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Congress Announces Candidates for Nandigram, Rejinagar West Bengal Bypolls
- •The Congress party has named Mohd. Abdullahil Kafi for Rejinagar and Milan Pradhan for Nandigram in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly by-elections.
- •Bypolls are scheduled for October 6, with results on October 9, filling seats vacated after the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election.
- •Nandigram became vacant after BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in 2026, chose to retain Bhabanipur; Adhikari had previously defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram in 2021.
- •Rejinagar's seat opened up after Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir, who won both Rejinagar and Naoda in 2026, resigned as its MLA.
- •The bypolls occur amidst a dispute within the Trinamool Congress over its name and symbol, with the Election Commission set to meet faction representatives on September 12.
Key Questions Answered
The Congress has nominated Milan Pradhan to contest from the Nandigram constituency and Mohd. Abdullahil Kafi to contest from the Rejinagar constituency.
The seats became vacant after their MLAs resigned following the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election. BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, choosing to resign from Nandigram to retain Bhabanipur. In Rejinagar, Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir resigned after winning both Rejinagar and Naoda, choosing to retain Naoda.
The by-elections are scheduled to take place on October 6, 2026, with the counting of votes set for October 9, 2026. The Election Commission has set September 16, 2026, as the deadline for filing nominations, with scrutiny scheduled for September 17, 2026, and candidate withdrawals allowed until September 19, 2026.
