before the vote.
- Why
- The bye-election followed the BJP’s formation of the state government five months earlier; the article says the Trinamool candidate withdrew and opposition figures alleged police and administrative actions were limiting their campaigns.
Opposition allegations
BJP response
Fairness of the campaign
Opposition allegations
Congress and Communist Party of India figures alleged that police and local authorities were intimidating opposition workers and undermining a fair contest.
BJP response
BJP candidate Hasirani Rath dismissed the accusations as things opposition parties had to say and argued there was little opposition in Nandigram.
Political violence and intimidation
Opposition allegations
Communist Party of India candidate Santi Gopal Giri alleged that opposition workers faced false cases and that he was assaulted by people he said were BJP workers.
BJP response
The article reports that Rath rejected the broader opposition allegations; it does not provide a separate BJP account of the alleged assault.
Voters' reasons for backing the BJP
Opposition allegations
Some voters and Trinamool supporters interviewed said the Trinamool had been badly weakened and expressed hope that opposition parties could reunite or challenge the BJP later.
BJP response
Some voters said they would support the party in power to retain welfare benefits or because they believed it was practical to back the government.
Key facts
- Election
- Nandigram bye-election, scheduled for October 6.
- BJP candidate
- Hasirani Rath, the mother of murdered political aide Chandranath Rath.
- Congress candidate
- Milan Pradhan.
- Earlier representation
- Suvendu Adhikari had represented Nandigram since 2021, according to the article.
- Previous result
- The BJP won Nandigram by fewer than 10,000 votes five months earlier.
- BJP candidate's stated target
- Hasirani Rath said she aimed to win by more than 1.5 lakh votes.
- Interim bail
- Milan Pradhan received interim bail to campaign in the final week before the bye-election.
Quotes
Sheikh Ainul Hoque
Nandigram resident interviewed by Scroll
“It’s best to vote for the party in power. If the BJP loses this seat, then also it will continue to run the government. We voters have to follow whoever is wielding the stick.”
scroll.in
“The chief minister is a vengeful person. He did similar things when he was a minister in Mamata Banerjee’s government.”
scroll.in
Sources
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