Bypolls test Vijay’s clout, BJP’s Bengal surge

From a test of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s star power in Tamil Nadu to a changed political landscape in West Bengal with a resurgent BJP and a divided Trinamool, to the high-stakes Nagaon Lok Sabha contest in Assam, the bypoll results will have serious regional implications amid controversy over CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

The win came on a day when the INDIA bloc leaders met President Droupadi Murmu on Friday demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, and the national capital, Delhi, braced for a CJP protest likely on Saturday.

The BJP swept the West Bengal Assembly bypolls, trouncing its rivals by a record margin in politically significant Nandigram and scoring a surprise victory in Muslim-majority Rejinagar, consolidating its position barely five months after ending the Trinamool Congress’ 15-year rule in the State. Tamil Nadu’s ruling TVK appeared set to win the bypolls in Madurantakam and Dharapuram on Friday, while the BJP also won the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam. Meanwhile, the ruling All India NR Congress (AINRC) won the Thattanchavady constituency in Puducherry. The results were closely watched for the political mood in the four constituencies and the Puducherry Assembly seat.

Addressing a press conference, BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani thanked voters in States where Assembly bypolls were held, saying the results proved that “democracy has won over mobocracy”.

“Democracy has delivered yet another resounding message to the mob,” she said, referring to the bypoll results. Irani also targeted the Congress, alleging that it has taken no action against its own lawmaker facing sexual harassment charges.

“Congress talks of smashing patriarchy, but is not taking any action against its own MP facing sexual harassment charges,” she said, referring to now-dismissed JNU professor and Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.

The BJP steamrolled its rivals in Nandigram and scored a surprise win in Muslim-majority Rejinagar, underlining its expanding political reach in West Bengal barely four months after ending TMC’s 15-year rule, as a fragmented opposition struggled to mount a challenge in the ruling party’s first electoral test.

The twin victories carried contrasting but politically significant messages: in Nandigram, the BJP consolidated its hold over a constituency central to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s political rise; in Rejinagar, it signalled its ability to expand beyond its traditional electoral base. Hasirani Rath, the BJP candidate in Nandigram and mother of Adhikari’s slain personal assistant Chandranath Rath, won by 1,22,753 votes, polling 1,64,427 against 41,674 for Congress nominee Milan Pradhan, backed by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee. CPI candidate Santi Gopal Giri finished third with 5,779 votes.

In Rejinagar, BJP’s Shankharavh Sarkar defeated Aam Janata Unnayan Party nominee Golam Nabi Azad by 75,816 votes. Sarkar secured 1,29,914 votes, while Azad, son of AJUP founder Humayun Kabir, got 54,098.

In Rejinagar, Muslims account for around 70 per cent of the electorate, according to figures cited during the campaign. The constituency has traditionally witnessed competition among the TMC, Congress and regional political formations, with minority votes playing an important role.