Ahead of the by-elections, CM Shubhendu Adhikari made a strong statement, saying that Nandigram and Rejinagar would witness a tough contest. In a stern warning, he said, “See what the saffron-clad people do to them in this by-election.”
Mamata Banerjee had lost from the Bhabanipur Assembly seat to Shubhendu Adhikari by more than 15,000 votes in the 2026 Assembly elections. Earlier, Shubhendu Adhikari had also defeated Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly election from Nandigram.
Nandigram is one of the high-profile constituencies in the West Bengal Assembly. If Mamata Banerjee contests the by-election from Nandigram, the constituency is expected to draw attention across the country.
Shubhendu Adhikari also spoke about an incident involving a saint who had visited Lilua. He said he had seen the saint speaking about patriotism, nationalism, Akhand Bharat and tradition in the manner of a saint. “What he said, those who want to accept it will accept it and those who do not want to accept it will not accept it. There is no pressure on anyone,” he said.
However, Shubhendu Adhikari said he had seen some people setting fire to the photograph outside Bhawanipur police station. Addressing the issue, he said, “I hereby direct the Kolkata Police CP to arrest them. This will not continue in this state. Enough is enough. Appeasement politics has gone too far.”
Meanwhile, the rebel Trinamool Congress faction led by Ritabrat Banerjee has also made its position clear on the Nandigram by-election. Madan Mitra of the Ritabrat Banerjee faction said that if Mamata Banerjee becomes the candidate from Nandigram, their group will not field any candidate from the seat. “We had said this yesterday itself,” he said.
However, the Trinamool faction led by Ritabrat Banerjee had announced on Wednesday that it would field candidates in both constituencies. Khurujjaman, the faction’s chief whip in the Assembly, said names of local candidates had been sought from the district leadership. The formal announcement of candidates will be made on September 15.
With polling scheduled for October 6 and results due on October 9, the Nandigram and Rejinagar by-elections are set for a closely watched contest, particularly if Mamata Banerjee enters the race from Nandigram.
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