Mamata reaches out to TMC veteran Akhil Giri for Nandigram bypoll

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reached out to TMC veteran Akhil Giri as the party deliberates over a local candidate for the Nandigram bypoll. The move signals the party's strategy to field a grassroots-level leader for the seat.

The outreach comes at a challenging time for the Trinamool Congress, which lost power to the BJP in May assembly elections after 15 years of continuous rule in the state. The party is now focusing on retaining key constituencies ahead of the bypoll.