BJP fields mother of murdered Suvendu aide for Nandigram bypoll

The BJP on Tuesday declared its candidates for two West Bengal Assembly by‑polls, naming Hasirani Rath – the mother of Chandranath Rath, a close aide of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who was murdered in May – for the Nandigram seat, and former Murshidabad BJP president Shakharav Sarkar for the Rejinagar constituency. Both candidates were presented as part of the party’s effort to consolidate its position ahead of the October 6 vote.

Hasirani Rath is set to file her nomination at the Haldia sub‑division office on Tuesday, with Adhikari expected to attend. The election timetable stipulates a September 16 deadline for filing nominations and a counting date of October 9. Chandranath Rath was shot dead on May 6 in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, two days after the state election results were announced, and the Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over the murder probe. In Rejinagar, the by‑poll arose after Aam Janata Unnayan Party leader Humayun Kabir resigned the seat following a dual‑win, and his son Golam Nabi Azad (Robin) is also contesting.

The Nandigram contest follows Adhikari’s resignation from the seat after winning from two constituencies in the recent Assembly elections, while the Rejinagar race reflects shifting alliances after the resignation of an AJUP legislator. The BJP’s decision to field Hasirani Rath underscores a strategy to appeal to local sympathy and leverage the late aide’s association with the chief minister. The by‑elections are being closely watched as they could signal the strength of the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress in a politically volatile region of West Bengal.