The Election Commission may issue an interim order on the Trinamool Congress’s election symbol on Thursday. Both factions have fielded candidates using the same symbol.
Bypolls are scheduled for October 6 in West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly seats. The Commission has asked both factions to be present at Thursday’s meeting.
According to Election Commission officials, both factions have fielded their respective candidates in Nandigram and Rejinagar. Both have used the Trinamool Congress’s official election symbol, ‘Two Flowers on Grass’.
Mohammad Eteshamul Haque from the rebel TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee will contest from Nandigram, while Safiuddin Sheikh will contest from Rejinagar. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC announced Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) as its candidate from Nandigram and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury from Rejinagar on Sunday.
Nandigram is a key seat for both TMC and BJP
Nandigram has long been a major centre of political conflict between the TMC and BJP. The 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in the region played a major role in helping Mamata Banerjee and the TMC come to power in 2011.
In 2021, Mamata contested from here against West Bengal’s current CM Suvendu Adhikari but lost. Adhikari, who joined the BJP, has become the TMC’s biggest rival.
In the 2026 Assembly elections, Suvendu Adhikari contested from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur and won both seats. In Bhabanipur, he defeated Mamata Banerjee by 15,105 votes. Adhikari received 73,917 votes, while Mamata Banerjee received 58,812 votes.
Adhikari later retained the Bhabanipur seat and resigned from Nandigram. This led to the Nandigram seat becoming vacant.
TMC faces crisis over party organisation and name
The bypoll is taking place at a time when the TMC is facing an organisational crisis after losing power in the Assembly elections. The Mamata Banerjee and Ritabrata Banerjee factions are at odds over the party’s name and the two-flowers-on-grass election symbol. Both factions have claimed the party’s name, election symbol and funds.
The Election Commission held talks with both sides on Saturday, but no decision has been taken yet. The Ritabrata faction has said it will continue to stake its claim to the TMC name and symbol. If the nomination deadline expires without a decision from the Commission, it may also contest the elections as independent candidates.
Bypolls in 4 states
2 seats in Tamil Nadu: Madurantakam and Dharapuram — These two Assembly seats fell vacant after the resignations of Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama. The final voter lists for both seats were published on February 23.
Thattanchavady seat in Puducherry: This seat fell vacant after the resignation of N. Rangasamy. The voter list for the seat was published on February 14.
West Bengal’s Rejinagar-Nandigram seats: The Rejinagar seat fell vacant after the resignation of Humayun Kabir, while the Nandigram seat fell vacant after the resignation of Suvendu Adhikari. The final voter lists for these seats were published on February 28.
Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat: The Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam fell vacant after the resignation of Pradyut Bordoloi. The final voter list for the seat was published on February 10.
