Congress candidate Milan Pradhan on Thursday campaigned for the by-election to the Nandigram assembly seat in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district, a day after his release on interim bail.

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted him interim bail till 20 October, allowing him to campaign for the by-election.

Pradhan promised to raise local issues in the assembly if elected. "The people of Nandigram are deprived. Even today, people here drink pond water due to the lack of piped water supply. Nandigram lacks a general college, a technical college, a nursing college and an ITI college. For 20 years, political change has centred around Nandigram, yet the region remains neglected," he said.

Pradhan dismissed the multi-cornered nature of the contest, claiming that the main fight was between the Congress and the BJP.

BJP candidate Hansirani Rath also hit the campaign trail, travelling as a pillion rider on a motorcycle and accompanied by a convoy of party supporters.

Hasirani Rath is the mother of late Chandranath Rath, who served as a personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Chandranath Rath was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, on May 6, 2026, shortly after the assembly elections. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the case.

The Nandigram bypoll was necessitated after Adhikari vacated the seat to retain Bhabanipur, which he had also won in the assembly elections held earlier this year.

The bypolls come amid an ongoing dispute within the Trinamool Congress over the party's name and election symbol, with the Election Commission recently passing an interim order barring both rival TMC factions from using the party's name or symbol until the matter is resolved.

In the run up to polls, Mamata faction's candidate withdrew from the contest after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, following which Banerjee, left without a candidate, announced support for Congress nominee Milan Pradhan.

The campaign will conclude on 4 October, while polling will be held on October 6 and counting of votes will take place on 9 October.

Here are five key reasons why Nandigram bypoll is a keenly-watched fight

1-Suvendu Adhikari’s former seat: Adhikari won Nandigram in the 2026 Assembly election but vacated it after also winning Bhabanipur, necessitating the 6 October bypoll.

2-A test for the BJP government: The bypoll is the first electoral test for the BJP after it formed the government in West Bengal earlier this year, 2026, bringing it to power for the first time in 27 years.

3-Nandigram’s Mamata-Suvendu history: The seat remains politically symbolic because Mamata Banerjee lost here to Suvendu Adhikari in 2021, one of the most closely watched contests in recent Bengal politics. Adhikari became the chief minister of Bengal in 2026

4-Mamata-Congress ties: Mamata Banerjee’s faction withdrew its candidate and backed Congress nominee Milan Pradhan. Pradhan was subsequently arrested in connection with cases linked to the 2007 Nandigram land agitation. He later received interim bail.

The 6 October assembly bypolls in West Bengal offer a unique test of whether the tactical cooperation between the Congress and the Mamata faction of the TMC translates into electoral support in Nandigram and what the two outfits achieve while contesting separately in Rejinagar, another seat where bypoll is taking place

5-SIR controversy: More than 6,000 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll appeals were reportedly pending in Nandigram ahead of the bypoll, keeping the issue of deleted voters and the electoral rolls at the centre of the campaign.

(With agency input)