NEW DELHI: Ruling parties in their respective states continued to hold their ground as votes were counted in the bypolls on Friday, October 9. In Tamil Nadu, it was still “Thalapathy” Vijay and his TVK brigade making their presence felt. In West Bengal, the BJP strengthened its position, while in Assam, the saffron party maintained its comfortable lead. Puducherry, meanwhile, remained firmly with chief minister N Rangaswamy’s ruling AINRC.Tamil Nadu and West Bengal went to bypolls in two assembly constituencies each, months after their assembly elections brought new parties to power in both states.
Tamil Nadu: Vijay’s TVK expands its footprint
Vijay’s TVK maintained comfortable leads in both Madurantakam and Dharapuram, seeking to expand its footprint in a state long dominated by Dravidian giants.TVK’s K Maragatham Kumaravel maintained a lead over DMK’s I Paranthamen in Madurantakam, while Sathyabama P was ahead of DMK’s Suganya in Dharapuram.Both constituencies had voted for the AIADMK in the previous Assembly elections, making TVK’s performance another sign of its growing electoral presence.
West Bengal: BJP’s march continues
The BJP, meanwhile, showed no signs of slowing down, maintaining huge leads in both Nandigram and Rejinagar.In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasi Rani Rath was ahead of Congress’s Milan Pradhan in a constituency closely associated with chief minister Suvendu Adhikari’s political journey.Suvendu has won Nandigram in the last three consecutive assembly elections. In 2016, he was a close confidant of then-chief minister Mamata Banerjee. He later broke away from the TMC, joined the BJP and emerged as one of her fiercest political rivals.He has now succeeded former boss Mamata as chief minister of Bengal.In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar was also leading, keeping the contest competitive for the TMC candidate.The Bengal CM claimed that the BJP had secured around 60% of Muslim votes in Rejinagar and 80% in Nandigram, even as counting continued in both bypolls.
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“Minority community found friend in BJP, voted for us in bypolls,” Bengal CM Suvendu said after muslim-dominated Rejinagar supported the saffron party in big numbers.
Assam and Puducherry: Ruling parties hold ground
In Assam, the BJP appeared firmly placed in the contest for the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant and went to a bypoll. BJP candidate Devasish Sharma was moving closer to victory as counting progressed.Puducherry, meanwhile, delivered a win for the ruling side, with chief minister N Rangaswamy’s party securing the Thattanchavady seat.
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