Mamata Banerjee Nandigram bypoll
The internal battle within the Trinamool Congress has intensified ahead of the proposed by-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal. The Ritabrata camp has announced that it will not field a candidate from Nandigram if Mamata Banerjee contests the bypoll.
Riju Dutta, the all-India spokesperson of the faction that claims to be the “real Trinamool Congress”, made the announcement outside the state Assembly on Wednesday.
Dutta said, “We will say that Mamata Banerjee should contest. She should win and return to the Assembly. If you contest, we will not field any candidate.”
The announcement has added a new dimension to the political contest in Nandigram. Instead of putting up a candidate against Mamata Banerjee, the Ritabrata camp has indicated that it would leave the electoral field open for her.
The proposed bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar are expected to be held before Durga Puja. Ahead of the elections, uncertainty remains over which faction will field candidates using the Trinamool Congress name and election symbol.
Following the party’s poor performance in the 2026 Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress has effectively split into two camps—the ‘Kalighat Trinamool’ faction and the Ritabrata camp.
The two sides remain locked in a dispute over the party’s name, election symbol and which faction should be recognised as the “real Trinamool Congress”. The issue has also created uncertainty over candidate selection for the upcoming bypolls.
Responding to the possibility of Mamata Banerjee contesting from Nandigram, Riju Dutta referred to the 2021 Assembly election.
Mamata had contested the Nandigram seat against Suvendu Adhikari in 2021, while the two sides also fought each other in Bhabanipur. According to Dutta, however, the political situation is different this time.
“In the 2021 election, Mamata Banerjee contested Nandigram against Suvendu Adhikari. They also fought in Bhabanipur. But Suvendu Adhikari is not there this time. If you contest from Nandigram, we will not field a candidate. We want you to return to the Assembly,” Dutta said.
Meanwhile, Abu Taher has also questioned the possibility of Mamata Banerjee contesting from Nandigram.
He claimed that in 2021, Mamata had announced her candidature without consulting the local leadership. Taher said his group had been involved in political struggles in Nandigram since the Left Front era.
He also alleged that several cases were subsequently filed against them during the BJP’s tenure.
Taher said, “In 2021, she announced her own name. We had carried out the movement. We have been fighting since the Left era. Later, the BJP also filed several cases. There are at least 100 cases. Despite that, they did not speak to us.”
He added, “The party was doing well then. Now the party is going through difficult times. Now contest yourself.”
With the Nandigram by-election approaching, the internal divisions within the Trinamool Congress have once again come into the open.
While the Ritabrata camp has said it will not field a candidate if Mamata Banerjee contests, Abu Taher has openly questioned her candidature. The contrasting positions have added another layer to the political battle ahead of the bypoll.
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