Suvendu Adhikari casts vote in Nandigram bypoll, says he’ll remain a voter in the constituency

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari cast his vote at Nandanayakbar Primary School—one of the model polling stations—for the Nandigram by-elections on Tuesday morning. BJP candidate Hasirani Rath arrived at the polling station around the same time to greet the CM.

Adhikari was seen interacting with the public outside the polling station before choosing to walk away instead of taking the rickshaw in which he had arrived. People in Nandigram are familiar with Adhikari, who was a prominent figure in the anti-land acquisition protests in 2006 and 2007 and later became the Nandigram MLA in 2021, defeating then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

“Voting in Nandigram is peaceful. Till now it is around 50 per cent. During bypolls, the turnout is less. I am confident the overall turnout will be around 55 per cent,” the chief minister said.

Earlier, after arriving at the polling station, Adhikari chose to await his turn while standing in queue. “I am a voter; I stood in line and voted as a CM. I did not take any extra privileges,” he said.

Adhikari further stated that he will continue to be on the electoral rolls of his current polling constituency, despite choosing to give up Nandigram and retain Bhabanipur constituency after winning both in the assembly elections.

“If I had given up Bhabanipur it would have given someone the opportunity to stand. I did not think it was right,” he said, referring to former CM Mamata Banerjee, who had lost the seat in the recent Assembly elections.

There was also reference to Aam Janata Unnayun Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir, who was detained by police in Murshidabad on Tuesday morning for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct(MCC). Kabir is the Nowada MLA who gave up Rejinagar, the second seat he won. His son Golam Nabi Azad is the AJUP candidate for the Rejinagar bypolls. After casting his vote, Kabir was seen roaming from one booth to another, which resulted in police action.

“Humayun Kabir should have cast his vote and gone home,” said Adhikari. “No one has the right to go into the booth. Whoever breaks the law, the law will take its own course. Today the CM’s law won't work; it is the EC’s (Election Commission) law that will work.”

Adhikari stated that police can even detain the chief minister if there is an MCC violation. “What Humayun did is bad for democracy. The way Humayun roamed from one booth to another was unnecessary. Suvendu Adhikari may be the CM, but police can detain even him (in case of MCC violation),” he said.

Nandigram has been a politically significant constituency for Adhikari and has played an important role in shaping his political fortunes. With the BJP in power and Adhikari serving as Chief Minister, the party hopes to turn the Nandigram bypolls in its favour. Adhikari is projecting an image of humility and accessibility as he seeks to strengthen voter confidence, while also drawing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image and the BJP’s “double-engine government” narrative. Referring to his rented house in Nandigram, which also serves as his office, Adhikari said it remains unchanged and has not been transformed into a “tall building” since he became Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister also took a dig at the perceived weakness of the Opposition candidates, pointing to the absence of their polling agents from the booths. The parties contesting the bypolls include the Congress, Mamata’s All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) and the Democratic Trinamool Congress (DTC).