The Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress suffered another setback ahead of the West Bengal Assembly bypolls after its Rejinagar candidate, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, withdrew his nomination on Saturday.
The development came a day after the faction’s Nandigram candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, also withdrew from the contest.
Chowdhury cited the difficulty of contesting the election without the Trinamool Congress’ traditional “flowers and grass” symbol as a key reason for his decision. Reports said party workers were reluctant to campaign under the new symbol allotted to the faction by the Election Commission.
TMC Symbol Row Behind Withdrawal
The withdrawals come amid an ongoing dispute over the TMC’s organisational identity.
The Election Commission recently issued an interim order freezing the All India Trinamool Congress name and its traditional “flowers and grass” symbol for the upcoming bypolls. The decision followed a dispute between rival factions claiming control of the party.
For the bypolls, the Mamata-led faction was assigned the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and a new football-player symbol.
Chowdhury had initially filed his nomination claiming the traditional TMC symbol before the Election Commission’s interim arrangement. He subsequently withdrew his candidature after the change in party identity and symbol.
Second Candidate Withdrawal In Two Days
The Rejinagar development follows Sanchita Pradhan Dey’s withdrawal from the Nandigram Assembly bypoll on Friday.
After her exit, Mamata Banerjee announced support for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram. Pradhan was subsequently arrested in connection with an old murder case, triggering allegations from Congress and the Mamata-led faction about the timing and political motivation of the arrest. Those allegations remain contested.
Mamata Banerjee has also challenged the Election Commission’s decision on the TMC’s original name and symbol before the Supreme Court.
Nandigram, Rejinagar Bypolls On October 6
The Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls are scheduled for October 6, with counting set for October 9.
With the Mamata-led faction now without candidates in both constituencies, the latest withdrawals add another layer to the ongoing TMC split and the legal dispute over the party’s original identity and election symbol.
