TMC wrests West Bengal's Dhupguri assembly seat from BJP in bypoll

The ruling TMC wrested the Dhupguri assembly seat in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Friday from the BJP in a by-election, officials said.

TMC candidate Nirmal Chandra Roy, a college professor, won the seat by over 4,000 votes. His nearest rival was BJP's Tapasi Roy, the widow of a CRPF jawan killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021, they said.

CPI(M) candidate Ishwar Chandra Roy, who was backed by the Congress, was at a distant third spot, they added.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the people of Dhupguri embraced politics of development over hatred and bigotry.

"Saluting every AITC worker for their tireless efforts in connecting with the people. We're committed to leaving no stone unturned in ensuring Dhupguri's all-round development," he posted on X.

The counting was held amid tight security at the Jalpaiguri II campus of North Bengal University.

The polling for the by-election was held on September 5. A voter turnout of 78 per cent was recorded.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Bishnu Pada Ray on July 25.