Nandigram, Rejinagar Bypolls: Suvendu Calls Polls Peaceful, Opposition Demands Repoll

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has defended the conduct of polling in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls, describing the voting process as peaceful and free, even as Opposition parties have alleged electoral irregularities and demanded fresh polling in both constituencies.

Voting for the two Assembly seats took place on October 6, with a high turnout recorded in both constituencies. According to Election Commission figures, Nandigram recorded around 80.8 per cent polling, while Rejinagar recorded around 80.1 per cent. The bypolls were held following Adhikari’s resignation from the Nandigram seat and Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir’s resignation from Rejinagar after both retained other constituencies.

Adhikari, who cast his vote at Nandanayakbar Primary School in Nandigram, maintained that polling in the constituency had been peaceful. He said that while minor arguments could occur during an election, there had been no major incidents of the kind associated with violent elections in Bengal in the past.

The Chief Minister also defended the police action against Humayun Kabir, who was detained and subsequently arrested during polling in Rejinagar following a confrontation with police. Adhikari said the law applied equally to everyone and that people who attempted to interfere with the electoral process could face action.

Kabir, who is not a candidate in the Rejinagar bypoll but is the founder of the AJUP, had alleged that police were interfering with voting and preventing his supporters from exercising their franchise. Police officials, however, said he was not authorised to move around polling booths in the manner he had been doing and accused him of attempting to influence voters.

The Opposition has presented a sharply different account of the polling process. The Congress alleged that its polling agents were forcibly removed from booths in Rejinagar and that irregularities took place in several parts of Nandigram. The party subsequently demanded complete repolling in both constituencies.

Congress state president Subhankar Sarkar alleged that party agents had been removed from a large number of booths in Rejinagar. The party’s Rejinagar candidate, Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, also staged a protest outside the local police station over the allegations.

In Nandigram, Congress candidate Milan Pradhan alleged that voters were intimidated and that polling agents were prevented from performing their duties. He also claimed that some voters, including women, were turned away from polling stations after their voter slips were allegedly taken away.

Other Opposition groups, including Left parties and the Trinamool factions, also raised allegations concerning the polling process. Some complaints related to alleged booth capturing, obstruction of agents and voters being prevented from casting their ballots.

The BJP rejected the allegations and maintained that polling had proceeded peacefully. The party accused the Opposition of attempting to create controversy around the bypolls and dismissed the allegations of widespread electoral malpractice.

The Election Commission received 97 complaints related to the polling process. The complaints will have to be examined by the poll authorities before any decision is taken on requests for repolling.

Despite the political controversy, the overall turnout remained high. Nandigram recorded a turnout of approximately 80.8 per cent by the evening, while Rejinagar crossed the 80 per cent mark. The figures were lower than the turnout recorded in the April Assembly election, when both constituencies had seen polling of more than 90 per cent.

Nandigram carries particular political significance for Adhikari. He had previously represented the constituency and defeated Mamata Banerjee there in the 2021 Assembly election. After winning both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly election, Adhikari retained Bhabanipur and resigned from Nandigram, necessitating the bypoll.

The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath in Nandigram. Adhikari has expressed confidence in her victory and claimed that she could secure a record margin. The Congress has fielded Milan Pradhan, while other parties are also contesting the seat.

The Rejinagar contest has attracted similar attention following Kabir’s arrest during polling. His son, Golam Nabi Azad, is contesting the seat on the AJUP ticket.

The contrasting accounts have left the conduct of the bypolls at the centre of political debate. While Adhikari and the BJP maintain that voting was peaceful and largely orderly, Opposition parties have called for repolling based on their allegations of voter intimidation and polling irregularities.

The Election Commission’s examination of the complaints will be crucial in determining whether any corrective action, including repolling at specific booths, is required.

Counting for both Nandigram and Rejinagar is scheduled for October 9. Until the Commission completes its assessment, allegations of irregularities remain claims made by the respective political parties and have not been established as fact.