TMC’s clean sweep in bypolls dwindles BJP’s strength in Assembly

Kolkata: With the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) securing a clean sweep in the recently concluded by-elections in six Assembly seats, BJP’s strength on the floor of the Assembly House further weakened.

The saffron camp won 77 seats in 2021 polls, but now it has been reduced to 69 seats.

One of the most striking developments was BJP losing the Madarihat seat to TMC.

Madarihat had remained BJP’s stronghold. Madarihat, a tea belt area reserved for Scheduled Tribes, had voted for Left constituent RSP since 1969 and for BJP since 2016. These results will help the ruling party to further consolidate its support base in the North Bengal region ahead of the 2026 elections.

In Madarihat, BJP’s vote share decreased from 54.3 per cent in 2021 to 34.8 per cent in 2024.

Of the 19.5 per cent loss BJP suffered, TMC gained 17.5 per cent. Congress did not field a candidate in 2021 but this time it managed to get 2 per cent of votes polled. The Left Front also lost 2 per cent of the votes.

Interestingly, the BJP has not been able to win a single Assembly seat in Bengal in bypolls, held after the 2021 elections.

The Left Front candidates’ deposits have forfeited in all 6 seats while BJP candidates’ deposits were forfeited in Sitai and Haroa. TMC’s stronghold was evident in North Bengal, where residents have been benefiting from the development initiatives of the Mamata Banerjee government. Women, in particular, have been availing the benefits of the state’s flagship scheme, Lakshmir Bhandar.