Mamata Banerjee beams over TMC's victory, says Bengal chose 'Unity over hate politics'

As Trinamool Congress candidates lead on all four West Bengal Assembly bypolls seats, CM Mamata Banerjee extended 'heartiest congratulations' and deemed the 'victory as people's victory'.

While TMC's Udayan Guha won the Dinhata Assembly seat by a historic margin of 1.63 lakh votes, in Gosaba, TMC candidate Subrata Mondal led by over 1.17 lakh votes. TMC also won the Shantipur Assembly seat by a margin of 63,892 votes, where the BJP had won in May.  Notably, BJP's Nisith Pramanik, the MoS Home, had won the Dinhata seat in the March-April elections by a margin of 57 votes. In Khardah, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay won by a margin of 93,832 votes. 

'Bengal will always choose development and unity over propaganda and hate politics'

Taking to Twitter, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee stated, "My heartiest congratulations to all the four winning candidates! This victory is people's victory, as it shows how Bengal will always choose development and unity over propaganda and hate politics. With people's blessings, we promise to continue taking Bengal to greater heights!"

West Bengal bypolls

The constituencies of Dinhata, Khardaha, Gosaba and Santipur went into bypolls on October 30, marking a direct scuffle between the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the ruling Trinamool Congress. Dinhata and Santipur seats were necessitated after the winning candidates chose to not take the oath in order to be retained in Parliament. 

The seats of Khardaha and Gosaba had fallen vacant after the triumphant TMC Khardaha candidate Kajal Sinha succumbed to COVID-19 before the declaration of results on May 2 and Gosaba's Jayanta Naskar who had secured the seat for the third consecutive term, passed away.

While TMC's Udayan Guhaa and BJP's Ashok Mondal competed against each other in Dinhata, the BJP had fielded Niranjan Biswas against TMC's Brajakishore Goswami. Notably, BJP vouched for Palash Rana, a debutant in polls, against the ruling party's local leader Subrata Mondal. 

"This (WB by-poll result) was expected, we fought well, we're winning comfortably. The more BJP goes back, the better it is for democracy. People upset with their govt...Our party gave directions that there shouldn't be any post-poll violence. Nothing will happen," TMC's Saugata Roy said.