TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s outreach to party veteran Akhil Giri has set off fresh speculation that it may be weighing him as a candidate for the Nandigram bypoll, as it seeks to reclaim political ground in a constituency that has come to define both its rise and subsequent decline.
Giri has served as a minister in the erstwhile TMC government and remains a significant figure in East Midnapore politics. But for now, his name remains part of the speculation rather than a declared candidature. The former chief minister spoke to Giri over the phone and later asked him to meet her at her Kalighat residence on Saturday, according to a TMC leader from the Mamata Banerjee camp.
“I am a loyal soldier of the party. His name doing the rounds is significant, but does not by itself establish that the former minister will be the TMC nominee. It rather indicates the options being explored by a party attempting to rebuild the organisation after an electoral rout, and amid an unresolved fight over its very identity.
The move comes at a particularly difficult juncture for the TMC, which lost power to the BJP in the May assembly elections after 15 years in office, with saffron party leader Suvendu Adhikari now occupying the chief minister’s post. Adhikari also defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur in the assembly polls, after having beaten her in Nandigram in 2021.
If the party gives me any responsibility, I will carry it out,” Giri said, while making it clear that the final decision on the candidate rests with Banerjee. Giri also argued that preference should be given to a local candidate, but said he would abide by any decision taken by the party leadership. The Ritabrata-led faction has said it will continue to claim the TMC name and symbol, but is prepared to contest as independents if the poll panel does not decide in its favour before nominations close. Taher has said he would decline if asked to contest, arguing that he had remained with the party during its years in power, but was repeatedly overlooked when candidates were chosen.
