NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) faction led by Mamata Banerjee on Sunday announced Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) and Rabiul Alam Chowdhury as its candidates for the October 6 bypolls to the Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly seats, respectively. The counting of votes is set to take place on October 9.Pradhan is a new face, while Chowdhury is a former MLA, news agency PTI reports.The announcement comes after an earlier rebel TMC faction said it would support Mamata Banerjee, strengthening the party’s position ahead of the bypolls.The Nandigram bypoll was necessitated after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari vacated the seat and chose to retain Bhabanipur, where he defeated TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in the Assembly elections held earlier this year. The Rejinagar seat fell vacant after Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder Humayun Kabir resigned from the seat, having also won from Nowda.The two seats are expected to witness a keen political contest, with the bypoll results likely to be closely watched ahead of the next electoral battle in the state.
