Kolkata

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday claimed the minority community "has found a friend in BJP and they voted for us" as he exuded confidence over a huge BJP victory in Rejinagar and Nandigram bypolls, riding on their support.

He claimed the BJP has secured around 60 per cent of Muslim votes in Rejinagar and 80 per cent in Nandigram, even as counting continued in the two bypolls.

"Minorities have voted in large numbers because they want to stand with the government," Adhikari said.

The BJP on Friday established unassailable leads in both Nandigram and Muslim-majority Rejinagar, with margins of 1,06,513 and 55,583 votes, respectively. Adhikari had won Nandigram by 9,665 votes in the Assembly polls held earlier this year.

Speaking at the state secretariat, Adhikari said the BJP's performance in the two seats reflected a change in the political outlook of minority voters. "We could win in Rejinagar because minorities voted for us. They have found friends in us and have understood that they were misled," the chief minister said.

Adhikari claimed that the BJP had secured around 46 per cent of the votes in the bypolls. "This will increase to more than 60 per cent in the next elections," he asserted.

The chief minister also said the bypolls were conducted peacefully, contrasting them with incidents of violence reported during previous elections in the state.

A peaceful atmosphere prevailed in West Bengal after the BJP came to power here. Bengali-speaking minorities understood the previous government misled them. Having found a friend in BJP, they voted for us," Adhikari said.

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"Whatever results I had predicted for the bypolls have come true," he added.