BJP, Bengal & bypolls: Nandigram, Rejinagar to put new government's rule to an early test

West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar constituencies go to the polls on Tuesday in the first electoral test for the BJP since it ended the Trinamool Congress’ 15-year rule and formed the government in the state.

The October 6 bypolls are not expected to amount to a verdict on a four-month-old administration, but the results could offer an early reading of the BJP’s electoral standing in power and the shape of the opposition against it.

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The contests also come at a pivotal moment for Bengal politics. The TMC has split, its rival factions are contesting under separate identities, while the Congress and Left are seeking to recover political space lost during the TMC’s long stint in power. For the BJP, the two seats offer an opportunity to assess whether the momentum that carried it from the Opposition benches to government can survive the transition to power.

Political analyst Biswanath Chakraborty told PTI that the significance of the bypolls lies in the new political vacuum created by the BJP’s rise.

“The main issue is who occupies the opposition space against the BJP. The bypolls will give us an indication of which party has the potential to emerge as the principal challenger,” he said.

Voting in both constituencies is scheduled for October 6, with counting on October 9.

Nandigram: BJP and the Chief Minster test their strong-hold

Nandigram carries a political significance that goes well beyond the bypoll itself. The constituency was at the centre of the anti-land acquisition movement that helped propel the TMC to power in 2011, and became the site of one of the most closely watched contests of the 2021 Assembly election when Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari defeated erstwhile head Mamata Banerjee.

Adhikari won Nandigram again in the 2026 Assembly election but retained Bhabanipur, leaving the seat vacant and triggering the bypoll.

The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, the mother of Chandranath Rath, a former aide of Adhikari who was shot dead on May 6, two days after the Assembly election results were announced. Her candidature has added an emotional dimension to the contest, with Adhikari and other senior BJP leaders campaigning for her in the final days.

The contest has also produced an unusual opposition arrangement. The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction withdrew its candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey after she met with Adhikari. Banerjee subsequently backed Congress nominee Milan Pradhan, presenting the move as an effort to strengthen the INDIA bloc.

Pradhan, who was arrested in connection with cases dating back to the 2007 Nandigram land agitation, secured interim bail from the Calcutta High Court and returned to campaign ahead of the vote. The BJP, Congress, Left, ISF and the rival TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee are all in the contest.

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That makes Nandigram a test not only of the BJP’s ability to retain its electoral advantage but also of whether tactical cooperation between the Mamata-led TMC faction and Congress can translate into votes.

Rejinagar: A different test in a minority-dominated seat

Rejinagar presents a more fragmented contest. The seat fell vacant after Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir, who had won both Rejinagar and Nowda in the Assembly election, retained Nowda.

His party has fielded his son Golam Nabi Azad. The BJP has nominated former Murshidabad district president Sakharav Sarkar, while the Mamata-led TMC faction has fielded Rabiul Alam Chowdhury and the rival faction has nominated Safiuzzaman Sheikh. Congress candidate Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi and CPI(M)’s Syed Asad Ali are also in the fray.

The constituency has also seen last-minute twists involving candidates and election symbols. The RSP withdrew its candidate after objecting to the allocation of the bucket symbol instead of its traditional spade-and-shovel symbol. AJUP similarly objected after its whistle symbol was replaced with the table.

Also Read: Nandigram, Rejinagar bypolls: Final field set for multi-cornered contests

For the Mamata faction, Rejinagar is a test of whether it can retain its electoral base without the familiar TMC name and symbol. For the BJP, the constituency — which has a substantial minority electorate — provides an early indication of whether its appeal can extend beyond its traditional support base. Adhikari has framed the contest as a test of whether minority voters will back the government's development agenda, while the BJP has said it does not view the election through a religious lens.

Political analyst Subhomoy Moitra, while talking to PTI, said the bypolls should not be treated as a referendum on the government but could provide an early electoral reading.

“It is too early to call this a referendum on the BJP government, but these are the first elections after the change of regime and therefore provide an initial electoral reading of its performance and political appeal.”

For Congress, the two constituencies offer contrasting challenges. In Nandigram, it has the backing of the Mamata faction, while in Rejinagar it is fighting independently. The results could therefore feed an existing debate within the party over whether it should rebuild on its own or pursue tactical understandings with other anti-BJP forces.

The Left faces a similar challenge in trying to reclaim political space after years of decline, while the two TMC factions are effectively competing for the political inheritance of a party that once dominated Bengal.

The BJP, meanwhile, has a more immediate question to answer: whether its rise to power has translated into sustained electoral support beyond the Assembly election that brought it to government.

The two bypolls therefore carry significance beyond the seats themselves. Nandigram tests the BJP’s hold over a politically symbolic constituency and the opposition’s ability to coordinate, while Rejinagar tests the BJP’s reach into a different electorate and the organisational resilience of a fragmented opposition.

The results on October 9 will offer an early snapshot of Bengal’s new political landscape — and whether the BJP’s first electoral momentum as the ruling party has survived its move from Opposition to government.