Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s appeal for a “hand of friendship” appears to have resonated among Muslims in the bypolls, as the BJP crushed the AJUP in minority-dominated Rejinagar and secured a record-margin win in Nandigram, which has a sizeable electorate from the community.
Muslims account for around 65 per cent of voters in Murshidabad district’s Rejinagar seat and comprise approximately 26 per cent of the electorate in Purba Medinipur’s Nandigram. The bypoll results have brought renewed attention to Adhikari’s efforts to reach out to the community.
BJP candidate Hasirani Rath won by a margin of 1,22,753 votes over her nearest rival Milan Pradhan of the Congress in Nandigram, where the bypoll was necessitated after Adhikari relinquished the seat he had won by 9,665 votes in the Assembly polls. The chief minister has opted to retain the Bhabanipur seat.
In Rejinagar, BJP’s Shankharavh Sarkar amassed 75,816 votes more than Golam Nabi Azad, the son of AJUP chief Humayun Kabir. Barely five months ago, Kabir had won the seat by nearly 59,000 votes over his nearest BJP rival, alongside winning Nowda.
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Speaking to reporters Friday, Adhikari said the Rejinagar bypoll outcome demonstrated that minority voters were reposing their trust in the BJP government and were not being swayed by “misleading political narratives”.
“Everyone voted for the BJP, irrespective of whether they were Hindu or Muslim. In Rejinagar, women from 35,000 minority families voted for us. We received more votes from the minority community itself. Of the 70 per cent turnout, 60 per cent of the votes were cast by our minority brothers and sisters, rising above divisive politics,” he said.
The chief minister attributed the party’s performance to people’s confidence in its governance and development agenda.
“They (minorities) had been told all this while that if the BJP came to power, they would be sent back to Bangladesh or put in detention camps. Over the past five months, they realised the falsity of these claims, and we got their votes. October 6, I spoke about ‘Friendship Day’, and they responded to my appeal. I am happy,” he added.
The results mark a notable political shift in a state where minority voters have traditionally played a crucial role in the electoral fortunes of the Trinamool Congress and other BJP rivals.
During the bypoll campaign, Adhikari had directly appealed to Muslim voters in Nandigram not to turn their backs on the BJP and described the October 6 bypoll as an opportunity for them to build a political friendship with his party.
“Let us be friends, you will never get a better opportunity than this to strike a friendship with us,” he had told minority voters, promising that the BJP government would work for the welfare of all communities.
He had also urged them to judge the government on development, healthcare, housing, employment and welfare measures rather than through the lens of faith.
As the results poured in Friday, Adhikari took a jibe at Kabir, saying the AJUP’s sustained attacks against the BJP tantamount a political ‘hara-kiri’. “The remarks Humayun Sahab made against us on social media were opposed by Muslims in large numbers. The minority community voted for us because they want to stand with the government,” he said.
The chief minister assured people that all the promised development projects in Rejinagar, including a college, the Narkelbaria bridge, the upgradation of the hospital to a 200-bed facility and industrial development, would be taken up gradually.
He also announced that an Amul factory would be set up in the area to boost the dairy industry.
Adhikari’s outreach followed a more confrontational message in September, when the chief minister had described the bypolls as a “test” for minority voters, asking whether they wanted to cooperate with his government or remain opposed to the BJP.
The contrasting appeals formed a significant part of the BJP’s campaign strategy in the two constituencies.
Its triumph in Rajinagar comes amid a fractured opposition, with the Congress, rival Trinamool Congress factions and the AJUP competing for support.
Nandigram, meanwhile, carries a different political significance. The constituency has been central to Bengal’s recent political history and is associated with Adhikari’s rise as a BJP leader.
A political observer said, “The BJP’s performance in both constituencies strengthens Adhikari’s claim that his outreach has broadened the party’s appeal. However, the results cannot establish that Muslims voted overwhelmingly for the BJP, as the Election Commission does not publish results broken down by voters’ religion.
“The party’s gains could also reflect wider political realignments, opposition fragmentation and local factors. Nevertheless, the results provide the BJP with an opportunity to argue that its support base is expanding beyond its traditional constituencies of strength,” he added.