Bengal Bypoll Alliance
Mamata Banerjee Withdraws From Bengal Bypolls And Backs Congress Candidate
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Key Points
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Mamata Banerjee said the decision to support Congress was intended to send a message from West Bengal about the future coordination of the opposition alliance, calling Congress a “sister party” and a “natural ally.”
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Political observers viewed the endorsement as a tactical effort to prevent a split in the anti-BJP vote, noting that Banerjee’s faction supported Congress only after first fielding its own candidate in Nandigram.
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Banerjee said, “We are ready to fight it out. I want the BJP to go from India. Our full solidarity is with the INDIA alliance,” and said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called her while AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had posted a message of support.
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The Election Commission said its temporary allocation of separate names and symbols was necessary to ensure that both TMC factions could contest; without it, returning officers might have had to reject nominations because of the unresolved dispute over the party’s identity and frozen symbol.
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The TMC and Congress have previously cooperated in West Bengal, including in the 2001 Assembly election and the 2009 Lok Sabha polls; their 2011 alliance defeated the Left Front and ended its 34-year rule in the state.
Mamata Banerjee's faction of the Trinamool Congress withdrew from two West Bengal Assembly bypolls after its candidates quit, citing trouble promoting a newly assigned Football Player symbol and pressure on party workers. Siasat reported that Banerjee then endorsed the Congress candidate in Nandigram as part of a broader push to strengthen the opposition INDIA alliance, marking a significant reset in Bengal politics after months of internal party collapse.
The withdrawal came after the Election Commission froze the TMC's traditional name and flower-and-grass symbol due to a factional dispute, assigning Banerjee's group the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress with the Football Player emblem. India Today noted that Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested hours after receiving Banerjee's backing on non-bailable warrants tied to a 2007 alleged murder case, prompting opposition parties to accuse state agencies of interfering in the contest—though these claims remain unverified.
Party Split Forces Symbol Switch in Crisis Year
The TMC faced its worst organizational crisis in 28 years after losing May 2026 state elections to the BJP. Moneycontrol reported that 58 rebel MLAs and 20 Lok Sabha MPs abandoned Banerjee's faction, leaving her party fractured. The Election Commission stepped in on September 17, freezing the party's iconic two-flower symbol under dispute rules, forcing Banerjee's group to use an unfamiliar Football Player emblem instead.
Sanchita Pradhan Dey, Banerjee's chosen candidate for Nandigram, withdrew her nomination on September 18 after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. The Print reported the sudden pullout sparked confusion among TMC workers tasked with explaining the new Football Player symbol to voters before the October 6 vote. Party cadres said they lacked time to educate voters on unfamiliar branding.
Banerjee Backs Congress in Tactical Reversal
Within hours of Pradhan Dey's withdrawal, Mamata Banerjee announced formal support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram. She told reporters: "We are ready to fight it out. I want the BJP to go from India. Our full solidarity is with the INDIA alliance." The Daily Jagran noted that Banerjee called Congress a "sister party" and a "natural ally," signaling her intent to prevent opposition vote-splitting in the seat.
The move revived a dormant alliance. TMC and Congress had previously teamed up in 2001 and 2011, with their coalition ending 34 years of Left Front rule in Bengal. Political observers viewed Banerjee's endorsement as a necessity to stop her faction's candidate defection from handing Nandigram to the BJP, which holds the seat with a 9,665-vote margin from the 2026 election.
Congress Candidate Arrested Hours After Endorsement
At 6:30 PM on September 18—just three hours after Banerjee announced her backing—West Bengal Police arrested Milan Pradhan on four non-bailable warrants dating to 2007, allegedly connected to land movement deaths. India Today reported opposition figures accused state agencies of weaponizing law enforcement to sabotage the Congress bid, though officials said they were merely executing overdue court orders.
Mamata Banerjee called the Election Commission's symbol freeze a "black day in democracy's history." She said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi telephoned her in support, and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal posted a solidarity message. The timing of Pradhan's arrest—immediately after TMC's public endorsement—fueled accusations that the BJP-run state was attempting to rig the bypoll, though these allegations remain unproven.
Election Commission Rules on Party Identity Dispute
Under long-standing election law, the ECI froze TMC's traditional name and symbol on September 17 because rival factions both claimed party ownership. Moneycontrol explained that without this temporary allocation of separate symbols and names to each faction, returning officers might have rejected nomination papers outright. Banerjee's group received "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" with the Football Player symbol, while the rebel faction got "Democratic Trinamool Congress" with the Envelope symbol.
BJP's Himanta Biswa Sarma mocked the symbol change, saying: "The twin flowers are gone. After two days, even the football will be gone... The football will get deflated." The Daily Jagran reported that legal battles over permanent party rights remain ongoing in Election Commission hearings. Banerjee's faction now faces the uphill task of educating West Bengal voters on unfamiliar branding before the October 6 vote counting on October 9.
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