West Bengal by-elections set for Nandigram and Rejinagar

By-elections for the Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly constituencies in West Bengal are scheduled for October 6, with vote counting set for October 9. The Nandigram seat became vacant after Suvendu Adhikari vacated it to retain Bhabanipur, while the Rejinagar seat was vacated following the resignation of Humayun Kabir.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named Hasirani Rath as its candidate for Nandigram and Sakharav Sarkar for Rejinagar. Hasirani Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, the late personal assistant to Suvendu Adhikari, who was killed in May. BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya has appointed Jyotirmay Singh Mahato and Gouri Shankar Ghosh as in-charges for the respective constituencies.

The elections will also feature a contest between factions of the Trinamool Congress (TMC). A rebel group led by Ritabrata Banerjee has announced Mohammad Eteshamul Haq for Nandigram and Safiuddin Sheikh for Rejinagar, setting up a direct confrontation between different TMC factions.