May 4, Posted at 2:43 PM IST
In West Bengal, an unusual electoral trend has emerged involving Humayun Kabir and his party, the Aam Janta Unnayan Party. While the party has largely underperformed across the state, Kabir himself is leading in both constituencies he contested.
Humayun Kabir contested from Rejinagar and Nowda constituencies. According to current trends, he is ahead by approximately 38,034 votes in Rejinagar and 16,300 votes in Nowda. These margins indicate a strong personal performance despite broader challenges faced by his party.
The Aam Janta Unnayan Party fielded candidates in 143 constituencies. However, 141 of these candidates are currently trailing. Only a handful of candidates managed to secure notable vote counts. Bijoy Sekh received around 40,000 votes, while two other candidates crossed the 10,000 mark. The remaining candidates are reportedly facing loss of deposit due to poor performance.
Earlier, Humayun Kabir had formed an alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Asaduddin Owaisi. However, the alliance was called off after a controversial video surfaced. The video allegedly suggested a financial deal worth ₹1000 crore with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Following this development, AIMIM distanced itself from Kabir.
Despite the controversy and the party’s weak showing overall, Kabir continues to maintain a strong lead in both constituencies. His performance stands in contrast to the broader electoral outcome of his party.
The situation highlights a unique dynamic in West Bengal politics, where individual candidate popularity may differ significantly from party-level performance. It also underscores the impact of controversies and alliances on electoral outcomes.
Mohammed Naseer Giyas is a multi-media and bilingual journalist with over 20 years of experience across print, digital, and television media. Founder of Raftaar-e-Deccan, he is an alumnus of IVLP, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and ICFJ, and has worked with leading English and Urdu news organisations.
