The BJP on Tuesday announced Hasirani Rath, the mother of Chandranath Rath, a former aide of Suvendu Adhikari who was killed in May, as its candidate for the Nandigram bypoll. The party also nominated Sakharav Sarkar, its former Murshidabad district president, for the Rejinagar Assembly seat.
Rath expressed gratitude to the party and told reporters that she was confident of victory, setting a target of winning the seat by a record 1.1 lakh votes.
Rath said the Nandigram organisation and party leadership had supported her and would continue to do so. She expressed hope that the target would be achieved under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Recalling the BJP’s performance in Nandigram, Rath said that when the Trinamool Congress was strong in the constituency, Suvendu Adhikari had defeated the former Chief Minister by 1,956 votes.
Rath said Adhikari won Nandigram by around 10,000 votes in the 2026 elections. She added that had he not contested from two seats in 2026 and been able to devote more time to Nandigram, his victory margin would have been much higher.
Rath also spoke about the investigation involving her son, Chandranath Rath. She said the investigation was ongoing and that the family had “complete confidence” in the Chief Minister.
Hasirani Rath’s nomination gives the BJP’s campaign in Nandigram an emotional dimension, while the Rejinagar choice reflects the party’s preference for an organisationally experienced leader.
The Nandigram bypoll was neccessiated after Adhikari, who had won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly elections, chose to retain Bhabanipur and vacate Nandigram. Nandigram is set for a multi-cornered contest, with polling scheduled for October 6, the last date for nominations being September 16, and counting to be held on October 9.
Chandranath Rath, who had worked as Adhikari’s personal assistant, was travelling in a car in Madhyamgram on May 6 when assailants on motorcycles allegedly opened fire. He was taken to hospital, where he died, while the driver sustained injuries. The case was first probed by the state police and a Special Investigation Team before being transferred to the CBI.
Speculation over Hasirani Rath’s candidature had been building in Nandigram, and earlier on Tuesday she appeared to signal it by offering prayers at the Siddheshwar Shiv Temple and Jankinath Temple before the BJP formally declared her name.
She also filed her nomination in Haldia later in the day, accompanied by a large procession of party workers and supporters. Adhikari is also expected to be present. Rath said she has been active in politics since 1998 and has served twice as a panchayat member and three times as a panchayat samiti member.
Referring to Adhikari, she had said, “Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is the guardian of our family,” and added that she would carry out any responsibility given to her by the party with sincerity. After offering prayers on Tuesday, she said she was happy that the party had selected her and expressed confidence that she would win the Nandigram seat by a margin of 1.10 lakh votes. The BJP’s approach in Nandigram brings together the personal story linked to Chandranath Rath’s killing and the wider political significance of the constituency.
In Rejinagar, the BJP has chosen Sarkar, a former Murshidabad district president and now a member of the party’s state committee. The BJP entered the contest after the Congress, the Left and the two rival TMC factions had already announced their nominees.
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction has named Sanchita Pradhan Dey for Nandigram and former MLA Rabiul Alam Chowdhury for Rejinagar. The rival TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has fielded Mohammad Eteshamul Haque in Nandigram and Safiuzzaman Sheikh in Rejinagar.
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Published By:
Sayan Ganguly
Published On:
Sep 15, 2026 18:12 IST
