World

TMC Candidate Withdraws from Nandigram Bypoll; Mamata Backs Congress

In a surprising change, the TMC candidate for the Nandigram bypoll has withdrawn her nomination, with Mamata Banerjee's faction expressing support for the Congress party.

19 September 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

AI-generatedWritten by an AI system, editorially responsible — how we work

Archive photo: TMC Candidate Withdraws from Nandigram Bypoll; Mamata Backs Congress — Archive photoPhoto: joegoauk73 · Flickr · BY-SA

Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), withdrew her nomination for the Nandigram bypoll following a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat, Nabanna. This meeting took place on Friday, and her withdrawal was announced the next day.

Mamata Banerjee's faction of the TMC has decided to back the Congress party in the upcoming bypoll, marking a rare departure from their typical practice of contesting elections independently. Traditionally, TMC and Congress have had a competitive relationship in West Bengal, so this alliance represents a significant shift.

The decision to support Congress came shortly after the Election Commission assigned a new party name and symbol to Banerjee’s faction for the October 6 bypolls. This development is seen as a strategic move within the political landscape of West Bengal.

Mamata Banerjee has also publicly criticized the timing of the arrest of the Congress candidate for Nandigram, which she described as a political maneuver by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Banerjee referred to the situation surrounding Pradhan as an example of 'vendetta politics' employed by the BJP.

The TMC's shift in strategy could indicate an evolving dynamic between the two parties in terms of their electoral tactics, particularly as there appears to be a vacuum in the opposition space in the state. In recent times, Mamata Banerjee has emphasized the need for opposition unity to effectively challenge the ruling party.

As the date for the bypoll approaches, Banerjee’s support for Congress may reshape electoral strategies in West Bengal, although the full repercussions of this alliance remain to be seen. Reports suggest heightened tensions occurring amid these political changes, particularly related to candidate nominations and arrests.

This item was written by an AI system on the basis of the headlines and short teasers of the independently operating newsrooms named below. We disclose this under Art. 50(4), second subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act). Before publication we check origin and verifiability — anything that appears in only one place is not published — as well as language, substance and legally sensitive content. No separate substantive review of each individual item by a natural person takes place; we therefore do not rely on the exemption in Art. 50(4), second subparagraph, of the AI Act. Editorial responsibility for this publication rests with the person named in the imprint (§ 18 Abs. 2 MStV). Please report errors to [email protected] — we will correct or remove the item. Full reports are available from the sources listed.