Politics
Rival TMC Groups Prepare for Bengal Bypolls as Party Symbol Dispute Looms
Two rival factions of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) are preparing to contest their first electoral test at upcoming assembly bypolls in West Bengal, even as uncertainty persists over which faction the Election Commission of India (ECI) will recognize as the rightful holder of the party's symbol.
The Election Commission announced on Monday that bypolls will be held on October 6 for two assembly seats: Rejinagar in Murshidabad district and Nandigram in East Midnapore. Results will be declared on October 9, with nominations to be filed between September 9 and 16.
Firhad Hakim, a former state minister who was once among TMC founder Mamata Banerjee's closest aides but has since joined the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee—which calls itself the "real TMC"—confirmed his group would contest both seats. "We are the TMC. We will win both seats," Hakim said. Akhruzzaman, the faction's chief whip in the state assembly, said the group's working committee would meet Thursday to finalize candidates for both constituencies.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction had not announced its candidates as of Tuesday afternoon. Veteran MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could misuse its administrative control to influence the election outcome. "BJP will use the police to control the elections. Our supporters will be beaten up by BJP workers," he said.
A TMC leader from the Banerjee faction, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged difficulty in finding a strong candidate for Nandigram. The leader noted that Sheikh Sufiyan, who served as Banerjee's election agent in Nandigram during her 2021 defeat to Suvendu Adhikari, has declined to contest again. Pabitra Kar, who lost to Adhikari in April, has also refused.
Both constituencies are expected to see polarized contests along religious lines. Humayun Kabir, TMC's suspended Bharatpur legislator from Murshidabad, noted that Rejinagar has a Hindu population of only 27-30 percent, with Muslims forming the majority. "If other parties reach out to the Hindus, I will obviously seek support from the Muslims," he said. Nandigram has a roughly opposite demographic composition.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed confidence about the Nandigram contest. "People of Nandigram are eager to ensure our victory by a larger margin than Falta. I, too, am a voter in Nandigram," he said Monday. The BJP had won the Falta seat by 109,021 votes, with TMC—which had won the seat three times since 2011—finishing fourth in that race.
Political columnist Suvashis Maitra said the bypolls carry significance beyond the immediate contest. "The symbol is crucial. At the same time, it will be interesting to see if the Left or the Congress can do well, as was noticed in Falta. The results will affect the coming municipal polls in Kolkata and the districts," he said.