What Opposition unity, rigging charge on BJP say about Nandigram, Rejinagar bypolls

The bitter rivalry between the two factions of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) appeared to take a pause on October 6, with the Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee camps joining the Congress, CPI(M) and the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) of Humayun Kabir alleging booth capturing, bogus voting and intimidation during voting in the Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly bypolls.The ruling BJP, however, dismissed the allegations and maintained that the October 6 polling in both constituencies was free and peaceful.The bypolls had been marked by political drama from the outset. The two TMC factions were locked in a battle over the party's name and election symbol. In Nandigram, the Mamata faction withdrew its candidate and announced support for Congress nominee Milan Pradhan. Pradhan was subsequently arrested and secured bail from the Calcutta High Court.In Nandigram, again, the Congress challenged BJP candidate Hasirani Rath's nomination whereas the Indian Secular Front (ISF) approached the courts over its election symbol dispute with the Ritabrata camp of TMC. In Rejinagar, Mamata faction candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury initially announced his withdrawal before reversing the decision within hours.Against this backdrop, voting in the two seats recorded an unusually high turnout. By 5 pm on October 6, Nandigram had posted 79.39 per cent votes and Rejinagar 78.42 per cent. The final figures are expected to be higher. The results will be declared on October 9.West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who cast his vote in Nandigram, predicted that the BJP’s Hasirani Rath would break the nearly 82,000 vote margin by which he had won the seat in 2016. He also expressed confidence that the turnout would eventually touch 85-90 per cent.On voting day in Rejinagar, AJUP chief and Naoda MLA Humayun Kabir, a former Trinamool hand, launched a sharp attack on the BJP administration and Adhikari. Alleging that the BJP was attempting to capture the constituency by force, he compared the situation to India’s Emergency years.Kabir was subsequently arrested on allegations of violating the model code of conduct, threatening police personnel and attempting to provoke supporters. He was released before evening.Kabir’s son Golam Nabi Azad was the AJUP candidate from Rejinagar. Azad struck a more definitive note even before polling ended, saying he had lost all anxiety over the result because the outcome was apparent. “All my anxiety is gone. Like everyone in Rejinagar, I too now know what the result of this election is going to be,” he declared. Azad also announced he would not visit the counting centre on October 9.As the bypolls progressed, allegations of rigging began to dominate the political narrative in Rejinagar. The Mamata faction, the Ritabrata faction, Congress and CPI(M) all alleged their polling agents had been forcibly removed from booths.Mamata faction candidate Rabiul Alam demanded an immediate repoll while Ritabrata faction candidate Shafiquzzaman Sheikh alleged that in several booths, only BJP agents had been allowed to stay on. “I went to several booths and saw that our agents had been removed and only the BJP agent was allowed,” he claimed.The Congress candidate staged a sit-in outside Rejinagar police station, demanding cancellation of the election while party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury later led a protest march outside the district magistrate's office.Chowdhury accused the BJP of trying to create a long-term political binary by projecting Kabir as its principal opponent. “The BJP is trying to create a binary until 2029 [general elections] by projecting Humayun as the Opposition. The election was held in an unprecedented atmosphere of terror, so waiting for the result is pointless,” he said.Chowdhury alleged the police had maintained “silent terror” despite the absence of voting day violence. “The election was a farce. Voters were allowed or prevented from entering polling booths based on their religion,” he claimed. After alleging that the police observer and district magistrate were not responding to calls, Chowdhury warned the ruling establishment: “One swallow does not make a summer.”CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim not only claimed that his party’s agent in Rejinagar was not allowed to vote but also attacked the Election Commission. “When the entire country is protesting against the chief election commissioner, the Election Commission in Bengal has shamelessly joined hands with officials of the BJP-led state government to set a new record for electoral malpractice in this bypoll,” he alleged. Salim remarked that the episode had further strengthened allegations of “fraud and corruption” against the poll body.Nandigram, meanwhile, witnessed a series of allegations from Opposition parties. The Congress alleged its block president Ashraful Tulla was detained by police without justification. Tension was reported at booths 285 and 286 in Sonachura's Bhangabera area, where Congress candidate Milan Pradhan alleged his polling agents had been forcibly removed.At booths 241 and 242 in Kalicharanpur, central forces reportedly moved in to remove an alleged illegal gathering. Local women claimed their voter slips had been taken away and that they were prevented from voting. Similar allegations were made at booth 234 in Kendamari gram panchayat.Pradhan also faced protests while visiting some polling booths. The CPI(M) and ISF too alleged irregularities. ISF chief and Bhangar MLA Naushad Siddiqui posted sarcastically on social media: “Election update: free and peaceful election.”The BJP rejected all allegations and said voters had turned out voluntarily in large numbers. Its Rejinagar candidate Shakharab Sarkar said polling had taken place in a festive atmosphere and expressed confidence of a victory. “People voted spontaneously in a festive atmosphere. Durga Puja has begun early through this election. With people's blessings, the BJP's victory is certain,” he said.BJP state president Shamik Bhattacharya was equally confident of the outcome in both constituencies. On Rejinagar, he claimed that even minority voters were moving away from identity politics and prioritising development and industry. “Many people cannot believe that the BJP will win Rejinagar. But even the minorities there no longer want a Babri Masjid (a reference to Kabir’s proposed project). They want development and factories,” Bhattacharya said. On Nandigram, he predicted that Hasirani Rath's winning margin would be five times the BJP's previous margin.The high turnout in both constituencies has added another dimension to the closely watched bypolls. With rival Opposition camps unusually united for the moment, alleging electoral malpractice and demanding repolls, the October 9 counting will determine not only who wins Nandigram and Rejinagar but also whether the BJP's dominance in Bengal is beginning to extend beyond the 2026 assembly elections.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends