West Bengal holds by-elections in Nandigram and Reginagar

Voting has commenced for by-elections in the Nandigram and Reginagar assembly constituencies in West Bengal under heavy security. In Nandigram, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Hasirani Rath, the mother of the late Chandranath Rath, a close associate of Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari who was killed in May. Following the withdrawal of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate, the faction led by Mamata Banerjee is supporting the Congress candidate, Milan Pradhan, as part of an effort to strengthen the INDIA bloc. A rival TMC faction is also contesting the seat.

In Reginagar, the seat became vacant after Humayun Kabir retained his Nawada seat. The AJUP has fielded his son, Ghulam Nabi Azad. The election features candidates from the BJP, TMC, Congress, and CPI(M).

West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh commented on the elections, claiming the BJP expects to increase its margin in Nandigram and potentially see a shift in Reginagar. He suggested that changing trends indicate minority voters are increasingly looking toward the BJP due to perceived security and development.