Kolkata, Sep 2026 : The All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Friday announced its candidates for the upcoming by-elections to the Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district and Rejinagar Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
In a statement issued on Friday night, the AICC said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had approved the party's proposals to nominate Mohd Abdullahil Kafi from Rejinagar and Milan Pradhan from Nandigram.
The by-elections to the two constituencies are scheduled to be held on October 6, shortly before the Durga Puja festivities in the state. Counting of votes will take place on October 9, while the entire election process is scheduled to be completed by October 11.
The Nandigram bypoll was necessitated after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was elected from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur constituencies in the Assembly elections held earlier this year.
Adhikari retained Bhabanipur after defeating former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee by a margin of more than 15,000 votes. With Adhikari choosing to retain Bhabanipur, the Nandigram seat fell vacant, leading to the forthcoming by-election.
Nandigram has emerged as an important political stronghold for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2021, largely because of Adhikari's electoral dominance in the constituency. Political observers therefore expect the BJP to remain a strong contender in the upcoming contest.
The electoral dynamics in Rejinagar, however, are expected to be considerably different.
The Rejinagar seat became vacant after former Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir contested the recently held Assembly elections as a candidate of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) from both Rejinagar and Naoda constituencies in Murshidabad district. After winning both seats, Kabir decided to retain Naoda, resulting in the need for a by-election in Rejinagar.
Observers believe the demographic composition of Rejinagar could make the contest particularly challenging for the BJP. The constituency is also expected to witness a competitive battle among the Congress, CPI-M and Trinamool Congress.
A Kolkata-based political observer said the Trinamool Congress, despite being a major political force in the state, may face difficulties in the constituency amid internal divisions.
The observer said the bypoll could provide an opportunity for the Congress and CPI-M to increase their representation in the West Bengal Assembly. The result could also offer an indication of the direction of minority votes in the state ahead of future electoral contests.
The two bypolls are therefore expected to have different political dynamics. While Nandigram remains closely associated with the BJP's electoral strength under Adhikari, Rejinagar could witness a more closely fought contest involving multiple parties.
With the Congress now formally announcing its candidates, campaigning for both constituencies is expected to intensify in the run-up to the October 6 polling date.
