The election commission announced that counting will begin Friday at 8 a.m. in the two constituencies of Nandigram and Rejinagar, with the Kabi Sukanta Secondary Teacher’s Training Institute housing the main tally. An almost 81‑percent turnout—80.89% in Nandigram and 80.08% in Rejinagar—was reported, while the EC logged 37 complaints through its Complaint Monitoring System and 60 through the National Grievance Service Portal. The tally will proceed in fifteen rounds across two EVM counting halls per seat, with separate booths for electronically transmitted postal ballots.
Hasirani Rath, the BJP candidate, secured the seat after a closely watched contest that followed the death of her son, former aide Chandranath Rath, on May 6. The seat, once a TMC bastion where Suvendu Adhikari toppled Mamata Banerjee in 2021, now echoes the shifting allegiances in West Bengal politics. TMC’s own Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew after a meeting with Chief Minister Adhikari, and the party’s backing shifted to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan.
Rejinagar’s bypoll, triggered by Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir’s retention of Nowda, saw his son Golam Nabi Azad contesting the seat. Opposition parties—BJP’s Sakharav Sarkar, TMC’s Rabiul Alam Chowdhury and rival TMC’s Safiuzzaman Sheikh, Congress’s Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, and CPI(M)’s Syed Asad Ali—vied for a constituency known for its sizeable minority voters. The contest is a litmus test for the BJP’s ability to broaden its base beyond traditional demographics.
The outcomes will be scrutinised as a barometer of the BJP’s momentum after its first year in power, and as a gauge of the fractured opposition’s ability to coalesce. A re‑poll was demanded by Congress, while the EC described the polling as largely peaceful despite sporadic clashes. The counting will be overseen by a single observer in each constituency, reflecting the commission’s attempt to curb post‑poll disputes.
Arun Kumar, a 45‑year‑old farmer who had camped outside the polling booth for days, said he felt a sense of relief after seeing the results on Friday. “It’s a new beginning for our village,” he told reporters, hinting at the hope that the BJP’s win could bring development projects to the area.