TMC sweeps bye-elections in West Bengal

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Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) swept the bye-elections in West Bengal on Tuesday (November 2). The party won all four assembly seats – Dinhata, Gosaba, Santipur and Khardaha - that went to polls on October 30. 

TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter after winning the four seats and wrote, “My heartiest congratulations to all the four winning candidates! This victory is people's victory as it shows how Bengal will always choose development and unity over propaganda and hate politics. With people's blessings, we promise to continue taking Bengal to greater heights!”

My heartiest congratulations to all the four winning candidates!

This victory is people's victory, as it shows how Bengal will always choose development and unity over propaganda and hate politics. With people's blessings, we promise to continue taking Bengal to greater heights! — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) November 2, 2021

In Dinhata seat, the TMC Candidate Udayan Guha won with a whopping margin of 1,64,089 votes. Guha was earlier defeated by Coochbehar MP and Minister of State, Home Affairs, Nishith Pramanik by a slim margin of 57 votes in the same constituency during assembly polls. 

However, Pramanik along with another BJP MP, Jagannath Sarkar who had contested and won from the Santipur seat resigned from the post of MLA as both of them wanted to continue as MPs. Later, Pramanik was elevated to the post of Minister of State, Home Affairs during the cabinet reshuffle. With their resignation, these two seats fell vacant. 

In Santipur, TMC candidate Braja Kishor Goswami won the seat by 63,892 votes. 

Another record margin was registered at Gosaba seat, where TMC candidate Subrata Mondal beat the BJP candidate by 1,43,051 votes. 

Sitting minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay who had to vacate the Bhabanipur seat for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, contested bye-elections from Khardaha after TMC candidate from the seat, Kajal Sinha passed away due to Covid-19. Chattopadhyay won by 93832 votes.

On the other hand, BJP claimed that the state government unleashed the entire machinery to get votes in their favour. 

“Amusing to see TMC gloating at the lead in by-polls. The entire state machinery, including police and civil admin, was unleashed to intimidate voters. But this is a big admission that violence post 2nd May was at the behest of the ruling TMC. Mamata Banerjee as HM presided over it,” BJP leader incharge of West Bengal, Amit Malviya tweeted.