Rejinagar result shows minority backing for BJP, Bengal CM says; legal action against Bikas Bhattacharya

Kolkata, Oct 9 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday congratulated the people of two Assembly constituencies after the BJP's electoral winning streak continued in the bypolls, with the party recording a decisive victory in both Nandigram and minority-dominated Rejinagar.

Addressing a Press conference at Nabanna following the results, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari thanked minority voters, claiming that the BJP had successfully overcome religious divisions to secure their support. He attributed the party's performance to its development agenda and outreach to minority communities, while accusing the Trinamul Congress and the Left of spreading misinformation about the BJP.

Adhikari said minority voters had realised during the past five months that allegations that a BJP government would send them to Bangladesh or place them in detention camps were false. "People voted for the BJP irrespective of whether they are Hindus or Muslims. In Rejinagar, sisters and women from 35,000 minority families voted for us. We received a substantial share of the minority vote," he claimed.

According to the Chief Minister, around 60 per cent of the minority vote had gone to the BJP, breaking the religious polarisation that had long shaped electoral politics in the constituency. "I had spoken about a 'Friendship Day' on October 6. They responded to my appeal, and I am happy," Adhikari said, referring to his earlier call for better relations with minority communities. He also criticised Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir, alleging that his social media attacks against the BJP had prompted a backlash among Muslim voters.

Adhikari claimed that minority voters wanted to remain aligned with the government. The Rejinagar result represents a significant breakthrough for the BJP in a constituency it had never previously won. Kabir had secured the seat in the 2026 Assembly elections, but his son, the party's candidate in the bypoll, remained largely absent from the campaign trail. The result has raised questions about the effectiveness of the minority-centric electoral strategy pursued by Kabir's party.

Adhikari reiterated his development commitments for Rejinagar, promising that a college, the proposed Narkelbaria bridge, expansion of the local hospital to 200 beds and industrial projects would be taken up gradually. He also announced plans for an Amul dairy plant to strengthen the local dairy industry. In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath maintained the party's winning streak in the politically significant constituency, which Adhikari had vacated. The BJP secured a comfortable victory, while Congress finished second, pushing the Trinamul Congress down the electoral pecking order in the high-profile seat.

Asked whether the arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan before polling had helped the party improve its position, Adhikari dismissed Congress's prospects. "Congress is a dead party. Even if Rahul Gandhi goes around every neighbourhood with them, nothing will happen to the party," he said. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister issued a stern warning to veteran lawyer and former Kolkata mayor Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya over his use of the term "Hindutva supporters" in a social media post.

Adhikari said he had instructed the administration to act against those responsible for an alleged attack at Bhattacharya's residence on Thursday morning. Police subsequently arrested Bappa Guchhait following a written complaint by the lawyer.

The Chief Minister said the government did not support attacks on anyone's residence and maintained that police had acted under the appropriate provisions of law. However, he alleged that Bhattacharya's social media post had insulted the Hindu community. He said complaints had been lodged against the lawyer at Garfa and Kasba police stations and that an FIR had been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Adhikari demanded that Bhattacharya delete the term "Hindutva supporters" within 24 hours of the Press conference, warning that failure to do so would prompt further legal action. He also threatened to write to Kolkata Police seeking the removal of the post from social media. "He is not above the law," Adhikari said, adding that the government would not tolerate attacks either on individuals or on the Hindu community.

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