The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced its candidates for the upcoming by-elections to two Assembly constituencies in West Bengal, choosing Hasirani Rath for Nandigram and Sakharav Sarkar for Rejinagar.
Rath’s nomination is significant as she is the mother of Chandranath Rath, a close aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who was killed in a shooting two days after the results of the state Assembly elections were announced.
Hasirani Rath’s political background
The 62-year-old BJP candidate comes from Kulup village in the Chandipur area of East Midnapore. She has been active in politics for several years and has previously held an elected position at the panchayat level.
Rath was earlier associated with the Trinamool Congress. She later joined the BJP after Suvendu Adhikari left the TMC and moved to the saffron party in December 2020. Her family has maintained a close political association with the Adhikari family for more than two decades.
Her husband died in 2024.
Between 2013 and 2018, Rath served as the Karmadhyaksha for Child and Women Development at the Chandipur Panchayat Samiti.
Long association with Suvendu Adhikari
Rath has said that her involvement in politics dates back to 1998. Her political journey initially took place within the TMC before she shifted to the BJP.
Her family also followed the same political path after Adhikari’s departure from the TMC. The BJP’s decision to field her from Nandigram now places her in a key contest in a constituency closely associated with Suvendu Adhikari.
The BJP has meanwhile selected Sakharav Sarkar as its candidate for the Rejinagar Assembly bypoll.
