Rejinagar: BJP’s victory in the Rejinagar bypoll, a constituency with a nearly 72% Muslim population, on Friday, signalled a shift in Bengal’s conventional electoral arithmetic in which Muslims have traditionally stayed away from the saffron party.BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar secured 1,29,914 votes, beating his nearest rival by a margin of 75, 816 votes. AJUP candidate Golam Nabi Azad, who came in second, secured 54,098 votes.Sarkar described his victory as a “rebuke to communal politics” and Muslims “siding with development”. “They (Muslim voters) answered CM Suvendu Adhikari’s call and showed they stand with the state govt,” he said.He added that voters wanted bridges, hospitals and industrial parks and the CM had led the party’s engagement with the minority community.The CM, who announced a series of development projects in Rejinagar on Friday and laid the foundation stone for the Narkelbari bridge, said Muslim women had supported BJP because they had benefitted from the Annapurna Yojana.Of the 15 candidates in the fray in Rejinagar, 10 were Muslim — though the RSP candidate withdrew at the last minute for not being allocated its symbol.Congress candidate Abdullahil Kafi won 6,168 votes, Mamata TMC’s Rabiul Alam Chowdhury won 3,847, CPM’s Md Sayeed 3,797 and Democratic TMC’s Safiuzzaman Saikh 2,044.Humayun Kabir’s son Golam Nabi Azad’s defeat showed the limits of political legacies. Merely five months ago, Kabir had won 1,23,536 votes in the same assembly segment.A dejected Kabir said he wanted to step away from politics and move to Dubai with a Golden Visa because he was “mentally exhausted”.“Ever since childhood, I never tolerated injustice. I grew up protesting wrongdoing. Now I am 64, going to turn 65. I want to spend the final days of my life in peace in Dubai,” Kabir said.“I will enjoy good food, travel, take in the sea breeze and eventually be buried there,” he added.Reflecting on the current political landscape, he said, “I can’t deal with such oppressive and tyrannical people anymore. Once I had great morale and fought for justice. I can’t do it anymore. I am deeply exhausted.”(With inputs from agencies)
