Kolkata: The October 6 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.
For former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the polls also pose a parallel strategic question - should her faction rebuild its organisation independently after a vertical split in the party following the BJP's win in the assembly elections in May and reclaim its traditional political space or accommodate the Congress, cooperation with which could help consolidate votes against the ruling party.
