Voting for the West Bengal by-elections began on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Minister Dilip Ghosh expressing strong confidence that the party would not only retain Nandigram with an enlarged margin but also clinch Rejinagar for the first time. Ghosh made the remarks while speaking to reporters as polling got underway.

Ghosh's Predictions for Nandigram and Rejinagar

'Regarding the by-election, Nandigram is a seat already won by the BJP, and our margin will increase there. For the first time, a change can happen in Rejinagar as well,' Ghosh said. The BJP minister framed both seats as bellwethers of a broader shift in voter sentiment across the state.

Ghosh argued that the traditional voting pattern in West Bengal — where minority communities had historically not backed the BJP — was now changing. 'The trend that was going on in Bengal, where minority votes didn't go to the BJP, is changing. Today, the development of the country and the state under the current government is benefiting the minority community as well. They have received security, their rights are protected, and they are also thinking about whom they should stand with. They want to go with development. They have seen corruption and oppression. Therefore, I feel votes will come towards the BJP and something new is going to happen,' he said.

SIR Controversy and the Supreme Court

Ghosh also addressed the ongoing row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, dismissing criticism from the opposition as politically motivated. 'The matter is in the Supreme Court. Even earlier, regarding SIR, the Supreme Court had given a decision based on which the work has been carried out. But those who lose just need an excuse, so they are raising all these useless points,' he said.

His comments came a day after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant clarified during a Supreme Court hearing that the court had not approved any modified version of Form 6 — the form used for inclusion of names in electoral rolls — and sought records relating to the changes. The legal question over voter roll revisions has become a flashpoint in the run-up to these by-polls.

Sewa Sankalp Abhiyan and Modi Birthday Programmes

Ghosh also highlighted the BJP's month-long outreach drive, the 'Sewa Sankalp Abhiyan', being held from September to October to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on 17 September. 'As party workers, we are organising various programmes to highlight his dream of a developed India by 2047 and take the public along with us,' Ghosh said.

He noted that the programmes in West Bengal would conclude by 7 October owing to the onset of Durga Puja, while the campaign would continue across other states until 17 October. 'Today, Narendra Modi is a world-renowned leader. There is no doubt about his leadership and vision. The country has benefited, and many nations across the world wish they had a leader like Modi ji,' Ghosh added.

What the By-Elections Signal

The Nandigram constituency carries heavy political symbolism — it was the site of the 2021 assembly election battle between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, a contest the BJP won. The party's ability to widen its margin here, and break through in Rejinagar, would be read as a sign of sustained momentum against the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Results from these by-polls are expected to sharpen the political calculus ahead of the next state assembly elections.