In a stunning show of strength, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has secured a clean sweep in the West Bengal assembly bypolls, winning all six contested seats, including the crucial Madarihat constituency in the Alipurduar district. The victory is particularly significant for TMC as Madarihat had been a BJP stronghold, with the BJP securing a 29,000-vote lead in the 2021 elections. This result marks a dramatic reversal of fortunes in a region traditionally considered a BJP bastion.
The by-election in Madarihat was triggered after BJP's Manoj Tigga, the current MP for Alipurduar, vacated the assembly seat to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Despite the BJP's stronghold in the region, TMC's Jayprakash Toppo triumphed in Madarihat by over 28,000 votes, further consolidating the party’s influence in North Bengal.
In other constituencies, TMC continued its dominance. Sangita Roy won the Sitai seat by a massive margin of 1.3 lakh votes, securing more than 1.6 lakh votes against BJP's Dipak Kumar Ray, who managed only 35,000 votes. In Naihati, TMC’s Sanat Dey defeated BJP's Rupak Mitra by nearly 50,000 votes, while Sheikh Rabiul Islam triumphed in Haroa, defeating AISF's Piyarul Islam by over 1.3 lakh votes.
In Medinipur, TMC’s Sujoy Hazra claimed victory over BJP’s Subhajit Roy by nearly 34,000 votes. Falguni Singhababu of TMC also emerged victorious in Taldangra, securing a margin of over 34,000 votes against BJP’s Ananya Roy Chakraborty.
The sweeping victory has sparked celebrations among TMC workers, who gathered outside Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence in south Kolkata to celebrate the party's success. The celebrations reflect the party's growing influence and the significant political shift in the state.
TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee expressed her gratitude to the voters in a post on X (formerly Twitter), thanking them for their continued support.
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also took to the platform to congratulate the winners, highlighting the party’s success in the by-elections as a testament to the people’s trust in TMC's leadership.
The by-polls, which were held on November 13, 2024, were necessitated by the resignation of sitting MLAs who vacated their seats after winning the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The TMC’s success in these by-elections is seen as a boost for Mamata Banerjee’s leadership ahead of future elections, as the party strengthens its grip on both urban and rural constituencies across the state.
