Kolkata, 18 September (H.S.) : Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her faction's support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in the upcoming Nandigram Assembly by-election on Friday, following the sudden withdrawal of her own camp's candidate. Banerjee confirmed that her faction will not field an alternative nominee in Nandigram, framing the decision as a demonstration of solidarity with the opposition INDIA bloc in its ongoing political battle against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Addressing a press conference, Banerjee stated, We are ready to fight it out. I want the BJP to go from India. Our full solidarity is with the INDIA alliance. She noted that the move followed consultations with key opposition leaders, highlighting that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had contacted her by phone on Thursday, accompanied by a supportive message from Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal.

The development followed the unexpected withdrawal of Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate initially fielded by the Mamata-led Trinamool faction, just weeks ahead of the October 6 by-elections. Pradhan Dey's exit came on the heels of a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat. While initial sources characterized the interaction as a courtesy call, the meeting drew intense political scrutiny given that Adhikari is a former MLA of the constituency and one of Banerjee's primary political adversaries.

The announcement coincided with a turbulent day for Banerjee's camp, during which the Election Commission issued an interim ruling freezing the traditional Trinamool Congress name and reserved twin flowers symbol amid an internal leadership dispute. For the upcoming by-elections, the poll panel allotted the interim designation Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the football player symbol to Banerjee's faction, while assigning the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and the envelope symbol to the rival camp led by dissident leader Ritabrata Banerjee.

Reacting sharply to the Election Commission's directive, Banerjee denounced the order as a dark day in Indian democracy, alleging political bias and vendetta aimed at satisfying partisan interests. She further claimed that her faction's bank accounts had been frozen, police machinery was being misused, and thousands of her party workers were facing imprisonment or targeted pressure to switch sides. Asserting that she remains the legitimate torchbearer of the party she founded in 1998, Banerjee vowed to legally challenge the commission's interim arrangement and declared, I cannot leave All India Trinamool Congress until I leave this world.

The organizational crisis traces back to internal fractures within the legislative party following the recent political transition in the state. In June, 58 rebel legislators backed expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition over the Mamata camp's nominee, a recognition formally granted by the Assembly Speaker. The schism subsequently extended to national parliamentary ranks, with a group of Lok Sabha MPs aligning with a separate bloc, eventually prompting both warring factions to approach the Election Commission for official recognition and control of the party identity.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh