Bypolls: Trinamul Confident of Win in All Six Seats in State

According to the Election Commission, till 5 pm the total percentage of vote polled was 69.29 

SNS, KOLKATA, 13 NOVEMBER 2024: Except for a few stray incidents, the by-elections in six Assembly constituencies passed off peacefully today. The by-election was held in six Assembly seats: Sitai and Madarihat in north Bengal, and Taldangra, Haroa, Medinipur, and Naihati in south Bengal. In the 2021 Assembly election, only Madarihat was under BJP's control, while the other seats were won by Trinamul Congress.

According to the Election Commission, by 5 pm, the total percentage of votes polled was 69.29%. Sitai recorded 66.35% voter turnout by 5 pm, while Madarihat saw a turnout of 64.14%. In south Bengal, the voter turnout in Naihati, Haroa, Midnapore, and Taldangra Assembly constituencies was 62.10%, 73.95%, 71.85%, and 75.20%, respectively.

Around 108 companies of central forces were deployed to maintain law and order, alongside state police. In Madarihat, polling agents of BJP and Trinamul Congress clashed outside a booth, but the situation was quickly brought under control by the police. In Midnapore, the wife of a Trinamul Congress leader was allegedly beaten up by some Trinamul supporters, with reports claiming that the councillor’s husband had arrived to vote in an inebriated state.

Several complaints were filed during the day: BJP lodged 66 complaints, Congress 5, Trinamul Congress 3, and CPM 3. BJP MP Shamik Bhattacharya alleged that in many areas, their election agents were beaten up by Trinamul supporters, but he did not specify where these incidents occurred.

Despite the complaints, Trinamul Congress is confident of winning all six seats. In Madarihat, Manoj Tigga had won by 32,000 votes in 2021. Tigga has since become a BJP MP, and it is speculated that BJP may not receive support from its former MP, John Barla, who may soon join Trinamul Congress. Barla has denied these rumors.

In Sitai, Trinamul Congress is confident of retaining the seat. Jagadish Chandra Basunia, who won the seat by over 10,000 votes in 2021, vacated the seat after becoming an MP.

In Taldangra, BJP leaders expressed confidence in winning the seat, with local allegations suggesting that CPM may secretly support the BJP. The poor organization of CPM has again come under scrutiny. The Forward Bloc and RSP have fielded candidates in Sitai and Madarihat, while ISF has put forward a candidate in Haroa, North 24 Parganas. In Naihati, CPM’s candidate’s deposit was forfeited in the 2021 Assembly elections. The CPM has allowed CPI-ML (Liberation) to field a candidate from the seat. In the 2021 elections, BJP came second, while Partha Bhowmick, now a Trinamul Congress MP, had won the seat in Naihati.

One of the significant questions surrounding this by-election is whether the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on 9 August will have any impact on the outcome. The results of the by-election will be announced on 23 November.