Rejinagar Bypoll: Mamata Camp Candidate Withdraws Nomination, Then Takes U-Turn

Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, who was fielded by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction for the Rejinagar Assembly by-election in West Bengal, has become the focus of a sudden political development. Reports on September 19 said Chowdhury had initially decided to withdraw his nomination. He cited difficulties in making the faction’s newly allotted election symbol familiar to voters within a short campaign period, along with pressure faced by party workers.

The development followed the withdrawal of Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the Mamata camp’s candidate in Nandigram, a day earlier. The Election Commission had recently allotted separate names and symbols to the rival Trinamool Congress factions. While reports initially said Chowdhury had withdrawn from the Rejinagar contest, the information supplied for this report states that he later changed his position and announced that he would contest the by-election. Rejinagar and Nandigram are scheduled to vote on October 6.