Vote counting kicked off at 8 a.m. on Friday for the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls in West Bengal. This marks the first electoral test for the BJP since it took power in May. The process started under tight security, beginning with postal ballots and Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballots (ETPB) before moving on to Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) votes.
Two separate halls are hosting the counting for each constituency, with a total of 15 rounds planned to wrap up the process. The bypolls' outcome won't affect the BJP's government, since it holds a 207-seat majority in the 294-seat assembly. But the results are under the microscope as a measure of the party's standing after it unseated the Trinamool Congress (TMC) earlier this year.
Voter turnout was high in both constituencies on Tuesday, with Nandigram seeing 80.89% and Rejinagar 80.08%. The Election Commission reported the polling as largely peaceful, but opposition parties voiced concerns about voter intimidation and irregularities at the booths. They claimed their polling agents were ejected and demanded a re-election. The BJP rejected these allegations, maintaining that the election was conducted without incident.
One notable incident during the polling was the arrest of Humayun Kabir, the Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief, following a clash with police in Rejinagar. Kabir had vacated the Rejinagar seat to keep Nowda, prompting this by-election.
Nandigram's political scene is particularly intense. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who beat TMC leader Mamata Banerjee in 2021, secured the seat again in the 2026 Assembly elections before opting to keep Bhabanipur, leading to the current bypoll. The BJP fielded Hasirani Rath for the seat, while Congress' Milan Pradhan, backed by a TMC faction led by Mamata Banerjee, is also in the race. Another TMC faction, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, is contesting as well.
In Rejinagar, the contest includes BJP's Sakharav Sarkar, Mamata-led TMC candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, rival TMC nominee Safiuzzaman Sheikh, Congress' Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, CPI(M)'s Syed Asad Ali, and AJUP's Golam Nabi Azad, son of Humayun Kabir.
The bypolls aren't just a test for the BJP but also a reflection of shifting opposition dynamics, with a divided TMC and multiple political players vying for power. The results, expected after 15 rounds of counting, will shed light on current political sentiments in West Bengal.
