West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari asserted on Friday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received substantial support from Muslim voters during the recent Assembly by-elections in the Nandigram and Rejinagar constituencies. As counting progressed, the BJP established commanding leads in both seats, recording margins of 1,06,513 votes in Nandigram and 55,583 votes in Rejinagar, a region with a significant Muslim-majority electorate.
Speaking from the state secretariat, Adhikari claimed the party secured approximately 60 percent of the Muslim vote in Rejinagar and 80 percent in Nandigram. He suggested that minority voters are increasingly viewing the BJP as an ally, stating, “Muslims have found a friend in us.” According to the Chief Minister, these voters have realized that they were previously misled by the former government and are now opting to support the current administration due to the peaceful environment he claims has prevailed in the state under the BJP’s leadership.
The Chief Minister noted that the by-elections were conducted without the violence reported in previous electoral exercises in West Bengal. Adhikari expressed satisfaction that the results aligned with his initial expectations, which he had predicted prior to the counting process. He further claimed that the party attained a vote share of roughly 46 percent across the two constituencies during these by-elections.
Looking ahead, Adhikari expressed confidence in the party's electoral trajectory, projecting that the BJP’s vote share in these regions will rise to over 60 percent in future elections. He maintained that the shift in political outlook among Bengali-speaking minorities reflects a desire to align with the government for continued stability. As the results for the bypolls were finalised, the BJP’s performance in these specific constituencies was highlighted by party leadership as a notable shift in the traditional political landscape of the state.
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