Mamata camp's candidate withdraws from Nandigram bypoll after meeting Suvendu
What's the story
Sanchita Dey Pradhan, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate belonging to the Mamata Banerjee faction, has withdrawn her nomination for the Nandigram assembly bypoll in yet another setback for the former chief minister. Reportedly, the decision came after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat, Nabanna, accompanied by her husband, Satyajit. A picture of Adhikari and Pradhan together went viral on social media, but its authenticity remains unverified.
Political shift
TMC will support Congress in Nandigram bypoll
After Pradhan's withdrawal, former TMC chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced her party's support for the Congress candidate in Nandigram.
"We are extending our support to Congress in Nandigram and in Assam," she said at a press conference.
The Congress has fielded Milan Pradhan in Nandigram.
The Nandigram by-election was necessitated after Adhikari vacated the seat to retain Bhabanipur, Mamata's bastion, in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Twitter Post
We want solidarity in INDIA alliance, says Mamata
#WATCH | Kolkata: Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, "...They do not know that I cannot leave All India Trinamool Congress. It will always be with me until I leave this world...Absolutely dirty game but we are also ready to fight it out. I want the BJP to go from India.… pic.twitter.com/dZfmzgVjAi
— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2026
Symbol allocation
Rebel camp to contest as 'Democratic Trinamool Congress'
The political upheaval comes after the ECI froze the party's name and its "flowers and grass" symbol for the upcoming Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls as candidates from both factions had filed nominations claiming to represent the All India Trinamool Congress.
The Election Commission has since allotted the name "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" with a "football player" symbol to Mamata's faction.
Meanwhile, the rebel camp will contest as the "Democratic Trinamool Congress," using an "envelope" symbol.