CPI(M) seeks online donations for Bengal bypolls in Nandigram, Rejinagar
Synopsis
CPI(M) is crowdfunding its West Bengal bypoll campaign via QR code — but the more telling story is the Left Front's fracture in Rejinagar, where the RSP has broken ranks and fielded its own candidate against the alliance's official pick. With both seats up for grabs on 6 October, a divided Left vote could prove costly.
Key Takeaways
CPI(M) state secretary Md Salim launched a QR-code online donation appeal on 20 September 2026 for West Bengal bypolls.
Bypolls in Nandigram (East Midnapore) and Rejinagar (Murshidabad) are scheduled for 6 October , with counting on 9 October .
The Left Front is united in Nandigram behind CPI's Shanti Gopal Giri , but fractured in Rejinagar after the RSP fielded its own candidate, Bikash Chandra Mishra , against CPI(M)'s Syed Asad Ali .
TMC previously mocked CPI(M)'s online fundraising as contradictory given the Left's historical resistance to computerisation during its 1977–2011 rule.
CPI(M) argues the crowdfunding model stands in contrast to electoral bonds, positioning it as a transparency-driven approach backed by 'common people.'
Communist Party of India (Marxist), the lead constituent of the West Bengal Left Front, has launched a social media campaign seeking online donations for the upcoming bypolls in Nandigram Assembly Constituency in East Midnapore district and Rejinagar Assembly Constituency in Murshidabad district. The appeal, shared on 20 September 2026, comes with a QR code to facilitate direct contributions to the party's election fund.
The Appeal and Who Issued It
CPI(M) Politburo member and West Bengal state secretary Md Salim posted the donation appeal on social media, attaching a QR code for online contributions. Salim urged supporters: 'Help as much as you can by donating to the election fund for campaigning for the upcoming Rejinagar and Nandigram assembly by-elections.'
The bypolls for both Nandigram and Rejinagar are scheduled for 6 October, with vote counting set for 9 October.
Internal Fault Lines in Rejinagar
The donation drive comes against a backdrop of notable internal strain within the Left Front, specifically in Rejinagar. While CPI's Shanti Gopal Giri is the unanimously accepted Left Front candidate in Nandigram, the alliance is fractured in Rejinagar. After CPI(M)'s Syed Asad Ali was chosen as the Front-nominated candidate there, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) broke ranks and fielded its own candidate, Bikash Chandra Mishra, in what amounts to a direct challenge to Left Front unity ahead of a key electoral test.
The Irony Argument — and the Left's Rebuttal
This is not the first time CPI(M) has sought digital donations. The party ran a similar crowdfunding appeal during the last West Bengal Assembly elections. On that occasion, the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) publicly ridiculed the move, arguing it was contradictory for a party that, during its 34-year rule from 1977 to 2011, reportedly resisted computerisation in government offices.
CPI(M) leaders have consistently pushed back against that characterisation. A state committee member said: 'This online donation system is aimed at making it easy for such voters to donate. Remember, our party does not have electoral bonds like others. Our leadership believes in the help from common people.' The argument positions the Left's crowdfunding as a transparency contrast to the now-controversial electoral bond mechanism.
What to Watch
The twin bypolls will serve as an early indicator of ground-level sentiment in West Bengal ahead of the next state assembly cycle. The RSP's rebellion in Rejinagar is a particular variable — a divided Left vote could benefit either the TMC or other opposition forces in the constituency. How much the online campaign ultimately raises may also reflect the depth of CPI(M)'s urban, digitally active support base, which the party has been cultivating since its electoral decline post-2011.
Point of View
But it also exposes a structural vulnerability: CPI(M) cannot field a united Left Front in both seats simultaneously. The RSP's rebellion in Rejinagar is not a footnote — a split Left vote in a tight bypoll can hand victory to the opposition wholesale. More broadly, the party's reliance on crowdfunding, while symbolically positioned as grassroots and anti-electoral-bond, also signals limited access to the deep-pocketed donor networks available to the TMC and BJP. Whether digital goodwill translates to booth-level muscle on 6 October remains the real question.
NationPress
20 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is CPI(M) seeking online donations for the West Bengal bypolls?
CPI(M) is running a QR-code-based crowdfunding campaign to raise money for campaigning in the Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly bypolls scheduled for 6 October 2026. The party says the drive allows left-leaning voters who are not formal party members to contribute financially, and contrasts the approach with the electoral bond system used by other parties.
When are the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls?
Both bypolls are scheduled for 6 October 2026, with vote counting on 9 October 2026. Nandigram is in East Midnapore district and Rejinagar is in Murshidabad district.
Why is the Left Front split in Rejinagar?
After CPI(M)'s Syed Asad Ali was nominated as the Left Front's official candidate in Rejinagar, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) broke ranks and fielded its own candidate, Bikash Chandra Mishra, creating a direct intra-alliance contest. No such split exists in Nandigram, where CPI's Shanti Gopal Giri is the unopposed Left Front pick.
Has CPI(M) sought online donations before?
Yes, CPI(M) ran a similar social media donation campaign during the previous West Bengal Assembly elections. That drive drew public criticism from the Trinamool Congress, which called it contradictory given the Left Front's reported resistance to computerisation during its 34-year rule from 1977 to 2011. CPI(M) leaders rejected that characterisation.
Who is the CPI(M) leader behind the donation appeal?
CPI(M) Politburo member and West Bengal state secretary Md Salim shared the appeal on social media, attaching a QR code through which supporters can contribute to the party's bypoll campaign fund.
