Trinamool Fields Sanchita Pradhan, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury for Bengal Bypolls

The All India Trinamool Congress has named its candidates for the upcoming by-elections to two West Bengal Assembly constituencies, fielding Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) from Nandigram and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury from Rejinagar.

The party announced the picks in a post on X, stating that the candidates were being put forward under the guidance and inspiration of its chairperson and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The party extended its best wishes to both nominees and said it hoped they would carry forward the aspirations of the people with strength and determination.

Voting in the two constituencies is scheduled for October 6, with counting of votes to be taken up on October 9. The Election Commission of India had announced the schedule for vacant Assembly seats across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal, along with one Parliamentary constituency in Assam.

The Nandigram bypoll became necessary after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari vacated the seat and chose to retain Bhabanipur, where he had defeated Mamata Banerjee in the Assembly elections held earlier this year. Rejinagar fell vacant after the resignation of Aam Janata Unnayan Party founder Humayun Kabir, who had also won from Nowda.

Other parties have also lined up their contenders. The Congress has named Mohd. Abdullahil Kafi for Rejinagar and Milan Pradhan for Nandigram. The CPI(M) has fielded Advocate Sayeed Asad Ali from Rejinagar, while the CPI has nominated Shanti Gopal Giri for Nandigram.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar criticised the state government over what he described as a lack of development in Nandigram, saying the Chief Minister should have retained the constituency as no work had been done there so far.