Nandigram Bypoll: Mamata Supports Congress Candidate Milan Pradhan

KOLKATA, September 18, 2026 — Mamata Banerjee’s faction of the Trinamool Congress will support the Congress candidate in the upcoming Nandigram Assembly bypoll after its own nominee, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew her nomination on Friday.

The decision came after a rapid sequence of developments that began with the Election Commission assigning new names and symbols to the rival Trinamool factions. Pradhan Dey, who had been selected by the Mamata-led faction earlier this week, withdrew from the contest a day before the deadline.

Banerjee subsequently announced that her faction would not put forward a replacement candidate and would instead support Congress nominee Milan Pradhan in the October 6 bypoll.

The announcement represented a significant change in the immediate electoral equation in Nandigram, where the Congress had already nominated Pradhan and the Mamata faction had been preparing to contest separately. Congress formally announced Pradhan as its Nandigram candidate on September 11.

Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdraws

Pradhan Dey, a schoolteacher and relatively low-profile political figure, was named by the Mamata-led faction on September 13. She had previously contested a panchayat samiti election in Nandigram II in 2023.

On Friday, she met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat, Nabanna, accompanied by her husband, Satyajit. She later went to the subdivisional office in Haldia and withdrew her nomination.

The precise reason for her withdrawal has not been publicly established.

Reports from Indian Express, NDTV and other outlets said the withdrawal followed her meeting with Adhikari. A photograph said to show the two together also circulated, although Times of India noted that the authenticity of the photograph could not independently be confirmed.

There is therefore a clear distinction between what is known and what remains unexplained: Pradhan Dey withdrew her nomination after meeting Adhikari, but the reason for the withdrawal has not been publicly established.

Mamata turns to Congress

With the nomination withdrawn and the withdrawal deadline approaching, Banerjee said her faction would support the Congress candidate rather than nominate another person.

At a press conference in Kolkata, Banerjee said her faction had already decided to back Congress in Nandigram. She also referred to a conversation with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and described the two parties as being together in opposing the BJP.

Her decision is notable because the Trinamool Congress and Congress have frequently competed against each other in West Bengal even while belonging to the broader INDIA opposition grouping at the national level.

Earlier this week, a senior Congress leader had claimed that the Mamata-led faction had previously approached Congress about a possible arrangement involving Nandigram. The Trinamool faction denied that such an approach had been made.

The latest decision, however, is now explicit: Banerjee’s faction will support Pradhan in Nandigram.

Banerjee said she would decide separately on whether to support Congress in the Rejinagar Assembly bypoll.

Election Commission changes the Trinamool factions’ identities

The Nandigram development followed another major change involving the Trinamool Congress.

The Election Commission froze the use of the traditional All India Trinamool Congress name and its familiar Flowers and Grass symbol while dealing with the rival claims over the party.

On September 18, the commission assigned Banerjee’s faction the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Football Player symbol. The rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee was assigned the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the Envelope symbol.

The interim arrangements were made ahead of the October bypolls and were intended to provide separate identities for the two factions while the dispute over the party’s identity remains unresolved.

The Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies in West Bengal, along with the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam, are among the contests affected by the dispute.

Congress candidate Milan Pradhan later arrested

The Nandigram story took another turn on Friday evening.

Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was reported arrested by West Bengal Police in connection with an old case, shortly after Banerjee announced her support for his candidature. NDTV reported that the case was an old alleged murder case, while PTI reporting carried by Telegraph India said Congress linked the arrest to cases arising from the 2007 anti-land-acquisition movement in Nandigram.

Congress leaders alleged that the timing of the arrest was politically motivated. Congress spokesperson Mita Chakraborty told ANI that Pradhan had been arrested within hours of receiving Banerjee’s support and accused the authorities of trying to intimidate the opposition. Those are Congress allegations, not independently established facts.

At the time of publication, detailed official information from police concerning the circumstances and legal basis of the arrest was still limited in the available reports.

The arrest therefore adds a new layer to an already fast-moving bypoll, but it should not be presented as evidence that the arrest was politically motivated unless such a claim is independently established.

Why Nandigram matters

Nandigram has particular significance in Bengal politics because it was the constituency where Banerjee lost to Adhikari in the 2021 Assembly election. In the 2026 Assembly election, Adhikari again won Nandigram while also winning Bhabanipur, the seat in which he defeated Banerjee. He retained Bhabanipur, leaving Nandigram vacant and triggering the bypoll.

Congress nominated Pradhan for the seat on September 11. The BJP has also fielded a candidate, with reports identifying Hasirani Rath as its nominee.

Voting in Nandigram is scheduled for October 6, with counting due on October 9.

For now, Banerjee’s faction has moved from having its own candidate in the contest to backing Congress. The reason for Pradhan Dey’s withdrawal remains undisclosed, while the circumstances surrounding Milan Pradhan’s arrest are still developing.

The sequence of events leaves the Nandigram bypoll with a substantially different political configuration than the one announced earlier this week.