BJP Candidates Hold Large Leads in Bengal By-Elections

Bharatiya Janata Party candidates held large leads in West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly by-elections on October 9, as vote counting continued and final results remained pending in the reported updates. Election Commission figures cited during counting showed Hasirani Rath ahead of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan by 105,869 votes after 13 rounds in Nandigram. A later update put the lead at 106,513 votes after the same round. The reports said counting was scheduled for 15 rounds in each constituency; neither figure represented a confirmed final result. In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar led Aam Janata Unnayan Party candidate Golam Nabi Azad by 37,506 votes after seven rounds, according to the cited Election Commission figures. A later update, after 10 rounds, put Sarkar’s lead at 55,583. Counting was still underway in both seats. The by-elections followed vacancies created when Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari retained Bhabanipur after winning both that seat and Nandigram in the 2026 Assembly election. Humayun Kabir, whose Aam Janata Unnayan Party had won Rejinagar and Nowda, retained Nowda, leaving Rejinagar vacant.