The West Bengal Nandigram bypoll, slated for October 6, has collapsed into a political chess move after the TMC’s own candidate, Sanchita Dey, pulled out on Friday, forcing her faction to back the Congress nominee Milan Pradhan.
Dey, a former schoolteacher who had been dismissed when 26,000 teaching posts were cancelled in a recruitment probe, had been chosen by the faction of TMC led by Mamata Banerjee on Sunday. Her exit came after a midnight meeting with CM Suvendu Adhikari, a move that left the party scrambling to replace her.
In a press conference, Banerjee denied that the decision involved a pre‑planned alliance with Congress, saying she had only discussed it in private with Rahul Gandhi. The Congress’ central unit, however, has declared that it stands with Banerjee’s faction against what it calls a BJP plot to split opposition forces.
The Election Commission has already frozen the TMC name and symbol, meaning neither Banerjee’s group nor Ritabrata Banerjee’s faction can use the party’s banner. The nomination deadline passed on September 26, so no replacement candidate can be filed, leaving the Congress candidate to face BJP’s Hasirani Rath alone.