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Bengal bypolls: Six-cornered Nandigram battle shifts focus to runner-up spot in BJP bastion

Digital Desk | Kolkata, Sep 17 (IANS) The high-stakes Nandigram assembly constituency in East Midnapore district in West Bengal is set for a six-cornered contest in the upcoming October 6 bypolls, with political observers noting that the primary battle centres on determining which candidate secures the second position. In the Assembly elections held earlier this year, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur. He defeated former CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur and chose to retain that seat, leaving Nandigram vacant and necessitating the bypoll. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Hasirani Rath, mother of Adhikaris personal assistant Chandranath Rath, who was shot dead in North 24 Parganas on May 6, soon after the Assembly election results were announced. Her candidature has added an emotional element to the campaign. In the Assembly elections earlier this year, BJP candidates had won all 16 constituencies in East Midnapore. Nandigram has also remained a strong base for the BJP since the 2021 Assembly polls, largely because of Suvendu Adhikaris influence in the constituency. The sympathy factor surrounding Hasirani Raths candidature has further strengthened the BJPs position in the bypoll. The key question now is whether any of the non-BJP candidates can secure enough votes to retain their deposits, said a Kolkata-based political observer. Besides Rath, the other five major candidates in the fray are Sanchita Pradhan Dey from the Mamata Banerjee-led original-but-minority faction in Trinamool Congress, Ehteshmul Haque from the Riatarbrata Banerjee-led rebel-but-majority faction, Communist Party of Indias Shanti Gopal Giri, Congresss Milan Pradhan and All India Secular Front (AISF)s Mohammad Sabe Miraj Ali Khan. The bypolls for Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly seats will be held on October 6, and the results will be declared on October 9. Efforts by Mamata Banerjee to negotiate an electoral compromise in the two crucial Assembly bypolls with the Congress leadership faltered ahead of filings. Banerjee offered to withdraw her candidate from Nandigram if the Congress agreed to abstain from contesting the Rejinagar constituency. However, the Congress high command reportedly rejected the proposal, ensuring multi-cornered contests in both seats.