The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress has raised questions over alleged discrepancies in the election affidavit of BJP candidate Hasirani Rath, who is contesting the October 6 Nandigram Assembly by-election.
The faction has demanded cancellation of Rath’s nomination, alleging that details in her affidavit relating to her age and educational qualification do not match. According to her affidavit, Rath is 60 years old and has stated that she completed her Class 10 examination in 1965. The Tribune also reported the same details from the nomination documents filed on September 15.
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The Mamata-led faction’s social media wing alleged that the school mentioned in Rath’s affidavit received approval to conduct Class 10 examinations only in 1973. It claimed that the discrepancy raised questions about the information submitted in the nomination papers and called for her candidature to be cancelled.
BJP leader Sisir Bajoria responded that if there are discrepancies, the concerned party should approach the Election Commission of India. He said the Election Commission should examine the matter and take a decision.
An official also said that authorities were not aware of any complaint regarding the affidavit at that stage.
The controversy comes amid a closely watched by-election in Nandigram, a constituency that has remained central to West Bengal politics for nearly two decades.
Rath was nominated by the BJP earlier this month. She is the mother of Chandranath Rath, a former close aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who was shot dead in Madhyamgram in May, shortly after the state Assembly election results. The BJP’s decision to field her has attracted considerable attention in the constituency.
The Nandigram seat fell vacant after Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly elections, decided to retain Bhabanipur and vacate Nandigram. The by-election is scheduled for October 6, with counting set for October 9.
The contest has undergone further changes after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate backed by the Mamata-led faction, withdrew from the race. The faction subsequently announced its support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan.
Pradhan was later arrested in connection with cases dating back to the 2007 Nandigram land-acquisition protests. The development triggered political allegations, with opposition parties questioning the timing of the arrest. The West Bengal government has since told the Calcutta High Court that five cases against Pradhan had been withdrawn, while the court directed that no further coercive action be taken for the time being.
The Nandigram bypoll carries added significance because of the constituency’s political history. In 2007, protests erupted after the then Left Front government proposed land acquisition for an industrial project. Police firing during the agitation resulted in deaths and turned Nandigram into a major political flashpoint.
Four years later, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress defeated the Left Front in West Bengal after the latter’s 34-year rule.
Banerjee herself contested against Adhikari from Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly election but lost by a narrow margin. The constituency has remained a key battleground since then.
The Election Commission has also allotted separate names and symbols to the rival Trinamool factions for the bypoll, adding another layer to an already fragmented contest.
With polling scheduled for October 6, the affidavit controversy involving Rath is now another issue being raised by political opponents as campaigning gathers pace in Nandigram.
