States » EastPosted at: Sep 21 2026 12:03AM


Bengal: BJP’s Hasirani Rath invokes ‘one-finger vote’ in Nandigram campaign

Midnapore, Sep 20 (UNI) With the Nandigram Assembly by-poll entering an increasingly charged campaign phase, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath on Sunday sought to turn her campaign into a direct appeal for a decisive mandate, invoking the image of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan hill with one finger.
Addressing hundreds of BJP workers and residents who joined her campaign in Nandigram, Rath urged voters to press the lotus symbol on polling day and described the constituency as her “home”, saying she was deeply moved by the affection extended to her by locals.
Referring to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s years as Leader of the Opposition, Rath alleged that the Trinamool Congress had repeatedly harassed him and prevented him from functioning freely.
“You have seen how Trinamool harassed Suvendu Adhikari when he was the Leader of the Opposition. How many times he had to approach the High Court even to hold a meeting,” she said.
She then linked the October 6 vote directly to the BJP’s political battle in Nandigram.
“On October 6, with one finger on the EVM, show the strength of that one finger — just as Lord Krishna upheld Govardhan hill with one finger,” Rath told the gathering.
Appealing to voters to support the BJP, she said the mandate would “bring glory” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to the BJP leadership and to what she described as the “prince of Nandigram”, a reference to Adhikari.
“Come together and cast your valuable vote for the lotus symbol,” she said.
Rath also sought to strike a personal chord with the electorate, saying she had been accepted by Nandigram residents as “the daughter of the house”.
“I am overwhelmed and deeply moved by the way the people of Nandigram have embraced me. I am truly happy that you have accepted me as your own,” she said, drawing applause from the gathering.
The BJP has fielded Rath in the by-poll after Adhikari vacated the Nandigram seat and retained Bhabanipur. She is the mother of Chandranath Rath, a former aide to Adhikari who was killed in May, shortly after the Assembly election results. The Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress faction recently decided to back the Congress candidate Milan Pradhan signalling a strategic alliance with the INDIA alliance.
The Nandigram contest has now developed into a multi-cornered battle, with the BJP, Congress, Left, and a rival Trinamool faction in the fray. Voting is scheduled for October 6, with counting on October 9. UNI BG NST CDS
Tags: #Bengal: BJP’s Hasirani Rath invokes ‘one-finger vote’ in Nandigram campaign
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