Voting dates for the Reginagar and Nandigram assembly bypolls in West Bengal have been finalised. The Election Commission has scheduled bypolls for six seats in total, with polling set for October 6 and counting on October 9. Soon after the announcement, Humayun Kabir, chief of the Aam Janta Unnayan Party (AJUP), expressed confidence that his party would retain the Reginagar seat.
Six seats across four states go to bypolls
According to news reports, the Election Commission has announced bypolls for five assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat spread across four states, including Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The list includes the Reginagar seat in Murshidabad district and the Nandigram seat in Purba Medinipur, both in West Bengal. Voting for both seats will take place on October 6, and the results will be declared on October 9.
What Humayun Kabir said
Speaking in Murshidabad, Kabir said the Election Commission announced the Reginagar and Nandigram bypolls the previous day. Expressing confidence, he said, "We will win with 100 percent margin, with the prayers, blessings and support of the common man." Kabir also recalled that he had won the Reginagar seat by a margin of 59,000 votes in the election held around four months ago. This time, the party has fielded Ghulam Nabi Azad Robin as its candidate from Reginagar, and Kabir said Robin would register a big win with public backing.
A symbol tussle in Nandigram
Alongside Reginagar, the Nandigram seat is also witnessing political activity. According to reports, there is an internal tussle within the Trinamool Congress over who will get the party's symbol for the Nandigram bypoll, with both Mamata Banerjee and Rittobrata Banerjee staking claim to contest from the seat on a Trinamool Congress ticket.
What happens next
The outcome in Reginagar and Nandigram is being watched closely amid the wider political activity in West Bengal, given the competing claims and internal disagreements surrounding both seats. All eyes will be on the results on October 9, following polling on October 6.
