November 23, 2024: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has claimed a sweeping victory in the 2024 West Bengal by-elections, securing four of the six contested seats and establishing strong, irreversible leads in the remaining two. The party’s impressive performance underscores its dominance in the state, especially in South Bengal, while also consolidating its hold over key constituencies.

TMC’s Victories: TMC triumphed in Sitai (SC), Madarihat (ST), Haroa, and Naihati, maintaining substantial margins over their rivals. In Sitai, TMC's Sangita Roy emerged as the clear winner with a commanding lead of 73,452 votes, outpacing BJP’s Dipak Kumar Ray, who managed only 12,959 votes. In Madarihat, TMC’s Jayprakash Toppo also dominated, leading by 39,353 votes over BJP’s Rahul Lohar, who had secured 21,375 votes. This seat, which had been held by the BJP in the 2021 Assembly elections, saw a significant reversal in fortunes.

In Naihati, TMC’s Sanat Dey secured a strong lead of 40,663 votes, far ahead of BJP’s Rupak Mitra, who managed just 15,461 votes. Haroa saw another landslide victory for TMC with SK Rabiul Islam leading with 48,107 votes, while Piyarul Islam of the All India Secular Front trailed significantly with only 6,441 votes.

Leads in Medinipur and Taldangra: TMC is also in a strong position in the remaining two constituencies of Medinipur and Taldangra, where the party holds decisive leads. In Medinipur, TMC's Sujoy Hazra leads with 32,777 votes, maintaining a margin of 11,398 votes over BJP’s Subhajit Roy (Bunty), who has 21,379 votes. In Taldangra, TMC’s Falguni Singhababu is ahead by 17,280 votes, with BJP’s Ananya Roy Chakraborty trailing behind with 10,956 votes.

Five of the six constituencies are located in South Bengal, a stronghold for the TMC. Madarihat in North Bengal, previously won by the BJP, was a key battleground in this by-election. Despite efforts by the BJP to retain the seat, the party is trailing in all constituencies so far, signaling a major setback.

While the BJP had hoped to make inroads in the TMC-dominated regions, the bypoll results indicate that the party is facing an uphill battle. With the party trailing in all constituencies, the results are seen as a blow to BJP’s ambitions of regaining ground in West Bengal.