Modi Hails BJP’s Nandigram & Rejinagar Wins, Says Results Reflect People’s Faith In Good Governance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday welcomed the BJP’s victories in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls in West Bengal, saying the results reflected people’s “deep-rooted connect” with the party’s good governance agenda.

“Gratitude to the people for their continuous blessings!” Modi wrote on X, congratulating the victorious BJP candidates and party workers.

“The Lok Sabha result of Nagaon (Assam) and Assembly results of Nandigram as well as Rejinagar (West Bengal) show yet again that the people have a deep-rooted connect with the good governance agenda of BJP-NDA,” he said.

Modi also congratulated the All India NR Congress (AINRC), an NDA ally, on its victory in the Thattanchavady Assembly constituency in Puducherry.

“This mandate will give us added strength as we work tirelessly for the welfare of the people and to fulfil their aspirations for a brighter and more prosperous future,” he added.

The BJP’s twin victories in West Bengal have strengthened its position in Nandigram, a constituency closely associated with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s political rise, and marked a significant breakthrough in Muslim-majority Rejinagar.

BJP Makes Gains In Muslim-Majority Rejinagar

In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath defeated Congress nominee Milan Pradhan by 1,22,753 votes, securing 1,64,427 votes against Pradhan’s 41,674. In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar defeated Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) nominee Golam Nabi Azad by 75,816 votes.

Rejinagar, in Murshidabad district, has emerged as the more significant test of the BJP’s electoral reach. Muslims account for nearly 70 per cent of the constituency’s electorate, where the TMC, Congress and regional parties have traditionally competed for minority support. However, constituency-level results alone do not establish how individual communities voted.

The BJP’s vote share in Rejinagar rose from around 27% in the Assembly election to 63% in the bypoll. In Nandigram, it increased from approximately 50% to 76%.

Adhikari claimed that the BJP had secured around 60% of Muslim votes in Rejinagar and 80% in Nandigram. The figures were his claims and could not be established from the constituency-wide results alone.

The outcome has also raised questions about the transferability of political support. Golam Nabi Azad’s father, Humayun Kabir, had won Rejinagar by more than 58,000 votes in May before retaining Nowda, necessitating the bypoll. His son failed to retain Rejinagar for the AJUP.

Nandigram Victory Consolidates Suvendu Adhikari’s Position

Nandigram carries a distinct political significance in West Bengal. The anti-land acquisition movement there helped propel the TMC to power in 2011, ending the Left Front’s 34-year rule. The constituency later became the stage for a defining political battle when Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly election.

Adhikari won Nandigram again in May by 9,665 votes but retained Bhabanipur, necessitating the bypoll. Rath’s victory by a much larger margin has consolidated the BJP’s position in a constituency closely associated with the chief minister’s political rise.

The opposition’s efforts to prevent a division of anti-BJP votes also failed to produce a competitive contest. After the Mamata-led TMC faction’s candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew, Banerjee backed Congress nominee Milan Pradhan. He nevertheless lost by more than 1.22 lakh votes.

Opposition Fragmentation Raises Questions Over Leadership

The results have intensified questions over the opposition’s ability to challenge the BJP, with the Congress, Left parties and rival Trinamool Congress factions struggling to establish a strong electoral presence.

Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told PTI, “The results have left the question of who will lead the opposition camp unresolved, with the Congress, the Left and rival TMC factions yet to establish a clear claim to that space.”

The Congress’s performance offers little immediate clarity. Despite Banerjee’s backing in Nandigram, its nominee could not mount a substantial challenge. In Rejinagar, where it contested independently, Abdullahil Kafi secured 6,168 votes, finishing behind the AJUP. The CPI(M), the Mamata-led TMC faction and the breakaway Democratic Trinamool Congress also failed to establish a competitive presence.

The twin victories give the BJP an opportunity to project development and governance as themes that can broaden its appeal across constituencies. Whether the results indicate a lasting shift in voter preferences, particularly among minority communities, will become clearer in subsequent elections. Opposition fragmentation and local candidate choices may also have influenced the outcome.