• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. Mamata Banerjee decides against contesting West Bengal bypolls.
  2. Trinamool Congress announces candidates for Nandigram, Rejinagar seats.
  3. Sanchita Pradhan, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury to contest by-elections.

Putting speculations to rest, Mamata Banerjee has decided not to contest the upcoming bypolls in West Bengal as her Trinamool Congress (TMC) faction has declared candidates on both seats - Nandigram and Rejinagar.

From Nandigram, the Mamata camp has pitted Sanchita Pradhan (Dey), while from Rejinagar, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury will contest the bypoll on October 6. While Rabiul Alam Chowdhury is a former MLA, Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) is a new face.

The by-elections were necessitated after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari vacated the Nandigram seat in Purba Medinipur district while AJUP founder Humayun Kabir did the same for Rejinagar in Murshidabad.

There were anticipations that after defeat in the 2026 polls, Mamata would try to make her way into the West Bengal Assembly through the bypolls.

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Nandigram has been a stronghold of CM Adhikari. In the recent Assembly polls, Adhikari not only contested in his home turf but also challenged Mamata in hers in Bhabanipur.

He won both and retained Bhabanipur. As he vacated Nandigram, it was widely discussed that Mamata could take her bitter revenge in the Nandigram bypoll.

Similarly, Rejinagar was also expected as the seat for Mamata's potential return due to its electoral base dynamics.

The constituency is located in the Murshidabad district and has a 65 per cent Muslim population. The contest is likely to be between the BJP and TMC; there were speculations that Mamata could easily win the Rejinagar seat in a bipolar contest.

ALSO READ: Nandigram Bypolls: Mamata Banerjee's Redemption, TMC-Congress Pact And Rejinagar Dilemma | What's Brewing In Bengal

Nonetheless, the party has not spoken about the reason why the former CM decided not to contest the bypolls, as experts believed that such aggressive posturing within months of an unexpected setback and disintegration of her party could have given a boost to the weakened opposition amid the rising influence of the BJP.


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