‘Discrepancies’: Mamata faction seeks BJP candidate’s nomination cancellation

The Mamata All India Trinamool Congress expressed concerns over discrepancies in Hasirani Rath's affidavit for the October 6 Nandigram by-election, requesting the cancellation of her nomination. The party's IT and social media wing claimed Rath claimed to be over 60, while her affidavit stated she had completed Class 10 in 1965, while the school she referred to received approval for Class 10 in 1973.

The party demanded that her nomination be withdrawn due to providing false information. Meanwhile, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, a candidate from the Mamata Banerjee-led faction, withdrew from the contest following a meeting with West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari. Consequently, the faction supported the Congress candidate Milan Pradhan.

However, Pradhan was subsequently arrested in a 2007 murder case related to the anti-land acquisition protests that propelled Banerjee to power. Rath is the mother of Chadranath Rath, the personal assistant to Adhikari, who was murdered days before the BJP secured power in West Bengal in May. BJP leader Sisir Bajoria stated that if discrepancies exist, they should be filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI).

An official clarified that they had not received any complaint regarding the discrepancies. The by-election in Nandigram was prompted by Adhikari's decision to retain Bhabanipur and vacate Nandigram after winning two assembly seats in May. The by-polls are scheduled for October 6, with results to be declared on October 9. Nandigram has been a critical constituency for nearly two decades, as protests erupted in 2007 after the Left Front government permitted land acquisition for a chemical project, resulting in the deaths of 14 people.

In 2011, Mamata Banerjee rose to power, unseating the Left Front after 34 years. Banerjee left her Bhabanipur seat in 2021 to contest against Adhikari, who defected to the BJP, leading to her party's landslide victory. Adhikari ultimately defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur in 2026. The by-polls mark the first significant electoral test since Banerjee's defeat and subsequent splintering of her party.

The Election Commission of India designated the Mamata Banerjee-led faction as "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" and granted it the football player symbol for the October 6 by-polls. The rival faction received the name "Democratic Trinamool Congress" and the envelope symbol. In May, the TMC's candidate for Falta, Jahangir Khan, withdrew from the assembly re-poll, weeks after the party lost power in the state. The BJP secured a record margin in the poll.