Nandigram bypoll result: BJP's Hasirani Rath leads in early trends for key West Bengal seat

The counting of votes for the Nandigram by-elections is underway by the Election Commission of India. As per early trends, Hasirani Rath, the candidate fielded by the BJP is in the lead.

Nandigram, which is in West Bengal's East Midnapore, went to the polls on October 6 and saw a turnout of 80.89 per cent. The seat fell vacant after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, retained the latter.

Based on the early trends, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath is currently in the lead for the Nandigram seat, as per local sources. An official count from the poll body is yet to be announced.

High security in Nandigram

As ECI counts the votes for the Nandigram bypolls, heavy security has been deployed at the counting centres.

The Nandigram bypoll is among the first electoral battle in West Bengal after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in May this year with a sweeping victory ousting the 15-year-old Mamata Banerjee-regime, and the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) split in two three factions.

West Bengal witnessed high political drama in the run-up to the by-polls in which Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate fielded by Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram, withdrew her nomination hours after meeting West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.

Soon after Dey resigned, Banerjee announced that the Mamata-AITC led by her would support Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate in Nandigram.

Hours later Pradhan was arrested by the police in 2007 murder cases, but was granted bail by the Calcutta high court.