Bengal: BJP leads in Rejinagar after first round of counting

Kolkata, Oct 9 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in Rejinagar Assembly Constituency after the first round of counting in the West Bengal Assembly by-election, securing 11,614 votes against Congress candidate Abdullahil Kafi's 581, according to figures shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday.

The ECI was yet to share corresponding figures for Nandigram, where the BJP was also leading, according to television reports. BJP candidate Sankharavh Sarkar was contesting Rejinagar in Murshidabad district, where the by-election has drawn attention amid a fractured opposition. The contest includes candidates from Congress, the Trinamool Congress factions, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP).

In Nandigram, in Purba Medinipur district, the BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, the mother of Chandranath Rath, the slain personal assistant of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The constituency has been a major battleground in Bengal politics. The bypolls were necessitated after Adhikari retained Bhabanipur, having won both Bhabanipur and Nandigram in the Assembly elections earlier this year. AJUP chief Humayun Kabir similarly retained Nowda after winning both Nowda and Rejinagar, leaving the latter seat vacant. The outcome of the two by-elections will not affect the BJP government's majority in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly.

The party won 207 seats in the Assembly elections earlier this year. Counting began at 8 am under tight security, with the ECI's results portal listing both constituencies as counting in progress. The figures will be updated as counting proceeds, while final results are awaited.

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