Bengal bypolls: TMC wins three seats, takes irreversible leads in three others

Kolkata: The TMC won three seats, wresting the key Madarihat seat from the BJP, and took unassailable leads in three others across all six assembly constituencies where bypolls were held, reinforcing its stronghold in West Bengal despite ongoing protests over the RG Kar Medical College incident.

The bypolls were held in six constituencies — Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, Taldangra, Sitai (SC), and Madarihat (ST) — after the resignation of sitting MLAs who vacated their assembly seats after winning seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

These elections were seen as a crucial test for the state's ruling party, especially as they come amidst a politically charged environment, heightened by the RG Kar Medical College protests.

In Sitai (SC), TMC's Sangita Roy won by a margin of 1,30,636 votes bagging 1,65,200 votes, while her nearest rival, BJP's Dipak Kumar Ray, received 35,348 votes, signalling TMC's dominant performance in the Scheduled Caste seat.

In Madarihat (ST), a key battleground where the BJP had won in 2021, TMC's Jayprakash Toppo bagged 79,186 votes, 28,168 votes more than BJP's Rahul Lohar, who secured 51,018 votes, indicating TMC's return to take control of the strategically important seat in the state tea garden's belt.

In Naihati, TMC's Sanat Dey won the seat bagging 78,772 votes, 49,277 more than BJP's Rupak Mitra, who received 29,495 votes.

According to the latest updates, TMC candidates are leading by significant margins in the other three constituencies.

In Haroa, TMC's SK Rabiul Islam is leading with 1,25,958 votes, a commanding margin of 1,03,144 votes over Piyarul Islam of the All India Secular Front, who has secured only 22,814 votes, as recorded in the 11th round of counting, reflecting TMC's continued dominance in South Bengal.

In Medinipur, TMC's Sujoy Hazra is leading with 74,673 votes, a margin of 22,417 votes over BJP's Subhajit Roy (Bunty), who has secured 52,256 votes.

In Taldangra, TMC's Falguni Singhababu is ahead with 54,327 votes, maintaining a lead of 20,273 votes over BJP's Ananya Roy Chakraborty, who has received 34,054 votes.

Five of the six constituencies are located in South Bengal, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the TMC, while Madarihat in the northern part of the state had been won by the BJP in 2021.

The bypolls have added an extra layer of intensity to the ongoing political climate, already charged by protests over the RG Kar incident.

TMC leaders emphasised that despite the negative campaign against the state government following the RG Kar incident, where a doctor was raped and murdered in August, people of West Bengal have continued to place their trust in Mamata Banerjee's leadership.

Senior TMC leader and North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha said, "People have kept their faith in us, and the results reflect that the opposition, along with certain sections of the media spreading false claims against us, have been rejected by the masses."

On the other hand, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar downplayed the significance of the bypoll results, calling it a normal trend for the ruling party to win such elections.

"Bypoll results cannot serve as a reliable indicator. Whether the people are with the TMC or against them will be reflected in the upcoming assembly elections," said Majumdar, who is also a Union Minister.

The bypoll results are a shot in the arm for the TMC after the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls when it had bagged 29 parliamentary seats, up from 22 in 2019.

The results are a fresh disappointment for the BJP after its dismal performance in the parliamentary elections when its tally came down to 12 from 18 in 2019.