Full Breakdown
Mamata Banerjee’s TMC Faction Backs Congress in Nandigram Amid Arrest of Candidate and Party-Symbol Freeze
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On September 18 2026, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) would support the Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in the Nandigram Assembly by-poll scheduled for October 6. The announcement followed the withdrawal of TMC-faction candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey after a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Hours later, West Bengal police arrested Milan Pradhan in connection with a 2007 anti-land-acquisition murder case. The Election Commission of India (EC) froze the party’s historic “All India Trinamool Congress” name and its “flowers and grass” symbol, assigning the new name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress with a football-player symbol to Banerjee’s faction and Democratic Trinamool Congress with an envelope symbol to the rival faction.
Background & Context
Nandigram is symbolic for West Bengal politics; the 2007 anti-land-acquisition protests there propelled Banerjee’s rise and helped the TMC end the Left Front’s 34-year rule in 2011. In the 2026 Assembly elections, Suvendu Adhikari won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, retained Bhabanipur and vacated Nandigram, triggering the by-poll. After the TMC’s defeat in the 2026 state election and a split in its legislative and parliamentary wings, the EC intervened to prevent both factions from using the original party name and symbol.
Data & Statistics
- Milan Pradhan has been named in at least 12 cases stemming from the 2007 Nandigram movement.
- The EC’s interim order barred the use of the “flowers and grass” symbol for the upcoming by-polls.
- Hasirani Rath, the BJP candidate, is the mother of Chandranath Rath, an aide to Adhikari killed on May 6 2022.
- The by-polls for Nandigram and neighboring Rejinagar will be held on October 6, with counting on October 9.
Official Statements & Responses
- Banerjee said the decision to back the Congress candidate was taken earlier to strengthen the INDIA alliance and called the EC’s freeze a “black day for democracy.”
- The Election Commission said the freeze is an interim measure pending a final decision on the TMC identity.
- Mita Chakraborty, Congress spokesperson, called Pradhan’s arrest intimidation aimed at the opposition.
- Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress reiterated that the party did not request Banerjee’s support and criticized the TMC’s handling of the nomination withdrawal.
Criticism & Opposition
- Congress accused state police of acting under BJP influence, noting the arrest came after Pradhan filed his nomination.
- Banerjee’s rival TMC faction accused her of abandoning the party’s legacy and claimed the EC’s order was politically motivated to benefit the BJP.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Some sources say the TMC approached Congress with an offer to let Congress contest Nandigram, while Congress publicly denied receiving such a proposal.
- Reports differ on the exact number of criminal cases against Milan Pradhan—one cites “at least 12,” another mentions “more than 12” without a precise total.
What’s Next
- The by-polls will be conducted on October 6, with results declared on October 9.
- The EC will issue a final ruling on the permanent allocation of the TMC name and symbol before the election process concludes, scheduled for October 11.
- Both the BJP and the Congress are expected to intensify campaigning in Nandigram, framing the contest as a test of the INDIA alliance’s cohesion.