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Hasirani Rath’s candidature is expected to add an emotive dimension to the BJP’s campaign in Nandigram.
Hasirani’s son, Chandranath Rath, who had served as Adhikari’s personal assistant, was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas on May 6.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday named Hasirani Rath, mother of slain former aide to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, as its candidate for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll. The party also fielded former Murshidabad district president Shakharav Sarkar from Rejinagar.
Hasirani’s candidature is expected to add an emotive dimension to the BJP’s campaign in Nandigram. Her son, Chandranath Rath, who had served as Adhikari’s personal assistant, was shot dead in Madhyamgram in North 24 Parganas on May 6, two days after the West Bengal Assembly election results were declared.
The murder case, which was initially investigated by the state police and a Special Investigation Team, was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Before the BJP formally announced her candidature, Hasirani visited the Siddheshwar Shiva Temple and Janakinath Temple in Reyapara, Nandigram, on Tuesday. She filed her nomination papers at the Haldia sub-divisional office today with Adhikari and BJP workers in attendance.
#WATCH | Haldia | West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, along with BJP workers, heads for the nomination filing of BJP Nandigram bypoll candidate, Hasirani RathHasirani Rath is the mother of the slain Chandranath Rath, who was the personal assistant to West Bengal CM Suvendu… pic.twitter.com/MXtHFFfSu8
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2026
Hasirani, who has been associated with politics since 1998, has served twice as a panchayat member and three times as a panchayat samiti member.
After being named the candidate, she expressed confidence in winning the seat and said she would work for the welfare of Nandigram. She has also described Adhikari as the guardian of her family. After offering prayers at the temples on Tuesday, the BJP candidate said she was happy to have been chosen by the party and expressed confidence of winning the Nandigram assembly seat by a margin of 1.10 lakh votes.
“Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is the guardian of our family,” she had said, adding that she would discharge any responsibility entrusted to her by the party with sincerity.
The BJP’s Nandigram strategy thus combines the personal narrative surrounding Chandranath’s killing with the constituency’s larger political symbolism. Adhikari, one of the BJP’s most prominent leaders in the state, had won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 assembly elections before retaining Bhabanipur and vacating Nandigram.
The Nandigram seat fell vacant after Adhikari, who had won the constituency in the 2026 Assembly elections, retained Bhabanipur and vacated Nandigram.
In Rejinagar, the BJP has chosen Shakharav Sarkar, a former Murshidabad district president and current member of the party’s state committee.
The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction has nominated Sanchita Pradhan Dey in Nandigram and former MLA Rabiul Alam Chowdhury in Rejinagar. The rebel TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has fielded Mohammad Eteshamul Haque and Safiuzzaman Sheikh, respectively.
The Congress has nominated Milan Pradhan in Nandigram and Abdullahil Kafi in Rejinagar, while the Left has fielded CPI’s Shantigopal Giri and CPI(M)’s Syeed Asad Ali.
RSP, which disagreed with the CPI(M) over seat-sharing, is contesting Rejinagar separately with Bikash Chandra Mishra as its nominee.
The two constituencies are set for a multi-cornered contest, with candidates announced by the Congress, Left and different factions of the Trinamool Congress.
The Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls will be held on October 6, while counting of votes will take place on October 9. September 16 is the last date for filing nominations.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Ask News18The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath as its candidate for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll. She is the mother of Chandranath Rath, the slain former personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
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Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre…Read More
Nandigram, India, India
September 15, 2026, 4:19 PM IST
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