TMC takes early lead in Bengal bypolls, looks set for clean sweep

The Trinamool Congress is set for a clean sweep in West Bengal bypolls, leading in all six Assembly seats, including the BJP stronghold Madarihat

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has surged ahead in all six Assembly seats in West Bengal, with early trends pointing towards a decisive clean sweep in the bypolls. Issues like the RG Kar incident and corruption allegations, which the Opposition, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had heavily focused on during the campaign, appear to have had minimal impact on voter sentiment.  

 

Counting began on Saturday morning, and TMC candidates quickly established commanding leads, leaving the BJP and other Opposition parties trailing across all constituencies.  

 

In Haroa, TMC’s Rabiul Islam led by a massive 22,083 votes, while Falguni Singhababu held a 3,300-vote lead in Taldangra. In Naihati, Sanat Dey extended his lead to 24,911 votes. Sitai saw TMC’s Sangita Roy emerge as the frontrunner with an impressive 40,000-vote lead.  

 

Madarihat, the sole BJP-held seat among the six, is also leaning towards the TMC, with Jayprakash Toppo leading by 10,000 votes. In Medinipur, Sujoy Hazra secured a 5,000-vote lead, further consolidating TMC’s dominance.  

 

Speaking to the media, Sitai candidate Sangita Roy expressed confidence, saying, “I don’t know what the margin will be, but people will bless me and I will win.”  

 

Partha Bhowmick, the former MLA from Naihati and now the MP from Barrackpore, attributed the TMC’s strong performance to voter faith in Mamata Banerjee’s leadership. “This is people’s answer to those who have tried hard to malign Mamata Banerjee’s image. There was no fault of the government in the RG Kar case. The voters have proved it by casting their vote in our favour,” he said.  

 

The six seats up for grabs include two in north Bengal — Madarihat and Sitai — and four in south Bengal. The bypolls were necessitated after the sitting MLAs vacated their positions to contest and win in the Lok Sabha elections.