TMC clean sweeps bypoll with 4-0 win, Mamata Banerjee says Bengal chooses development over hate politics

By PTI

KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress on Tuesday won all four by-elections held last Saturday, according to updates by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The TMC roller-coasted to victory in Dinhata assembly seat which its Minister of State for Home Nishith Paramanik had won earlier this year, by a record margin of 1,64,089 votes in assembly by-elections held last Saturday.

The ruling party also retained the Khardah assembly segment by winning the seat by an impressive margin of 93,832 votes.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee quickly congratulated her party candidates for the “victory”.

“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!” she said in a twitter post.

The Trinamool Congress candidate Subrata Mondal Tuesday won the Gosaba assembly by-poll by a massive margin of 1,43,051 votes.

TMC’s Subrata Mondal secured 1,61,474 votes, whereas BJP’s Palash Rana, his nearest rival, garnered a mere 18,428 votes.

In the Dinhata assembly seat in Coochbehar, TMC’s Udayan Guha secured votes 1,14,086 votes, whereas BJP’s Palash Rana, the nearest rival, garnered mere 20,254 votes.

The bypoll for the Dinhata assembly segment was necessitated after central minister Nisith Pramanik who had won the seat by a slender margin of just 57 votes resigned to retain his Coochbehar Lok Sabha seat.

In the Khardah assembly segment, state minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay defeated his nearest rival the BJP’s Joy Saha by a margin of 93,832 votes.

Chattopadhyay secured 1,14,086 votes, whereas Saha managed to bag 20,254 votes.

The bypoll to this assembly segment was necessitated following the death of the sitting TMC MLA.

In Santipur assembly constituency, famous for its handloom industry which had turned into a BJP citadel in the assembly elections held earlier this year, TMC’s Braja Kishore Goswami led over his nearest rival – BJP’s Niranjan Biswas – by a margin of 41,364 votes.

Goswami bagged 77,555 votes, whereas Biswas bagged 36,191 votes after the twelfth round.

Officials said that besides imposing section 144 on a 100-metre radius of counting venues, there is a tight three-tier security layer around them.