West Bengal By-elections Test Fragmented Opposition as BJP Eyes Victory

By-elections in Nandigram and Rejinagar are shaping up as a litmus test for West Bengal's opposition landscape following a split in the Trinamool Congress (TMC). In Nandigram, the Mamata-aligned TMC candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey stepped aside after meeting Suvendu Adhikari, leading the party to endorse Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, who was subsequently taken into judicial custody over 2007 land-acquisition cases. Meanwhile, a rebel TMC faction has fielded Mohammad Eteshamul Haque, and the BJP remains confident of winning both seats.

In Rejinabad, the Mamata faction's nominee Rabiul Alam Chowdhury briefly withdrew but re-entered the race, facing candidates from the rival TMC faction, Congress, CPI(M), AJUP and BJP. Political analysts stress that the contests matter less for the two seats themselves than for the broader struggle to occupy the anti-BJP space, with the Congress and Left hoping to recapture voters lost to the TMC.