BJP MLAs from Nandigram, Rejinagar bypolls take oath today in West Bengal
Synopsis
Two BJP MLAs elected in the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls are set to take their oaths today, lifting the party's West Bengal Assembly strength to 209. The margins — 1,22,753 in Nandigram and 75,816 in a constituency where minorities form over 65% of voters — have sparked a wider debate about whether the BJP has begun to peel away minority voters from its rivals in the state.
Key Takeaways
Hasirani Rath and Sakharav Sarkar will take oaths as BJP MLAs on 28 October 2026 in the West Bengal Assembly .
The oath ceremony will be administered by Speaker Rathindra Bose ; CM Suvendu Adhikari will be present.
BJP's strength in the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly rises to 209 after the two swearings-in.
Rath won Nandigram by a record 1,22,753 votes ; Sarkar won Rejinagar by 75,816 votes despite 65%+ minority electorate .
Hasirani Rath is the mother of the late Chandranath Rath , former executive assistant of CM Adhikari, who was shot dead on 6 May in Madhyamgram .
CM Adhikari credited the Annapurna Yojana scheme and development work for winning over minority women voters in both constituencies.
Hasirani Rath and Sakharav Sarkar, the two newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators from the Nandigram Assembly Constituency in East Midnapore district and the Rejinagar seat in Murshidabad district, are set to take their oaths as Members of the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. The swearing-in ceremony will be administered by Speaker Rathindra Bose in the West Bengal Assembly in Kolkata, formalising the BJP's latest gains in the state legislature.
Oath Ceremony Details
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will be present in the House to witness the oath ceremony before departing for the state secretariat at Nabanna to preside over a cabinet meeting. The swearing-in of Rath and Sarkar will bring the BJP's total strength in the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly to 209 MLAs, consolidating the party's position in the state legislature following its recent electoral gains.
Bypoll Results and Victory Margins
The bypolls to Nandigram and Rejinagar were held on 6 October, with results declared on 9 October. Hasirani Rath won the Nandigram seat by a record margin of 1,22,753 votes, while Sakharav Sarkar secured the Rejinagar constituency by a margin of 75,816 votes. The scale of Sarkar's victory reportedly caught several political observers off guard, given that minority voters constitute over 65 per cent of the total electorate in Rejinagar.
BJP's Reading of the Minority Vote
Chief Minister Adhikari claimed that the results from both constituencies demonstrated that minority voters have begun placing their trust in the BJP, citing what he described as the visible fruits of development work delivered in the first five months of the BJP-led government in West Bengal. He further argued that minority communities in the state have started to recognise that previous ruling forces misled them by projecting the BJP as a communal party rather than focusing on their development. Adhikari specifically highlighted the Annapurna Yojana scheme, saying a large number of women voters from minority households in both Rejinagar and Nandigram — who had benefited from the scheme — voted in favour of the BJP along with their families.
Who Is Hasirani Rath?
Hasirani Rath is the mother of the late Chandranath Rath, who served as the former executive assistant of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Chandranath Rath was shot dead on the streets of Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas district on the evening of 6 May. His death had drawn significant political attention, and Hasirani Rath's candidacy and subsequent record-margin victory in Nandigram have lent the bypoll an additional layer of political significance.
What This Means for West Bengal Politics
With BJP's assembly strength now standing at 209 in the 294-seat House, the party's legislative majority appears well-entrenched in its early months in power in West Bengal. The Rejinagar result, in particular, is likely to fuel debate about shifting voter alignments in constituencies where minority communities form the decisive electoral bloc. How these dynamics evolve ahead of future elections will be closely watched.
Point of View
816-vote BJP margin in a seat where minorities account for over 65% of the electorate either signals a genuine realignment — or a sharp drop in opposition voter mobilisation. CM Adhikari's attribution of the swing to Annapurna Yojana is politically convenient but not independently verified. If the BJP has genuinely begun consolidating minority votes in West Bengal, it would represent a structural shift with consequences far beyond two bypoll seats. That case, however, rests entirely on one data point and needs far more evidence before it holds as a trend.
NationPress
28 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the two BJP MLAs taking oath in West Bengal today?
The two BJP MLAs taking oath on 28 October 2026 are Hasirani Rath, elected from the Nandigram Assembly Constituency in East Midnapore district, and Sakharav Sarkar, elected from the Rejinagar seat in Murshidabad district. Both won in bypolls held on 6 October 2026.
What is the BJP's current strength in the West Bengal Assembly after these bypolls?
With Rath and Sarkar taking their oaths, the BJP's strength in the 294-seat West Bengal Assembly rises to 209 MLAs. The party won both bypoll seats contested earlier this month.
Why was Sakharav Sarkar's victory in Rejinagar considered surprising?
Sarkar's margin of 75,816 votes in Rejinagar surprised several political observers because minority voters constitute over 65% of the total electorate in that constituency. The BJP has historically struggled in seats with large minority voter populations in West Bengal.
Who is Hasirani Rath and why is her election significant?
Hasirani Rath is the mother of the late Chandranath Rath, who served as the former executive assistant of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas on 6 May. Her record-margin victory of 1,22,753 votes in Nandigram adds a deeply personal political dimension to the bypoll outcome.
What did CM Suvendu Adhikari say about minority voters supporting BJP in these bypolls?
Chief Minister Adhikari claimed that minority voters have begun trusting the BJP after experiencing development benefits, including the Annapurna Yojana scheme. He argued that previous ruling forces had misled minority communities by labelling the BJP as communal rather than delivering on development.
