Kolkata, Sep 18 (IANS) Sanchita Dey Pradhan, the candidate from the Mamata Banerjee-led faction in the Trinamool Congress for the bypoll in Nandigram Assembly Constituency in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, withdrew her nomination on Friday afternoon after a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Soon after, at a press conference at her residence in Kalighat, South Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee, the former West Bengal Chief Minister, announced that she would extend her support to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram.
Both developments followed the Election Commission of India (ECI) decision earlier in the day to allot new names and symbols to two rival factions in the Trinamool Congress: one led by Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, and the other by expelled party legislator Ritabrata Banerjee.
After Sanchita Dey Pradhan withdrew her nomination following the meeting with the Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee told media persons at her residence that she had decided to support the Congress candidate in Nandigram.
“We will not contest in Nandigram. We will support our sister party, Congress. This will strengthen the INDIA bloc,” the former West Bengal Chief Minister said.
She added that the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had called her on Thursday night, after which she decided to support the Congress. “We are all together; we will fight together. We will support all normal alliances. We will support our sister parties,” she said.
Regarding the Rejinagar Assembly Constituency in Murshidabad district, which is also going for bypolls next month, Mamata Banerjee said that a decision would be taken later.
After seizing power in the state with the Congress in 2011, ending the 34-year Left Front rule, this is the first time Mamata Banerjee has publicly expressed support for a Congress candidate in Nandigram.
Political observers believe this move is possibly a face-saving exercise for the former Chief Minister amid the current situation within her party.
Tension over the symbol began Thursday night when the ECI announced its decision to freeze the name “All India Trinamool Congress” temporarily and the symbol “Flowers & Grass.”
On Friday, the Commission allotted the Mamata Banerjee-led faction the new name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” and the symbol “Football Players”.
The rival Ritabrata-led faction was allotted the name “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the symbol “Envelope”.
The dramatic turn in the Nandigram by-election came after Sanchita Dey Pradhan met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat Nabanna and subsequently withdrew her nomination at the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Haldia.
–IANS
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