West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday claimed that the BJP had received substantial support from Muslim voters in the Rejinagar and Nandigram Assembly by-elections, expressing confidence
in the party’s performance in both constituencies.
Adhikari claimed that the BJP secured around 60 per cent of Muslim votes in Rejinagar and 80 per cent in Nandigram, even as counting was underway. He said minority voters had begun to see the BJP as an ally and wanted to support the government.
“Minorities have voted in large numbers because they want to stand with the government,” Adhikari said.
The BJP established commanding leads in both constituencies on Friday, with margins of 1,06,513 votes in Nandigram and 55,583 votes in Rejinagar, which has a Muslim-majority electorate.
Adhikari had won Nandigram by a margin of 9,665 votes in the Assembly elections held earlier this year.
‘Minorities Have Found Friends In BJP’
Speaking at the state secretariat, Adhikari said the BJP’s performance in the two bypolls reflected a shift in the political outlook of minority voters.
“We could win in Rejinagar because minorities voted for us. They have found friends in us and have understood that they were misled,” the chief minister said.
He also said Bengali-speaking minorities had recognised that the previous government had misled them. According to Adhikari, the BJP’s rise to power had brought a peaceful atmosphere to West Bengal, encouraging minority voters to support the party.
“A peaceful atmosphere prevailed in West Bengal after the BJP came to power here. Bengali-speaking minorities understood the previous government misled them. Having found a friend in BJP, they voted for us,” he said.
The chief minister’s remarks came as the BJP maintained strong leads in both seats, with the party claiming support from minority voters had contributed to its performance.
CM Adhikari Predicts More Than 60% Vote Share
Adhikari also made a projection about the BJP’s performance in future elections. He claimed that the party had secured around 46 per cent of the votes in the two bypolls and expressed confidence that its share would rise further.
“This will increase to more than 60 per cent in the next elections,” he asserted.
The chief minister also said the by-elections had been conducted peacefully, contrasting them with incidents of violence reported during previous elections in the state.
Expressing confidence in the outcome, Adhikari said the results had matched his expectations.
“Whatever results I had predicted for the bypolls have come true,” he added.
His claims about the share of Muslim votes in Rejinagar and Nandigram came while counting was still in progress in the two constituencies.
