The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Hasirani Rath as its candidate for the Nandigram Assembly by-election, setting up a high-stakes contest in the constituency represented by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari until recently. Hasirani Rath, the mother of Chandranath Rath, a former personal assistant to Adhikari who was shot dead earlier this year, is scheduled to file her nomination on Tuesday, September 15. CM Suvendu Adhikari is expected to be present during the filing.
Chandranath Rath was killed on May 6 after unidentified assailants allegedly shot at him while he was inside his vehicle in Madhyamgram, Kolkata. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet in the case before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Barasat on August 7. The chargesheet names 12 accused.
The Nandigram by-election has been necessitated after Suvendu Adhikari vacated the seat following his election from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly polls. The contest is being closely watched as a prestige battle for the BJP, particularly for Suvendu Adhikari, who represented Nandigram from 2021 to 2026 as the Leader of the Opposition. The BJP has also fielded Sakharav Sarkar from Rejinagar, where voting will take place alongside Nandigram on October 6.
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress faction has nominated Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) in Nandigram and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury in Rejinagar. The rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has named Mohammad Eteshamul Haque for Nandigram and Safiuzzaman for Rejinagar. Both Trinamool factions have staked their claim to the party’s ‘grass and twin flowers’ symbol and have approached the Election Commission over the matter.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front has nominated Shanti Gopal Giri in Nandigram and Sayeed Asad Aliu in Rejinagar. The Congress has fielded Milan Pradhan from Nandigram and Mohd Abdullahil Kafi from Rejinagar.
The Rejinagar by-election was triggered after Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) leader Humayun Kabir decided to vacate the seat. Kabir, who won both Naoda and Rejinagar, chose to retain Naoda. His son, Golam Nabi Azad, is contesting Rejinagar for the AJUP.
With candidates announced by the major political camps, the electoral battle is now set for Nandigram in Purba Medinipur and Rejinagar in Murshidabad.
Polling for both seats will be held on October 6, with counting scheduled for October 9.
