TMC Picks Sanchita Pradhan Dey for Nandigram Bypoll; Mamata to Skip Contest
TMC names Sanchita Pradhan Dey for the Nandigram bypoll as Mamata Banerjee opts out, ending talk of her return to the West Bengal Assembly.
The Trinamool Congress has named Sanchita Pradhan Dey as its candidate for the Nandigram by-election, putting an end to speculation that Mamata Banerjee would contest the seat herself to re-enter the West Bengal Assembly.
By-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar are due in the first week of October. The contests will mark the second round of electoral confrontation between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress since the 2026 Assembly election.
With the party's decision, Banerjee will not be a member of the Assembly for the first time in 15 years. Talk of her candidacy had gained ground after a rebellion within the party following its defeat in the Assembly polls, and a recent visit by former Bengal minister Akhil Giri to her Kalighat residence had also fuelled speculation that he might emerge as a front-runner for the ticket.
On Sunday, the faction referred to as the Kalighat Trinamool announced Dey's candidature. In a post on X, the All India Trinamool Congress said it was announcing candidates for the upcoming Nandigram and Rejinagar by-elections under the guidance and inspiration of its chairperson, Mamata Banerjee. The party wished Dey and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury well and said it hoped they would carry forward the hopes and aspirations of the people with strength and determination.
The choice stands out given Nandigram's emotional and political weight for Banerjee. It was the 2007 Nandigram movement that helped propel her to power in Bengal in 2011. Rather than fielding a prominent leader, the party has placed its trust in a relatively fresh face.
Dey, in her forties, teaches at Boyal Primary School in Nandigram. She lost her job after the cancellation of appointments of 26,000 teachers in connection with the alleged teachers' recruitment scam, and got her school job back following a Supreme Court order. She was a member of the Panchayat Samiti from 2018 to 2023 and has been associated with the Trinamool Congress since 2008.
In the 2026 Assembly election, the Trinamool Congress had fielded Pabitro Kar against Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram after Kar switched over from the BJP. Dey is a voter at the same polling booth as Kar.
Adhikari had won both the Nandigram and Bhabanipur constituencies. Under the rules, he had to vacate one seat, and he gave up Nandigram, necessitating a fresh election. Analysts see the selection of a former job aspirant for the bypoll as a significant move.