Shot-Gun ‘Khamosh’ Roars: Mamata Pulverizes The Saffron in WB, Supriyo Sails Through

Kolkata, April 16: The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress’ supremacy in electoral politics in West Bengal continued to mesmerise the poll strategists across India as her chosen candidates Babul Supriyo and ” Bihari Babu” Shatrughan Sinha won the Ballygunge Assembly and Asansol Lok Sabha seats’ by-poll elections respectively as the results were out on Saturday, The TMC wrested the industrial Asansol seat in Bardhaman district from BJP, which had won in 2014 and 2019.

Though the details of Asansol results were yet to be compiled, it was a huge win for actor turned politician Behari Babu with over 2 lakh votes from his nearest rival BJP’s Agnimitra Paul. Singer turned politician Babul Supriyo won the Ballygunge bypoll beating his nearest Left Front challenger Saira Shah Halim by 20,038 votes. After the final round of counting, Babul Supriyo got 50722 votes. Halim received 30818 votes while BJP’s Keya Ghosh came third with 12967 votes. Congress candidate Kamaruzzaman came fourth.

However, the vote share of the ruling party dipped considerably from the 2021 assembly poll when then candidate Subrata Mukherjee got 1,06,585 votes. The CPI(M) vote share this time increased at Ballygunge much more than the BJP, which was second in the 2021 poll. Poll strategists said the minority vote share increased this time for the LF candidate.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee thanked the voters of Asansol and Ballygunge for handing a decisive mandate to the ruling party nominees and hailed the support of Ma Mati Manus. In Asansol former Union minister and popular veteran Bollywood star Shatrughan Sinha was leading by a massive 6,26,511 votes against BJP’s Agnimitra Paul’s 3,44,573 votes as at 2.30 pm. Paul has conceded the defeat and said the devastating results must be examined before the 2024 national poll. UNI