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Mamata's TMC faction opts out of Nandigram bypoll, to back Congress in rare move
The development marks a rare move, as the TMC and Congress have generally contested elections in West Bengal independently.
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Former West Bengal chief minister and TMC founder Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that her faction had decided not to contest the Nandigram bypolls and would support the Congress candidate in the October 6 elections.
The development marks a rare move, as the TMC and Congress have generally contested elections in West Bengal independently despite being part of the INDIA alliance at the national level. The two parties last contested the 2011 Assembly elections in Bengal as allies.
She announced that her faction would not nominate a candidate in Nandigram and would instead back Congress candidate Milan Pradhan. Banerjee said the move reflected the INDIA alliance's commitment to unity as Opposition parties seek to challenge the BJP together.
The announcement followed the withdrawal of Sanchita Pradhan Dey, a teacher chosen backed by Banerjee's faction of the Trinamool Congress to contest from Nandigram, from the contest earlier in the day.
Notably, Dey met West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat, Nabanna, on Friday afternoon. She was accompanied by her husband, Satyajit.
During a press conference, Mamata said she also spoke to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (LoP) and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday.
"We will all fight together against the BJP," she said.
This came after the Election Commission's order barring the two rival TMC factions from using the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) name and its 'Jora Ghash Phul' (two flowers with grass) symbol in the upcoming bypolls, amid their dispute over the party's identity.
Referring to the political situation in Maharashtra, she said, "First they broke the party of Uddhav Thackeray and then the NCP. Now, they are after us."
Banerjee also claimed that Adhikari had previously said he would prevent the TMC from retaining its name and symbol.
"We are not going to bow our heads, and neither will we surrender. We will fight and bounce back," Banerjee said.
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