West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has turned the upcoming Assembly by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar into a direct political message to minority voters, describing the October 6 contest as a "test" and asking them to decide whether they want to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Addressing a rally in Haldia in East Midnapore, Adhikari said voters in the two constituencies would have an opportunity to demonstrate whether they wanted to work with the state government. His remarks came as the BJP stepped up its campaign for the two bypolls, which were necessitated after Adhikari and AJUP chief Humayun Kabir vacated their respective seats. Adhikari said minority voters who had not previously supported the BJP now had an opportunity to decide whether they wanted to align themselves with the government.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has added an emotive dimension to the upcoming Nandigram Assembly bypoll by fielding Hasirani Rath, the mother of Chandranath Rath, a former aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who was shot dead earlier this year. Rath filed her nomination from Nandigram in Haldia on Tuesday in the presence of Adhikari. The BJP has also nominated former Murshidabad district president Sakharav Sarkar from Rejinagar, choosing an experienced organisational leader for the Muslim-majority constituency. The Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls are scheduled for October 6, with September 16 being the last date for filing nominations. Votes will be counted on October 9.
Why Hasirani Rath's candidature matters
Hasirani Rath's nomination has brought the death of her son back into the centre of the Nandigram campaign. Chandranath Rath, who had earlier worked as Adhikari's personal assistant when he was the Leader of the Opposition, was travelling in a car in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, when motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly shot him dead on May 6.
The killing took place two days after the BJP came to power in West Bengal. The case was initially investigated by the state police and a Special Investigation Team before being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Rath has said that she has been involved in politics since 1998. She has served twice as a panchayat member and three times as a panchayat samiti member.
Before filing her nomination, she visited two local temples and offered prayers. She later expressed confidence that she would win Nandigram by a margin of 1.10 lakh votes. "Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is the guardian of our family," she said, adding that she would sincerely fulfil whatever responsibility the BJP entrusted to her.
Suvendu Adhikari calls October 6 contest a 'test'
Adhikari accompanied Rath to the Haldia SDO office for the nomination and subsequently launched an aggressive campaign for the BJP. "I know how to conduct the polls. We will win by such a big margin in Nandigram that no one has ever imagined," he told supporters.
Adhikari also appealed to minority voters in both Nandigram and Rejinagar to support the BJP, describing the October 6 election as a test of whether they wanted to work with the state government.
“October 6 will be your test of whether you want to be with the government and the chief minister and work hand-in-hand. I leave it to you whether you want to pass or fail in the test,” Adhikari said.
He said the BJP government, which assumed office on May 9, had initiated development work during its first four months and would spend the remaining 56 months working for the welfare and progress of West Bengal. Both constituencies have sizeable minority electorates, making the BJP's outreach to these voters a significant part of its campaign messaging.
TMC hits back at BJP's minority voter appeal
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction criticised the BJP's framing of the bypoll as a test for minority voters. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said political support should be based on development rather than a majority-minority divide. "It's not a question of majority or minority; all sections of society have to be won over by development initiatives,” Ghosh said. The exchange has brought development, minority outreach and the competing political narratives of the two camps to the forefront of the Nandigram and Rejinagar campaigns.
Nandigram remains a key political battleground
Nandigram carries considerable political significance in West Bengal. It was the centre of the anti-land acquisition movement that played a major role in the TMC's rise to power in 2011. The constituency subsequently became one of the most closely watched political battlegrounds between Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari.
(With PTI inputs)
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