West Bengal is set for a high-stakes electoral contest for the byelections in Nandigram and Rejinagar constituencies on October 6, 2026. Nandigram has 16 candidates, while the Rejinagar seat has 21 candidates in the poll fray.
The BJP secured a triumphant victory in the 2026 Assembly elections, clinching 208 of 294 seats in the State, marking its rule for the first time in West Bengal. The saffron party’s rival TMC came a distant second, registering victory in 80 seats.
Notably, the TMC will be making a return to the poll battle with a fresh symbol allocated by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The poll body has allocated different symbols and names to both the rival factions of Trinamool Congress — the Mamata Banerjee faction and the Ritabrata Banerjee group. Mamata Banerjee and her loyalists were given the symbol of a football player alongside the name — Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, while the Ritabrata Banerjee faction was given the envelope symbol with the name — Democratic Trinamool Congress.
In a dramatic twist, Sanchita Pradhan (Dey), Mamata faction candidate withdrew from contesting after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. M. Banerjee extended support to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan. However, within hours of the announcement, Mr. Pradhan was arrested by the police in connection with a 17-year-old case linked to Nandigram land agitation.
The BJP seeks to retain the Nandigram seat for a second-consecutive term, and has fielded Hasirani Rath for the poll contest. Ms. Rath is the mother of Suvendu Adhikari’s slain personal assistant Chandranath Rath, who was killed in post-poll violence in this year.
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