Mamata backs Congress in Nandigram after her candidate pulls out of bypoll

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that her camp would support the Congress candidate in the Nandigram Assembly bypoll after its nominee Sanchita Pradhan Dey abruptly withdrew her candidature, adding another twist to the politically significant October 6 contest.

The decision came hours after Pradhan Dey, a teacher who had been fielded by the Mamata-led faction, pulled out of the race. Her withdrawal followed a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister and Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari, Mamata's former lieutenant who defeated her from the constituency in the 2021 Assembly election. With Pradhan Dey no longer in the fray, Mamata said her faction would not field another candidate and would instead extend its support to the Congress nominee.

Congress gets backing

Announcing the decision at a press conference, Mamata said her camp remained committed to the Opposition INDIA bloc and would back Congress in Nandigram. She said the broader political objective was to oppose the BJP and indicated that the developments surrounding the Trinamool Congress name and symbol would not alter her camp's position on Opposition unity.

The announcement brings Congress directly into the centre of the contest in a constituency that has acquired outsized political significance in Bengal. Nandigram was at the heart of Mamata's land agitation before the Trinamool Congress came to power in the state in 2011 and later became the stage for one of Bengal's most closely watched electoral battles when she contested against Adhikari in 2021.

Pradhan Dey's withdrawal came shortly after the Election Commission allotted separate names and symbols to the rival Trinamool factions for the upcoming bypolls amid the continuing dispute over the party's identity. Mamata's faction has been allotted the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and a football player as its symbol for the polls, while the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has been given a separate name and symbol.

Candidate exits race

Pradhan Dey's meeting with Adhikari before her withdrawal added another layer to the political developments. The meeting was initially described as a courtesy call, but it attracted attention because Adhikari is both the sitting legislator from Nandigram and Mamata's principal political rival in Bengal.

Her subsequent decision to withdraw left Mamata's camp without its own candidate in the constituency. The former chief minister responded by throwing her weight behind Congress rather than staying out of the electoral battle altogether.

Mamata also referred to support she had received from Opposition leaders amid the dispute over the Trinamool name and symbol, saying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had spoken to her. She maintained that Opposition parties needed to remain together in their political contest against the BJP.

High-stakes bypoll

The developments have reshaped the Nandigram contest weeks before polling. The seat carries considerable symbolic weight for both Mamata and Adhikari because of their political history and the closely fought 2021 election.

The Nandigram bypoll is scheduled for October 6, alongside the Rejinagar by-election. Votes will be counted on October 9. Mamata said a separate decision would be taken on her camp's position in Rejinagar.

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