With the October 6 Nandigram bypoll approaching, TMC rebels have made an offer to Mamata Banerjee contest the seat and they will not field a candidate against her. But will the former chief minister take up the challenge and return to the Assembly?
The offer comes after Mamata’s electoral setbacks and a major split within the Trinamool Congress. Nandigram, where she lost to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari in 2021, could now become the centre of her political comeback.
Will Mamata Banerjee contest Nandigram?
Mamata has not yet announced whether she will contest the October 6 bypoll. The seat fell vacant after Suvendu Adhikari, who had defeated her in the constituency, vacated it.
The TMC rebel faction has now said it would stay out of the contest if Mamata decides to fight from Nandigram.
Ritabrata Banerjee, who heads the rebel TMC group, said the faction has already decided on a candidate, but has not announced the name.
At the same time, he said the rebels want Mamata back in the Assembly.
Rebels take a dig at Mamata’s electoral record
Ritabrata also attacked Mamata over her electoral defeats. He said she has generally won by-elections but has faced defeats in regular elections.
He pointed to her defeat in Nandigram and her loss at her own booth, using it to question her electoral strength.
The remarks come at a time when the TMC is facing a serious internal split, with rebel leaders blaming Abhishek Banerjee for the party’s electoral defeat.
‘We will not field a candidate’
TMC MLA Akhruzzaman, who is part of the rebel faction, said Mamata has never won a general election from Nandigram.
He said the rebels were ready to give her a clear opening in the bypoll.
The message was simple, if Mamata contests Nandigram, the rebel faction will not field a candidate against her and would work with her for the development of the constituency.
Why Nandigram matters to Mamata
Nandigram has a special place in Mamata’s political journey. Her movement against land acquisition in the area became one of the key political battles that helped the TMC defeat the Left Front in 2011.
But the constituency also carries a painful memory for her. In the 2021 Assembly election, Mamata lost Nandigram to Suvendu Adhikari, who later became chief minister.
The upcoming bypoll could therefore become more than a routine election. If Mamata chooses to contest, it could be a test of whether she can reclaim the seat that once became a symbol of her political rise and later her electoral defeat.
TMC split adds to the challenge
The rebel offer comes amid a deepening division within the TMC. Several MLAs and MPs have moved away from Mamata’s faction following the party’s electoral rout.
The rebels have maintained that their main disagreement is with Abhishek Banerjee and not Mamata.
The dispute over the TMC election symbol is also before the Election Commission, adding another layer to the political battle.
BJP confident ahead of bypoll
The BJP has said it is confident of winning the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls, irrespective of which TMC faction contests using the party symbol.
For Mamata, however, the bigger question is whether she will accept the Nandigram challenge.
If she does, the October 6 bypoll could turn into a direct test of her electoral strength, her relationship with the rebel faction and her attempt to return to the Assembly.
