Murshidabad, West Bengal: The candidate fielded by Mamata Banerjee’s faction of the Trinamool Congress for the Rejinagar Assembly by-election, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, initially announced his withdrawal from the contest on Saturday but retracted the decision within two hours, saying he would stand as per the instructions of the party leadership.
Rapid reversal after objections and assurances
Speaking to media in Murshidabad, Mr. Chowdhury said he had contemplated stepping down because it had become difficult to motivate grassroots workers who, he alleged, were facing regular harassment. He also pointed to challenges posed by a new symbol allotted to his faction by the Election Commission, saying the change would complicate the bypoll campaign.
"We are in Didi's party and we cannot do anything outside her wishes. So, following Didi's instructions, I am retaining my candidature,"
Hours after his withdrawal announcement, Mr. Chowdhury told reporters that Ms. Banerjee had asked him to continue. He added that he had been assured of security by the police following the West Bengal leader’s intervention and that he would proceed with a door-to-door campaign even if only a handful of workers supported him.
Context: symbol, party name and wider political tensions
The Election Commission has allotted the 'footballer' symbol to Mamata Banerjee’s faction and assigned the name 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress', a move that has become another flashpoint in the current round of intra-state political contestation. The episode follows a series of fraught bypoll events across the state.
On Friday, the nominee of Mamata Banerjee’s party for the Nandigram by-election, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew her candidature after a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Separately, after Ms. Banerjee announced support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, he was arrested in a nearly two-decade-old case, according to reporting on the sequence of events.
Local campaign hurdles and security concerns
Mr. Chowdhury said his decision to reverse course came after direct instructions from the party leadership and assurances over safety. He told reporters he would continue the campaign from October 6 and planned to begin door-to-door outreach even if just a few party workers accompanied him.
- Candidate: Rabiul Alam Chowdhury (Mamata faction of TMC)
- Seat: Rejinagar Assembly constituency, Murshidabad district
- Poll date: Scheduled for October 6 (as announced by the candidate)
- Election symbol: 'Footballer' assigned to the faction named 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress'
Timeline of recent developments
| Event | Detail |
|---|---|
| Withdrawal announcement | Rabiul Alam Chowdhury declared intent to withdraw citing worker harassment and symbol-change challenges |
| Retraction | Within two hours he confirmed he would contest following Mamata Banerjee's direction and police assurance of security |
| Related bypoll actions | Sanchita Pradhan Dey (Nandigram) withdrew after meeting CM Suvendu Adhikari; Milan Pradhan of Congress was arrested in an old case after receiving Ms. Banerjee's support |
Party sources and the candidate’s statements framed the developments as part of a broader narrative of pressure against the TMC and its supporters. Ms. Banerjee and her allies have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government of acting in an "authoritarian manner to crush dissent" and to secure large margins in bypolls, according to reporting from the campaign trail.
What this means for Rejinagar
The quick succession of withdrawal and reversal is likely to affect campaign momentum in Rejinagar, a constituency in Murshidabad with its own local dynamics. The new symbol and the emergence of the breakaway faction’s name on the ballot may further complicate voter recognition and party organisation on the ground.
With campaigning set to continue ahead of the October 6 bypoll date, parties on all sides will be closely watching voter mobilisation and the response of grassroots workers, while security arrangements and law-and-order developments remain a focus for candidates and election officials.
Reporting for this account relied on statements and sequences described in media coverage of the events.
