Nandigram bypoll drama: TMC candidate quits, Congress pick arrested hours after Mamata faction’s backing

Nandigram’s October 6 Assembly bypoll took a dramatic turn on Friday as Mamata Banerjee-led faction’s candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew from the race hours after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Hours later Mamata Banerjee-led faction backed Congress nominee Milan Pradhan, who was arrested later in the day in a two-decade-old case.

The rapid-fire developments unfolded on a day when the Election Commission allotted new names and symbols to the two rival TMC factions after freezing the party’s traditional name and “flower and grass” symbol.

Pradhan Dey, who had briefly lost her job due to a major teacher recruitment scam, met Adhikari at the state secretariat Nabanna along with her husband Satyajit before withdrawing her nomination, a day ahead of the deadline. The reasons for her decision were not immediately clear.

Her withdrawal left the Mamata camp without a candidate in Nandigram even as the faction was allotted the name ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress‘ and the ‘Football Player’ symbol for the bypolls. The rival faction was allotted ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ and the ‘Envelope’ symbol.

Faced with the sudden vacancy, Banerjee announced support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, describing the Congress as a “sister party” and saying the move was intended to strengthen the INDIA bloc.

“We are extending our support to Congress in Nandigram. We are doing this for the greater interest of the nation,” Banerjee said.

Asked whether the decision was prompted by the Congress’ earlier reluctance to enter into a seat-sharing arrangement with her faction, Banerjee said her support had already been decided and that Congress had a “good candidate”.

The announcement marked an unusual turn in the relationship between the two parties in Bengal, where the TMC and Congress have generally remained electoral rivals despite being constituents of the INDIA bloc nationally.

The political impact of the withdrawal was soon overshadowed by Pradhan’s arrest.

Police were quoted saying in PTI report that the the Congress candidate was arrested in connection with a case linked to his alleged involvement in the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district.

Pradhan, who has been named in more than 12 cases over the Nandigram land movement, was picked up from a hotel in Chandipur in Purba Medinipur district, a Congress leader said.

He is likely to be produced before a court in Haldia on Saturday.

The last date for withdrawal of candidatures for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll is Saturday, 19 September.

The Congress, which was the first to announce and file nominations, alleged a political vendetta and questioned the timing of the arrest, coming within hours of Banerjee’s announcement of support.

‘Aimed at eliminating opposition’

West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar alleged that the action was aimed at eliminating opposition from the electoral arena and accused the BJP of trying to establish a one-party political system.

The BJP dismissed the allegation, saying the police were merely carrying out their duties and that the arrest had no political connection.

A BJP leader, reacting to the withdrawal of Banerjee’s candidate, said the party was “not bothered” about who was contesting the election and asserted that it would win Nandigram by a “massive margin”.

Pradhan Dey’s withdrawal brought back memories of May this year, when the TMC’s Falta candidate Jahangir Khan withdrew from the May 21 assembly repoll, weeks after the party suffered electoral setbacks in the state. Though Khan’s name remained on the EVM as the withdrawal deadline had passed, the episode acquired political significance as the BJP went on to win the seat by a record margin.

High profile Nandigram bypoll

Nandigram carries a particular resonance for Banerjee and Adhikari, her former trusted lieutenant. The anti-land acquisition movement there in 2007 became a defining chapter of their political rise and helped the TMC build the campaign that ended 34 years of Left Front rule in 2011.

Banerjee herself contested Nandigram in 2021 against Adhikari and lost by a narrow margin before Adhikari emerged as the BJP’s principal political challenger in Bengal.

The TMC and Congress had fought the 2011 Assembly election as allies before becoming political rivals in Bengal.

The latest move followed days of uncertainty over the two parties’ relationship. Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya had claimed that the Mamata camp approached the Congress leadership with a proposal under which Congress would contest Nandigram while the TMC would fight Rejinagar. The Congress’ Bengal unit opposed such an arrangement, while the TMC denied having made such an offer.

The rebel TMC faction also seized on Banerjee’s outreach to the Congress, accusing her of turning to a party she had spent years fighting in Bengal.

Banerjee has used the Congress over the years as a political ladder, rebel TMC camp leader Akruzzaman Ansari alleged.

“She was in the Congress, betrayed it, formed her own party and then forged an alliance with the BJP. Again, she aligned with the Congress and ditched it. She also allied with Congress in 2011 to come to power by defeating the Left. Since then, TMC has only destroyed Congress in Bengal,” Ansari said.

Now when she is “in trouble after losing people’s vote, she has bowed to Congress’ feet”, the rebel TMC leader said.

With the Mamata faction stepping aside in favour of Congress, the Congress candidate facing arrest, the BJP fielding its nominee and the rebel TMC faction remaining in the contest, the Nandigram bypoll has acquired a new political configuration ahead of the October 6 polling.

With the withdrawal deadline due on Saturday, the immediate question is whether Milan Pradhan will remain in the race — setting the stage for an October 6 contest that has already been reshaped by a day of dramatic political twists.