Don’t pay heed to 70:30 story: Suvendu Adhikari says communal politics won’t work in Rejinagar

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari addressed a campaign rally in Rejinagar ahead of the Assembly bypoll and urged voters not to pay heed to what he described as the “70:30” narrative referring to the constituency’s Muslim and Hindu population.

Speaking at the rally in support of BJP candidate Sakharav Sarkar, Adhikari said communal polarisation would not work in Rejinagar and appealed to voters to focus on development and welfare issues.

Adhikari referred to the Annapurna Yojana and claimed that 70,000 women in Rejinagar had received cash assistance under the scheme. He also said that around 35,000 of the beneficiaries belonged to the minority community.

The Chief Minister also outlined several development proposals for the constituency. He promised a bridge and a college and said that 17,051 names from Rejinagar were already included in the PM Awas Yojana list.

He further announced plans for a 200-bed hospital and an industrial park in the area. According to Adhikari, four proposals for the industrial park were already in place and the project could generate employment opportunities.

Migration and employment were also key issues raised during the rally. Adhikari said he would work to bring back around 40,000 migrant workers to Rejinagar within two years.

The Rejinagar Assembly bypoll is scheduled for October 6, with the results scheduled to be announced on October 9. Adhikari urged voters to support BJP candidate Sakharav Sarkar and said he would return to accept the winning certificate if the candidate won.

During his address, Adhikari also targeted the Trinamool Congress over what he described as organisational problems within the party.

The campaign comes ahead of the Rejinagar and Nandigram Assembly bypolls in West Bengal. The Rejinagar contest is taking place in a constituency with a significant minority population, making issues of development, welfare, employment and political mobilisation important parts of the campaign.