Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) Chairman and Naoda MLA Humayun Kabir on Saturday, 15 August began painting wall graffiti in Murshidabad district's Rejinagar constituency, publicly backing his son Golam Nabi Azad alias Robin for the upcoming Rejinagar Assembly bypoll — even as the Election Commission of India (ECI) is yet to formally announce the poll schedule. The move signals that ground-level campaigning in Rejinagar is already underway, months before any official notification.

Humayun's declaration and the AJUP's position

Humayun Kabir has formally declared that Golam Nabi Azad (Robin) will contest the Rejinagar bypoll on the AJUP's symbol — the flute. Kicking off the informal campaign with wall graffiti, Humayun expressed confidence that the AJUP would prevail despite what he described as strong Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) influence in the area. He alleged that the local administration was operating on the BJP's directives, but remained defiant. 'Golam Nabi Azad will win from Rejinagar,' he said.

The Suvendu Adhikari factor

The Rejinagar bypoll is directly linked to the dual-seat victory of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who won both Bhabanipur and Nandigram in the earlier Assembly elections. Adhikari has since vacated the Nandigram seat, triggering a bypoll there as well. Similarly, Humayun Kabir, who won both Rejinagar and Naoda, resigned from Rejinagar — setting the stage for the contest. Reports indicate that bypolls for both Rejinagar and Nandigram could be held within the next two months, though no official notification has been issued.

Humayun's 2025 mandate and what it signals

In the preceding Assembly election, Humayun Kabir won Rejinagar by a commanding margin of 58,876 votes over BJP's Bapan Ghosh. The gap between Humayun and the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s third-placed candidate Ataur Rahman was even wider at 81,818 votes. The AJUP secured 51.62% of the vote share in Rejinagar — a decisive mandate that the party is now hoping Robin can replicate or build upon.

BJP's counter-moves in Rejinagar

The BJP has not been passive. On 10 July, Suvendu Adhikari visited Rejinagar for an organisational meeting and announced several development projects, including a bridge over the Bhagirathi River at Ramnagarghat. He also promised a public meeting in Rejinagar in August. Humayun, however, dismissed BJP's prospects, saying it would not be possible to 'bloom lotus in Rejinagar' — a reference to the BJP's election symbol — even after Adhikari's Assembly victories.

What to watch

With both major camps already mobilising, the Rejinagar bypoll is shaping up as a test of AJUP's ability to transfer its parent MLA's personal vote to a political heir, and of BJP's capacity to convert organisational outreach into electoral gains in a seat it has never held. The ECI's poll announcement, expected in the coming weeks, will set the formal contest in motion.