The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (September 15) announced its candidates for the October 6 bypolls to two Assembly seats in West Bengal. The party has fielded Hasirani Rath from Nandigram, the mother of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's aide Chandranath Rath, who was shot dead by miscreants just days after the BJP stormed to power in West Bengal in May this year after defeating the TMC.
The BJP has nominated Sakharav Sarkar from the Rejinagar Assembly seat. Sarkar is a former BJP president of Murshidabad district and a member of the party's state committee.
Who is Hasirani Rath?
62-year-old Rath is a resident of Kulup village in the Chandipur area of East Medinipur. She has been involved in local politics and has served as a public representative at the Panchayat level. Initially, she was associated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Later, when Suvendu Adhikari left the TMC to join the BJP, Rath also switched to the BJP in December 2020, with her family. The Rath family has shared a long-standing political and personal bond with the Adhikari family---a relationship spanning over two decades. The Rath family has stood by Suvendu Adhikari since the early days of his political rise. Rath's husband passed away in 2024.
From 2013 to 2018, she served as the Karmadhyaksha (Chairperson) for Child and Women Development at the Chandipur Panchayat Samiti. Although she was once associated with the TMC, she later became active in the BJP due to her close political ties with Suvendu Adhikari. However, Rath herself had stated some time ago that she has been involved in politics since 1998.
Nandigram bypoll: Five candidates in fray
Rath will face Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) faction's Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) from Nandigram, while Mohammad Eteshamul Haque was nominated by the rebel TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee. The Congress fielded Milan Pradhan, while Shanti Gopal Giri was fielded by the Communist Party of India (CPI).
Nandigram is particularly significant in this battle. The constituency was the epicentre of the anti-land acquisition movement that helped the TMC come to power in 2011 and later became the site of her closely fought electoral contest with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Adhikari had contested both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 assembly polls and won both seats before vacating Nandigram, necessitating the bypoll.
Rejinagar bypoll
In Rejinagar, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction already nominated former MLA Rabiul Alam Chowdhury for the bypoll, while the rebel TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee declared Safiuddin Sheikh (Safiuzzaman Sheikh) as their candidate. Sitting MLA and Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir has decided to field his son Golam Nabi Azad (Robin) from the seat, while the Congress approved the candidature of Mohd Abdullahil Kafi. The CPI(M)-led Left Front has nominated Syed Asad Ali to contest the Rejinagar Assembly constituency bypoll.
Rejinagar too fell vacant after Humayun Kabir, who had won from both Rejinagar and Nowda, relinquished the former seat.
The counting of votes will take place on October 9.
(Input: Pawan Nara)
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