Nandigram, once central to Mamata Banerjee’s political rise, has become a key symbol of West Bengal’s changing politics after her 2021 defeat to Suvendu Adhikari and the withdrawal of her faction’s candidate before the October 6, 2026 by-election.
Nandigram in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district has played a defining role in the political journey of Mamata Banerjee. From becoming the centre of a major anti-land acquisition movement that helped weaken the Left Front’s long rule to witnessing Banerjee’s closely watched electoral battle with Suvendu Adhikari in 2021, the constituency has repeatedly featured at critical moments in the state’s political history.
The latest developments have once again placed Nandigram in the spotlight ahead of the October 6 Assembly by-election. Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate fielded by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction, withdrew her nomination after meeting West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Banerjee subsequently announced support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan. Pradhan was later reported to have been arrested or detained in connection with an old case, adding another turn to an already closely watched contest.
Nandigram first became nationally prominent during the anti-land acquisition movement of 2007. The then Left Front government, led by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, had proposed acquiring land in the area for a Special Economic Zone. The proposal triggered strong opposition among sections of local residents and farmers who feared displacement and the loss of agricultural livelihoods.
Suvendu Adhikari, who at the time was associated with the Trinamool Congress and was a close political aide of Mamata Banerjee, emerged as one of the prominent organisers of the movement. The agitation intensified in March 2007. On March 14, police opened fire during clashes with protesters, resulting in the deaths of at least 14 people and injuries to many others.
The Nandigram violence became a major political turning point in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee used the movement, along with the separate Singur agitation against land acquisition for the Tata Motors Nano project, to strengthen the Trinamool Congress’s campaign against the Left Front government. Her political message of “Ma, Mati, Manush” — Mother, Earth and People — became closely associated with the movements and the party’s broader appeal to farmers and sections of lower-income communities.
The political impact became clear in the 2011 Assembly election, when the Left Front lost power after 34 years of uninterrupted rule in West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress, under Banerjee’s leadership, formed the government, marking a major change in the state’s political landscape.
Nandigram also remained an important political base for the Adhikari family. Suvendu Adhikari was elected MLA from Nandigram in 2016. In 2020, however, he left the Trinamool Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, transforming his relationship with Banerjee from that of a close political associate to a major electoral rival.
The confrontation reached its most prominent point in the 2021 Assembly election. Banerjee left her traditional Bhabanipur constituency to contest Nandigram against Adhikari. The contest attracted national attention because of their previous political association and the symbolic importance of Nandigram to Banerjee’s political career.
Adhikari won the 2021 Nandigram contest by 1,956 votes. Banerjee later returned to the Assembly by winning the Bhabanipur by-election. The Nandigram result, however, remained one of the most closely watched episodes of the 2021 election.
The political equation changed again in the 2026 Assembly election. Election Commission results show that Adhikari retained Nandigram, defeating All India Trinamool Congress candidate Pabitra Kar by 9,665 votes. In Bhabanipur, Adhikari also defeated Banerjee by 15,105 votes. These results marked a further shift in the political balance between the two leaders.
The upcoming Nandigram by-election follows Adhikari’s decision to vacate the constituency while retaining Bhabanipur. The latest developments have added another layer to the constituency’s political history. The Election Commission’s allocation of new names and symbols to rival Trinamool factions was followed by Pradhan Dey’s withdrawal, leaving Banerjee’s faction without its original nominee.
Banerjee’s subsequent support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan has further altered the electoral contest. Reports of Pradhan’s detention or arrest in connection with a 2007 case have also drawn reactions from Congress and Banerjee’s camp, while the circumstances surrounding the developments remain a subject of political dispute.
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For more than two decades, Nandigram has therefore remained closely connected with West Bengal’s changing political alignments. Its significance has extended beyond one constituency, linking the 2007 land movement, the 2011 change of government, the 2021 Banerjee-Adhikari contest and the current by-election.
The latest developments show that Nandigram continues to occupy an important place in the state’s political narrative, with its history repeatedly intersecting with changes in leadership, party alignments and electoral competition.
