Rejinagar bypoll drama deepens as Mamata Banerjee’s faction loses candidates in Rejinagar and Nandigram, while Congress nominee Milan Pradhan’s arrest sparks a political row.
Mamata Banerjee’s faction loses its candidates in both Rejinagar and Nandigram ahead of the October 6 by-elections, while Congress nominee Milan Pradhan’s arrest after receiving TMC backing triggers a political confrontation.
Qalam Times News Network
Kolkata | September 19, 2026
Rejinagar has emerged as the latest flashpoint in West Bengal’s increasingly complicated by-election battle, with Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, the candidate backed by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress, withdrawing his candidature on Saturday. His decision came a day after the faction’s nominee in Nandigram, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, also withdrew from the contest, leaving Mamata Banerjee’s faction without candidates in both constituencies scheduled to vote on October 6.
The Rejinagar development followed a dispute over the TMC’s traditional name and election symbol. The Election Commission of India has temporarily barred the rival factions from using the original “All India Trinamool Congress” name and the party’s traditional twin-flower-and-grass symbol for the by-elections. The Mamata Banerjee-led faction was subsequently allotted the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the “Football Player” symbol, while the rival faction was allotted the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “Envelope” symbol.
Chowdhury cited the difficulty of making the newly allotted symbol familiar to voters within the limited time available before polling. Reports also said he had raised concerns about pressure on party workers and difficulties in campaigning. His withdrawal came on the final day for withdrawing nominations.
The Rejinagar episode followed an even more dramatic sequence of events in Nandigram.
Mamata Banerjee’s faction had fielded Sanchita Pradhan Dey as its candidate in the constituency. On Friday, she withdrew her nomination, leaving the faction without a candidate in one of the most politically significant constituencies in the state. Her withdrawal came after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, although the precise reasons for the decision have not been publicly established.
Following Sanchita’s withdrawal, Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would support Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram. Banerjee described Congress as a “sister party” and said the decision was connected to broader opposition cooperation against the BJP. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, however, said that the Congress had not sought such support from Banerjee, characterising it as her own political decision.
The situation took another turn only hours later when Milan Pradhan was arrested by the West Bengal Police in connection with an old case linked to the 2007 Nandigram land-acquisition agitation. Police sources cited in media reports said a warrant was pending against him in connection with an old murder case. The arrest followed the announcement of Mamata’s support for his candidature.
The timing of the arrest immediately became a political issue. Mamata Banerjee questioned why action in the old case had been taken at that particular moment and alleged that the arrest reflected political retaliation. Congress leaders also criticised the action and alleged that the arrest was politically motivated. These are political allegations, however, and have not been established as facts. The BJP has rejected such allegations and maintained that police action was based on the law and the existing case.
The arrest has therefore added another layer of uncertainty to the Nandigram contest. While Mamata’s faction has extended support to Pradhan, his arrest raises practical questions about the campaign and the conduct of the contest. The case itself remains a matter for the legal process rather than political claims made by competing parties.
The developments in both constituencies also come against the backdrop of the Election Commission’s intervention in the internal dispute between the rival TMC factions. The poll panel’s decision to assign separate names and symbols was intended to distinguish the two groups for the forthcoming by-elections. According to reports, candidates already nominated under the competing factions were to be associated with their respective newly allotted identities.
The political significance of the dispute extends beyond the two constituencies. The traditional TMC identity—its familiar name and “Jora Ghash Phul” symbol—has been central to the party’s electoral recognition for years. The sudden requirement to campaign under different names and symbols has created an additional organisational challenge for candidates contesting the October 6 by-elections.
For the Mamata Banerjee-led faction, the immediate problem is particularly visible in Rejinagar and Nandigram. In Nandigram, its candidate withdrew before polling, while in Rejinagar, Chowdhury also stepped out of the race. Both withdrawals took place shortly after the Election Commission assigned new identities to the rival factions.
The October 6 by-elections will therefore take place against an unusually complicated political backdrop, with party identity, candidate withdrawals, rival factional claims and the arrest of a Congress nominee all shaping the campaign. The results are scheduled to be declared on October 9.
For now, however, the immediate story is not simply about electoral competition. It is about how an internal party dispute over political identity has spilled into candidate selection, alliances and campaign strategy in two high-profile constituencies of West Bengal.
