Mamata Banerjee Announces Support for Congress Candidate in Nandigram Bypoll After TMC Candidate Withdraws

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her faction's support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in the upcoming Nandigram bypoll. The decision came hours after her own nominee, Sanchita Pradhan De, abruptly withdrew from the electoral race.

Sanchita pulled out of the contest with barely a month remaining before the poll date.

Mamata Banerjee stated that they were extending their support to the Congress in Nandigram and in Assam, emphasising that the decision was being made for the greater interest of the nation.

Secretarial Meeting Triggers Exit

Sanchita 's withdrawal followed a closed-door meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat in Nabanna. Although initial accounts labelled the interaction a courtesy call, it raised immediate political eyebrows given Adhikari's status as a former Nandigram MLA and one of Banerjee's fiercest rivals.

Addressing reporters, Banerjee asserted her commitment to defeating the ruling dispensation, noting that senior national figures like Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal had reached out with messages of support.

Election Commission Freezes Symbol

The latest drama unfolded on a turbulent day that also saw the Election Commission freeze the official Trinamool Congress name and its traditional grass-and-flowers symbol due to an intense internal factional dispute. Banerjee's faction has been granted a temporary identity as the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress with a football player symbol for the current bypolls. The rival faction secured the name Democratic Trinamool Congress alongside an envelope symbol.

Fierce Attack on Democratic Backslide

Mamata Banerjee stated that while they respected the Constitutional chair, she felt that day was a black day in the democratic history of the country. She described the developments as very unfortunate, unconstitutional, illegal, undemocratic, and a totally biased vendetta aimed at satisfying the ego of a political party.

Highlighting that those in power today might not be tomorrow, she questioned the authority of those who had previously claimed they would strip away both the party's name and its symbol, adding that they should understand their limitations.

Alleging that state machinery and police forces were being weaponised to intimidate her cadre, Banerjee claimed thousands of party workers faced arbitrary detention. Despite the setbacks, she maintained an unyielding stance, vowing that her political legacy would weather the storm.

Deepening Fractures Within Ranks

The parliamentary split deepened when 20 rebel TMC MPs merge with NCPI to align with an alternative bloc, formalising the fracture at the national level. These rebel parliamentarians argued that their faction represented the legitimate continuation of the party's mandate, prompting them to seek separate recognition in Parliament.