Nandigram, Rejinagar Bypolls: TMC Split Leaves Bengal’s Opposition Space Up for Grabs

After the change of power in West Bengal this May, the Opposition space is now facing a new test with multiple parties seeking to establish their foothold. This situation arose after the split of the erstwhile ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with a majority of the MLAs led by MLA Ritabrata Banerjee breaking away. As the matter reached the Election Commission of India (ECI), the election body froze the “two flowers and grass”—a symbol that played a key role in shaping the state's politics for more than three decades. It also barred any group from using the name “All India Trinamool Congress”.It christened Mamata’s faction as the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) and allotted it the symbol of a “football player”, while naming the other faction the “Democratic Trinamool Congress” (DTC), with an “envelope” as the election symbol.Speaking to The Quint, TMC leader Sagarika Ghosh questioned the ECI’s parameters for deciding which faction represented the real TMC. “The ECI delayed the decision and gave repeated extensions to the rival side till 10 July, and then 25 July, and took the decision only after the [Nandigram and Rejinagar] bypolls were announced.”Sagarika GhoshThe bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar are scheduled for 6 October.Mamata Ousted from 'Real' TMC: Decoding Bengal Crisis, Claims, CounterclaimsGhosh, from Mamata's faction, further alleged that “this move was done deliberately by the ECI” and accused the body of “playing into the BJP's hands”. She termed the move “an attack on the Opposition”. Turning to the Ritabrata faction, Ghosh took aim at the breakaway group, accusing it of “being completely into the BJP's pocket”. Mamata-led MAITC has found support from the Congress, which was in the Opposition during the TMC’s rule, barring the period between 2011 and 2012. Speaking to The Quint, Roahan Mitra, General Secretary of the Congress’s Bengal unit, said, “Mamata Banerjee is the real face of the TMC, and the symbol [two flowers and grass] should be given to her faction.”While the Congress came in support of Mamata despite past bitterness, the other Opposition party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), is still continuing to oppose both the BJP and the TMC. A key face in the party and member of both the party’s state committee and its central committee, Minakshi Mukherjee, said,“The TMC was created by the BJP—and the BJP is now finishing it”.Minakshi MukherjeeShe bitterly criticised the TMC for being anti-democratic during its rule, and targeted the Ritabrata faction over having the word “democratic” in its name, questioning, “How can the TMC be a democratic party!”Meanwhile, the ruling BJP refused to entertain these allegations that the ECI was acting at its behest. Ritwick Paul, a spokesperson for BJP Bengal, told The Quint that “the ECI's decision was based on facts”—and referred to earlier cases related to parties like the Lok Janashakti Party, the Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party.He refused to see the symbol issue as “political”, and described the matter as “a technical one”. Paul particularly blamed Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee for "breaking up of the TMC”.While the DTC, with 65 MLAs, remains the official Opposition party in the state Assembly, with its leader Ritabrata as the Leader of the Opposition, the ground reality, however, suggests a different picture, with multiple parties seeking to fill the vacuum. The BJP, the DTC, the Congress, and the Left have fielded candidates for the two seats, while the MAITC is contesting only in the Rejinagar seat after its candidate in Nandigram, Sanchita Pradhan, withdrew her nomination, reportedly after meeting the chief minister. Later, her party announced support for the Congress. The party’s Rejinagar candidate Rabiul Alam initially announced his decision to withdraw his nomination, only to reverse the decision later.In Rejinagar, Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) is also contesting the bypolls. In the last Assembly elections, Kabir won both Rejinagar and Naoda—and chose to retain Naoda.Speaking on behalf of the MAITC, Ghosh said the decision to support the Congress was taken as the latter is a sister party. “There was no mistake in selecting Sanchita, and there was no confusion within the MAITC over contesting the bypolls.” It should be noted that both the parties are constituents of the INDIA bloc.While the Congress is supporting Mamata on the symbol issue, it is unwilling to cede political space to her. On Mamata’s decision to support the Congress in Nandigram, Mitra welcomed the move but maintained that the party had not sought her support. He also said the Congress had rejected Mamata’s earlier offer to contest Nandigram while giving up Rejinagar.Mamata Backs Congress in Nandigram Bypoll, Signals Shift in Bengal PoliticsWith the BJP, the DTC, the Left, the Congress, the MAITC, the AJUP, and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) in the fray, the bypolls have turned into a multi-cornered contest. The elections, however, have also been marked by allegations from Opposition parties, echoing concerns they had raised during Mamata’s tenure. Roahan criticised the BJP over the arrest of its Nandigram candidate, Milan Pradhan, in connection with an old case, calling it “an act of instigating fear”. He claimed that the arrest was intended to send a message that “whoever wants to challenge the state government will be taken to task.” Ghosh, too, claimed that “an atmosphere of fear” had been created under the new government that was “never seen before”.The Left, meanwhile, sees an opportunity to occupy the Opposition space following the TMC split. “Left is the only Opposition in the state”, claimed Minakshi. She questioned how the TMC could remain the Opposition party when many of its MPs, as members of the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI), had lunch and dinner with the Prime Minister.She was also highly critical of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, accusing him of creating an atmosphere of fear through statements such as “book stalls won't be allowed to open”, “CPM would be destroyed”, and “Muslims have to prove if they are nationalists.” The Left’s position reflects its attempt to stake a claim to the Opposition space while continuing to target both TMC factions. The ruling BJP, which is confident of retaining the Nandigram seat, a bastion of the Chief Minister, and is seeking to wrest the Rejinagar seat, has denied the Opposition’s allegations of creating an atmosphere of fear in the state.“The atmosphere of fear under the new saffron government is only for the anti-social elements and anti-national elements,” said Paul. "Complete administration of Nandigram is under the ECI, which has measured all pros and cons and may have come to this conclusion that this kind of violent rioters should be behind the bars.”While the BJP denies creating an atmosphere of fear, Opposition parties such as MAITC, the Left, and the Congress have accused the BJP of seeking to restrict their ability to function. These allegations, however, are contested by the ruling party.The BJP may argue that transforming the state will take time, but the early months of the new government are already putting its promise of a West Bengal free from political intimidation to the test, particularly during elections. The Quint reached out to the Ritabrata faction for the story, but had not received one at the time of publication. The piece will be updated if a response is received.(Sagarneel Sinha is a political commentator and tweets @SagarneelSinha.)

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Nandigram, Rejinagar Bypolls: TMC Split Opens Up Bengal’s Opposition Space

The bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar are scheduled for 6 October.

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Topics: TMC West Benegal