Did Mamata Banerjee reach out to Congress with a Nandigram offer? What was allegedly proposed and why TMC denies it

The battle for Nandigram has taken an unexpected turn even before voting begins, with conflicting claims emerging over whether Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress explored an electoral understanding with the Congress.

Former West Bengal Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya claimed that the TMC had approached the Congress leadership with a proposal under which Congress could contest the politically significant Nandigram Assembly constituency, while the Mamata-led party would focus on Rejinagar.

The TMC has denied that such a proposal was made. Senior party leader Kunal Ghosh, responding to Bhattacharya’s claim, rejected the suggestion of an offer. The competing versions have turned what might have been behind-the-scenes political negotiations into a fresh controversy ahead of the October 6 bypolls.

What did Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya claim?

According to Bhattacharya, the approach came roughly two weeks before the bypoll schedule was announced.

He said the proposal was communicated to the Congress’s central leadership, after which the party high command consulted senior leaders in West Bengal.

The state leadership, according to his account, did not believe the moment was right for an alliance with the TMC.

Reports have offered somewhat different accounts of exactly how the outreach took place. The Indian Express reported sources as saying that Mamata Banerjee contacted the Congress leadership in Delhi and spoke with K C Venugopal, while other Congress sources described the initial contact as coming from the TMC’s local leadership. The core claim — that some form of Nandigram-Rejinagar understanding was explored — remains disputed by the TMC.

The Times of India separately reported that Trinamool had floated a proposal to withdraw in Nandigram in return for reciprocal Congress support in Rejinagar, but said the idea failed to receive a favourable response.

Why did Bengal Congress leaders resist the idea?

The reported proposal ran into opposition from the West Bengal Congress.

According to The Indian Express, Congress leaders consulted by the high command were broadly against entering into an electoral understanding with Mamata’s party at this stage. Their argument was political rather than simply constituency-specific: with the TMC weakened and divided, they see an opportunity for the Congress to rebuild its own organisation and political space in Bengal.

The history between the two parties also matters.

The Congress and TMC were allies when the Left Front’s 34-year rule ended in 2011, but their relationship subsequently deteriorated. Over the years, Congress repeatedly lost local leaders to the Trinamool, contributing to the erosion of its organisation in the state.

That history helps explain why some Bengal Congress leaders are reluctant to support the TMC now, particularly when they believe the changing political environment could provide their party with an opportunity to recover ground.

TMC says there was no such proposal

The Mamata-led camp has publicly disputed the Congress version.

Asked about Bhattacharya’s comments, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh denied that such a proposal had been placed before the Congress.

That leaves two sharply different narratives: Congress figures say an approach was made and subsequently rejected, while the TMC says there was no such offer.

There is currently no public documentary evidence establishing the details of any proposed arrangement, making the reported outreach a claim rather than a confirmed formal agreement.

Nandigram candidates are now in place

Whatever discussions may or may not have happened behind the scenes, both parties are moving ahead with their own candidates.

The Congress has nominated Milan Pradhan from Nandigram, while the Mamata-led TMC faction has fielded Sanchita Pradhan (Dey).

The BJP has selected Hasirani Rath, the mother of late Chandranath Rath, an aide to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who was shot dead in May.

The situation is further complicated by the split within the Trinamool Congress itself. Rival factions are fighting over control of the party’s identity and election symbol, with the dispute reaching the Election Commission.

Voting in Nandigram and Rejinagar is scheduled for October 6, with counting on October 9.

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Why is Nandigram so important to Mamata Banerjee and TMC?

Few constituencies carry as much symbolism in modern Bengal politics as Nandigram.

The anti-land acquisition agitation that began there in 2007 became a defining moment in Mamata Banerjee’s political rise and contributed to the weakening of the Left’s rural support before the TMC came to power in 2011.

But Nandigram subsequently became the stage for one of Mamata’s most consequential political rivalries — with her former lieutenant Suvendu Adhikari.

In the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election, Adhikari won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur. He subsequently retained Bhabanipur and vacated Nandigram, triggering the current by-election.

That history means the October contest is about considerably more than filling a vacant Assembly seat.

A test of Congress-TMC relations after Bengal’s political upheaval

The controversy also raises a bigger question about the future relationship between Congress and Mamata Banerjee.

The two parties have worked within the broader opposition framework at the national level in the past, but their relationship in West Bengal has often been marked by mistrust and competing political interests.

For Congress leaders seeking to rebuild the party in Bengal, supporting a weakened TMC could limit their opportunity to establish an independent opposition space. For Mamata’s camp, cooperation with Congress could potentially consolidate anti-BJP votes in selected constituencies — though whether any such arrangement was actually sought in Nandigram remains disputed.

The candidates are now declared and the campaign is moving forward.

But the unanswered question behind the contest remains intriguing: was Nandigram quietly offered as part of a political understanding, or was there never an offer at all?

For now, Congress says an approach was made. TMC says it wasn’t. The October 6 bypoll will unfold with both parties fighting separately.