After Nandigram, Banerjee’s Rejinagar bye-poll candidate announces withdrawal, then makes U-turn

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress faction’s nominee for the Assembly bye-election in West Bengal’s Rejinagar made a U-turn on Saturday, hours after saying he will withdraw his candidature, IANS reported.

The faction has fielded Rabiul Alam Chowdhury for the October 6 election.

Chowdhury told reporters that he initially wanted to withdraw his nomination but decided to contest the polls as Mamata Banerjee had instructed him to do so.

His announcement and the U-turn came a day after Sanchita Pradhan, the faction’s candidate for the bye-poll in the Nandigram constituency, withdrew her nomination. Photographs of her meeting West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had been shared online.

After Sanchita Pradhan withdrew her nomination, Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would support Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram to strengthen the Opposition INDIA bloc. It also decided not to contest the Lok Sabha bye-poll in Assam’s Nagaon.

Hours later, the Congress candidate in Nandigram was arrested in an old murder case.

The Mamata Banerjee faction had said at the time that it would contest the Rejinagar bye-election.

The bye-poll in Rejinagar was necessitated after Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir vacated the seat.

Kabir had won the Assembly elections in May from Rejinagar and Naoda. He decided to hold on to the Naoda constituency in line with the Representation of People Act, which allows a candidate...

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