It’s Battleground Nandigram once again
The political landscape of Nandigram is further muddled by the arrest of the Congress candidate and withdrawal of nomination by Mamata faction's candidate
Nandigram, West Bengal, has evolved from a site of land acquisition protests and a tragic 2007 police firing into a key electoral battleground, marked by the intense rivalry between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former protégé Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari's victory in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly elections and subsequent political shifts, including splits within the Trinamool Congress, have created a complex scenario for the upcoming bypolls. The election is further complicated by the arrest of a prominent candidate and multiple party factions vying for power, promising a highly competitive and closely watched contest that could shape the future political dynamics of the region.
Nandigram, West Bengal, has evolved from a site of land acquisition protests and a tragic 2007 police firing into a key electoral battleground, marked by the intense rivalry between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former protégé Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari's victory in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly elections and subsequent political shifts, including splits within the Trinamool Congress, have created a complex scenario for the upcoming bypolls. The election is further complicated by the arrest of a prominent candidate and multiple party factions vying for power, promising a highly competitive and closely watched contest that could shape the future political dynamics of the region.
Nandigram, West Bengal, has evolved from a site of land acquisition protests and a tragic 2007 police firing into a key electoral battleground, marked by the intense rivalry between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her former protégé Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari's victory in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly elections and subsequent political shifts, including splits within the Trinamool Congress, have created a complex scenario for the upcoming bypolls. The election is further complicated by the arrest of a prominent candidate and multiple party factions vying for power, promising a highly competitive and closely watched contest that could shape the future political dynamics of the region.
Two decades ago, no one in or outside West Bengal might have ever thought that a small hamlet called Nandigram would make history in state politics for years to come. It started with anti-land acquisition protests in 2006 along with Singur in Hooghly district against the Tata Motors Nano car factory and in Nandigram in East Midnapore district with protests against a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) during the erstwhile Left Front government. The March 14, 2007, Nandigram firing saw 14 protesters gunned down in police firing. Current West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was on ground then protesting atrocities along with the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) led by founder Mamata Banerjee.
Mamata ended the 34-year-long Left Front reign when she came to power in 2011 with Suvendu Adhikari as a cabinet minister. In November 2020, Adhikari quit his ministerial post and the party, only to join the BJP a month later. The move came as a surprise to many as the Adhikari family, residing in Contai in the same district as Nandigram, were close to Mamata. Some said the undercurrent of Adhikari quitting was simmering for awhile.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Mamata left her bastion of Bhabanipur and challenged Adhikari in Nandigram. The decision cost Mamata a loss by 1956 votes, prompting the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo to contest and win in the Bhabanpur bypolls. In Assembly elections this year, Mamata stuck to her bastion but lost her seat to Adhikari by 15,114 votes. Meanwhile, Adhikari who also contested from Nandigram won both, but decided to retain Bhabanipur and vacate his home turf.
Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls are slated for October 6, the scrutiny of nominations is until Saturday in the current situation. With the split in TMC, Election Commission of India (ECI) has granted an interim order where the Mamata faction will be recognised as a registered political party under ‘Mamata All India Trinamool Congress’ with a football player as the party symbol. The Ritabrata Banerjee faction of which Arup Roy is the chairperson will be recognised as ‘Democratic Trinamool Congress’ with an envelope as the party symbol. Both factions will contest by polls under these new names and symbols.
Amid all this, Nandigram bypoll candidates of both factions, Sanchita Pradhan of Mamata’s faction and Mohammad Eteshamul Haque of Ritabrata’s faction met the CM on Thursday at Maidan area. Meanwhile, as Pradhan withdrew her nomination. Mamata on Friday announced that her party would support the Congress candidate in Nandigram Milan Pradhan, which was a decision taken earlier. Hours later, Milan Pradhan was arrested in a murder case.
The fight for Nandigram bypolls gets complicated with the Congress candidate arrested, Haque contesting from the Ritabrata faction and BJP’s candidate Hasirani Rath. Rath has Adhikari’s backing politically and touches a personal emotive chord with her slain son Chandranath Rath being the CM’s former PA. Rath was shot dead by unknown assailants two days after the Assembly election results.
BJP supporters in Nandigram are many, given Adhikari’s magnanimity, though the Muslim minority voters might give the saffron party a miss at the ballot box. Will fear or fairness determine the people’s mandate? Battleground Nandigram will miss Mamata’s might as a candidate like before, but the competitive fierceness in the political arena, makes for a nail-biting contest. What happens the day results are declared on October 9 goes beyond who emerges victorious. It also determines whether other parties can withstand the fight for survival in Adhikari’s saffron land.