States » EastPosted at: Sep 15 2026 10:18PM


Alliance buzz returns to Bengal politics ahead of by-elections: Mamata reportedly reaches out to Cong

Kolkata, Sep 15 (UNI) Speculation over a possible electoral understanding between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress has resurfaced in West Bengal ahead of the October 6 Assembly by-elections to Nandigram and Rejinagar.
Both the Congress and the TMC have fielded candidates in the two constituencies. Amid this, former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee is learnt to have reached out to the Congress with a proposal to join hands against the BJP.
According to sources, Mamata spoke to AICC general secretary KC Venugopal over the phone on Monday evening and proposed a seat-sharing arrangement for the two bypolls. Under the proposal, the TMC would withdraw its candidate from Nandigram to make way for the Congress, while the Congress would support the TMC candidate in Rejinagar.
The Congress high command, however, is learnt to have rejected the proposal. Congress sources said the party had taken into account the Trinamool Congress' walkout of earlier alliances as well as allegations of "atrocities" against Congress workers during the TMC's tenure in Bengal. The resentment among grassroots Congress workers was also reportedly considered before rejecting the proposal.
State Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar, making the party's position clear, said that if the TMC was interested in an alliance, it should support Congress candidates in both Nandigram and Rejinagar. Discussion on any broader understanding could follow thereafter, he indicated.
The Congress has fielded Milan Pradhan in Nandigram and Mohammed Abdullahil Kafi in Rejinagar. Kafi submitted his nomination papers on Monday in the presence of Sarkar and two AICC members.
The TMC has nominated Sanchita Pradhan Dey in Nandigram and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury in Rejinagar. Meanwhile, the Ritratabrata Banerjee faction of the Trinamool Congress announced its own candidates on Sunday, setting up a three-way contest of sorts between the Congress, TMC and the rival TMC faction. Mohammad Ehteshamul Haque will contest Nandigram, while Safiuzzaman Sheikh has been named the candidate in Rejinagar.
Questions have also reportedly been raised locally over Sanchita Pradhan Dey's candidature in Nandigram. Allegations have surfaced linking her name to the 2014 teachers' recruitment irregularities, though the claims remain allegations. Her candidature has triggered discussion within sections of the party.
This has also led to speculation over whether the reported outreach to the Congress was prompted, at least partly, by concerns over candidate selection and the electoral prospects of the TMC.
UNI MCR
Tags: #Alliance buzz returns to Bengal politics ahead of by-elections: Mamata reportedly reaches out to Cong
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