Mamata Banerjee backs Congress after losing party name and nominees

Mamata Banerjee has thrown her support behind the Congress party in upcoming by-elections, a dramatic pivot triggered by the loss of her own party's identity and the sudden collapse of her local campaigns.

A party divided and renamed

The shift began on Thursday, 17 September 2026, when the Election Commission of India froze the name and famous "grass and twin flowers" symbol of the All India Trinamool Congress. The regulator split the party into two factions following a bitter internal revolt. Banerjee’s loyalists were rebranded as the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, assigned the symbol of a football player. Meanwhile, a rebel group led by Ritabrata Banerjee was recognized as the Democratic Trinamool Congress and given an envelope symbol.

Banerjee denounced the late-night ruling as "unconstitutional, illegal and totally political-biased vendetta," accusing the poll body of working in partnership with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Candidates withdraw in quick succession

The blow to her party's identity was quickly followed by a collapse on the ground. On Friday, 18 September, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, Banerjee’s candidate for the critical Nandigram Assembly seat, withdrew her nomination. Social media photos soon surfaced showing Dey meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

Left without a candidate as nomination deadlines closed, Banerjee announced her faction would support the Congress nominee, Milan Pradhan, in Nandigram. She also extended support to the Congress candidate in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam, declaring Congress a "natural ally."

An arrest hours after endorsement

Then, the political drama escalated further. Within hours of Banerjee's endorsement, West Bengal police arrested Pradhan in connection with an old murder case linked to the Nandigram land agitation. The arrest provoked swift condemnation from both camps. Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, described the arrest as "political revenge and murder of democracy." Banerjee similarly questioned the timing, accusing the BJP of using state machinery to "kill democracy every day."

The setbacks did not stop there. On Saturday, 19 September, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, Banerjee’s candidate for the Rejinagar Assembly seat, also withdrew his nomination, leaving her without both of her initial by-poll picks. Chowdhury stated his withdrawal came after direct discussions with Banerjee.

The old rivals unite

This emerging alliance is a striking turn of events. Banerjee broke away from the Congress 28 years ago to form the Trinamool Congress, and her party spent years dismantling the Congress organisation in West Bengal. Now, facing a severe crisis after the BJP swept the state assembly elections, she has reached out to her former party.

The alliance faces deep internal friction. While national Congress figures like Rahul Gandhi and general secretary K.C. Venugopal have fiercely defended Banerjee, local West Bengal Congress leaders remain deeply suspicious. Just days earlier, local Congress officials had demanded that the nominations of both Trinamool factions be rejected. But with both sides now identifying a common enemy in the BJP, West Bengal's political map has been fundamentally reordered ahead of the October 6 votes.