The Trinamul Congress on Wednesday won one ward each in Bongaon and Asansol where bypolls were held on Sunday amid Opposition allegations of rigging.
The victories brought some relief to the state’s ruling party in the backdrop of arrests of Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal in SSC and cattle-smuggling cases.
In Bongaon, Papai Raha got 2,842 votes, winning from ward 14 by 2,118 votes.
Vidhan Upadhyay won by 5,477 votes from ward 6 in Asansol. Upadhyay is also the mayor of the Asansol Municipal Corporation.
Upadhyay secured 6,683 votes in the bypoll that Opposition parties termed as a mockery of democracy, alleging rigging, booth capturing and other malpractices.
In Bongaon, the BJP secured 724 votes to come second and the CPM 332 votes.
In February, Trinamul’s Dilip Das in Bongaon won by 386 votes in a four-cornered battle but died later, necessitating the bypoll. Das won 1,359, BJP 932 and CPM 374 votes in February.
This time in Asansol’s ward 6, the CPM emerged as the main rival with 1,206 votes and BJP tailing with 485 votes.
In February, Trinamul in Asansol secured 6,281 votes while the CPM and the BJP bagged 1,165 and 454 votes, respectively. But the bypoll was needed since Trinamul councillor Sanjoy Chakraborty resigned to pave way for Upadhyay to get elected. Upadhyay, the Barabani MLA, was picked by the party leadership to be the mayor.
Speaking to the media after his win, Upadhyay said: “This victory shows people reposed faith in Mamata Banerjee despite propaganda against us by the BJP and the CPM.”
Reacting to Trinamul’s win, Bongaon BJP MLA Swapan Majumdar said: “It’s a farce that does not reflect public opinion.”
Trinamul’s Bongaon president and MLA Biswajit Das said: “The BJP is fast losing significance in the state.”
In Bongaon, on bypoll day BJP MLAs Swapan Majumdar and Ashok Kirtania were allegedly roughed up and several other Opposition supporters beaten up by goons close to the ruling party.
In Asansol, BJP MLA Laxman Chandra Ghoroui was reportedly thrashed during a clash with Trinamul activists. Opposition supporters alleged that their polling agents were forced by Trinamul supporters to leave most booths.
