Nandigram Bypoll Twist: Mamata Backs Congress After TMC Candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey Withdraws

September 18, 2026

Kolkata: In a major development ahead of the Nandigram Assembly bypoll, Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey, who was fielded by the Mamata Banerjee camp, withdrew her nomination on Friday.

Hours after the withdrawal, Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would support the Congress candidate in the Nandigram bypoll, saying her camp would not field another candidate from the constituency.

Sanchita Pradhan Dey Withdraws Nomination

Pradhan Dey, a teacher who had been fielded by the Mamata Banerjee camp, withdrew her candidature a day before the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.

Her decision came after she met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat, Nabanna, on Friday. She was accompanied by her husband, Satyajit. Reports said she subsequently went to the election office and withdrew her nomination.

The reason for her withdrawal has not been publicly established. Reports have noted that her decision came amid a fresh dispute within the TMC and shortly after the Election Commission assigned new names and symbols to rival factions of the party.

Mamata Announces Support for Congress

Following Pradhan Dey’s withdrawal, Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would support the Congress candidate in Nandigram.

Banerjee also said her camp would continue to fight politically and expressed solidarity with the INDIA bloc.

The development means the Mamata Banerjee-led faction will not have its own candidate in the Nandigram bypoll.

EC Assigns New Name and Symbol to Rival TMC Factions

The development came on the same day that the Election Commission assigned new names and symbols to the rival TMC factions ahead of the West Bengal bypolls.

The Mamata Banerjee-led faction was given the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, along with a new election symbol, while the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee was assigned the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and a separate symbol.

The Nandigram bypoll has added significance given the constituency’s political history and the previous electoral contest between Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari.