The Congress party has announced its candidates for the upcoming by-elections in the Nandigram and Rejinagar constituencies of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
Mohd. Abdullahil Kafi will contest from the Rejinagar Assembly constituency (constituency number 70), while Milan Pradhan has been named the candidate for Nandigram (constituency number 210), according to a party press release.
The Nandigram by-election was triggered after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari vacated the seat to retain Bhabanipur, where he defeated Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in earlier Assembly elections this year.
The Rejinagar seat became vacant following the resignation of Humayun Kabir, founder of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), who had also won from the Nowda constituency.
West Bengal Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar criticized the state government regarding the Nandigram seat, stating that the Chief Minister should have retained the constituency as “no work has been done in Nandigram so far.” Addressing the by-elections, Sarkar said, “The Chief Minister should have retained the Nandigram seat; he should not have given it up. No work has been done in Nandigram so far.”
Meanwhile, rebel Trinamool Congress spokesperson Riju Dutta issued a challenge to Mamata Banerjee ahead of the by-elections, asserting that rebel factions would not field a candidate against her if she contests from Nandigram.
The Election Commission of India announced on September 8 that polling for vacant Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal, and one Parliamentary constituency in Assam is scheduled for October 6, with counting of votes on October 9. The entire election process is expected to conclude before October 11, 2026.