Bengal BJP wants bypolls for two Assembly and one Lok Sabha seats at the earliest
Kolkata, June 27
The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded that the by-election for the two Assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal be conducted at the earliest and simultaneously.
The Lok Sabha constituency where the bypoll is pending is at Basirhat in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool Congress's Haji Nurul Islam was elected from Basirhat by a margin of over 3.70 lakh votes.
However, following his sudden demise on September 25, 2024, the seat remained vacant, and the bypoll for that Lok Sabha constituency is yet to be conducted.
It is learnt that recently the state BJP president in West Bengal and the party's Rajya Sabha member, Samik Bhattacharya, visited Basirhat and there he had a meeting with the party's Basirhat organisational district. In the meeting, party insiders said, Bhattacharya, too, stressed the need for a bypoll in Basirhat along with the bypolls for two Assembly constituencies in the state simultaneously and at the earliest.
Bhattacharya also directed the party's Basirhat organisational district to start the organisational preparation and selection of candidates.
According to the BJP's state spokesman, Debjit Sarkar, it has been almost two years since the Basirhat Lok Sabha is vacant. "It is not desirable in a democratic system that a Lok Sabha seat remains without a representative for such a long time. Hence, we want the Election Commission of India to announce the date of the by-election without further delay," Sarkar added.
The two Assembly constituencies where the bypolls are due are Nandigram in East Midnapore district and Rejinagar in minority-dominated Murshidabad district.
In the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls, the new Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, contested simultaneously from Bhabanipur in South Kolkata as well as from Nandigram. He got elected from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram. At Bhabanipur, he defeated his predecessor and former West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, by a margin of over 15,000 votes.
Later, Adhikari retained the Bhabanipur constituency, and hence a bypoll for Nandigram became necessary.
Similarly, Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder and former Trinamool Congress legislator, Humayun Kabir, this time contested simultaneously from Naoda and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies, both in Murshidabad district and got elected from both the constituencies. Thereafter, Kabir retained the Naoda constituency, and hence a bypoll for Rejinagar became necessary.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Classic election drama in Bengal. BJP wants early polls, TMC is dragging feet. But honestly, voters in Nandigram and Rejinagar must be feeling frustrated—their MLAs resigned to keep other seats. Hope EC prioritizes this, but let's not forget the ground realities of polling logistics in rural Bengal.
As someone from outside Bengal, I'm surprised a Lok Sabha seat can remain vacant for two years. In most democracies, bypolls happen within months. The EC in India needs to be more proactive. People in Basirhat, Nandigram, and Rejinagar deserve to have their voices heard.
BJP demanding early bypolls is expected—they see an opportunity in Basirhat after TMC's big win there in 2024. But let's be real: with Suvendu Adhikari as CM now, Nandigram will be fiercely contested. And Rejinagar with its minority population will be a litmus test for both parties. Politics is a game of timing, and BJP wants to strike while the iron is hot.
Two years without an MP is ridiculous. I get that bypolls are expensive and logistical challenges exist, but this is a failure of democratic process. Whether it's TMC's reluctance or EC's slowness, voters in Basirhat are the ones suffering. Hope the EC sets a firm deadline—at least within the next six months.
BJP's demand is valid, but let's not pretend they're doing this for democracy alone. They see a chance to gain ground in Bengal after their recent success. The real question is:
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.