Mamata's candidate withdraws from Nandigram bypoll, faction backs Congress

Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate for Mamata Banerjee's faction of the Trinamool Congress, withdrew her nomination for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll on Friday, September 18, 2026. The withdrawal followed a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat in Nabanna. Following the withdrawal, Mamata Banerjee announced at a press conference that her faction would support the Congress candidate, Milan Pradhan, in the Nandigram bypoll. "We will support Congress in Nandigram bypoll to strengthen INDIA bloc," Banerjee stated. She said the decision was made in the larger interest of the nation and was not directly linked to her candidate's withdrawal. "No, that is not the case. We had already decided to support the Congress because they have a good candidate," she said. The developments occurred on the same day the Election Commission of India froze the original Trinamool Congress name and its traditional Flowers and Grass symbol amid a dispute between rival factions. The Commission assigned new identities for the upcoming bypolls. Banerjee's faction was given the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the Football Player symbol.