Mamata’s Rejinagar bypoll candidate announces withdrawal from contest, retracts later
TMC candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury briefly announced his withdrawal from the Rejinagar bypoll citing worker harassment, but retracted the decision after intervention from Mamata Banerjee. The incident underscores the high-pressure political environment in West Bengal.
Why it matters
The volatility of candidate participation in local elections reflects broader tensions and power dynamics in Indian state politics.
In a dramatic turn of events, Mamata Banerjee's party's Rejinagar byelections candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury on Saturday (September 19, 2026) announced his withdrawal from the contest, only to retract his statement in less than two hours, and assert he would be in the October 6 poll battle as per the wishes of the supremo.
The development came a day after Ms. Banerjee's party's Nandigram byelection nominee Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew her candidature following a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
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