West Bengal bypolls: Trinamool Congress dominates; retains 4 seats, wrests one from BJP

Trinamool Congress sweeps all six bypolls in West Bengal, solidifying political dominance despite ongoing protests.

In a major triumph, the Trinamool Congress is set for a clean sweep in all six bypolls, retaining four seats, wresting Madarihat from BJP, and leading in one, further cementing its political dominance in West Bengal, even as the ongoing protests over the RG Kar incident failed to sway voters.

The bypolls were held in six constituencies — Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, Taldangra, Sitai (SC), and Madarihat (ST) — following the resignation of sitting MLAs who had vacated their Assembly seats after securing victories in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

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These elections held on November 13 were seen as a crucial test for the ruling party amid a politically charged atmosphere, with protests over RG Kar issue intensifying. However, despite these protests, the TMC emerged victorious across the board continuing its winning streak of 2024 Lok Sabha poll victory.

Five of the six constituencies are located in South Bengal, a TMC stronghold, while Madarihat is in the northern part of the state, which the BJP had won in 2021. The by-poll results reinforce TMC’s political dominance across West Bengal.

In Haroa, where over 70 per cent of the electorate belongs to the minority community, the BJP came a distant third and failed to retain its deposit, prompting party leader Suvendu Adhikari to comment: “Minorities don’t vote for the BJP”.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front, which had hoped to capitalise on the RG Kar protests to revive its fortunes, faced a crushing defeat, losing its deposit in Sitai and Madarihat. Similarly, its ally, the CPI(ML), lost its deposit in Naihati, while the All India Secular Front (ISF) lost its deposit in Haroa.