Rejinagar bypoll candidate announces withdrawal, retracts hours later

Mamata Banerjee's party's Rejinagar by-election candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury on Saturday announced his withdrawal from the contest, then retracted the statement within hours. He initially cited harassment of grassroots workers and difficulty in familiarising voters with the new 'footballer' symbol. Later he said police assured him security after the supremo's intervention and that he would contest the October 6 bypoll. Nandigram nominee Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew her nomination on Friday.

Written by AI from Economic Times — Top · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 19 Sept 2026, 3:38 pm IST

Source

Economic Times — Top · read the original report ↗

#west bengal#bypoll#tmc#rejinagar#nandigram#election commission

Desk check · some claims need care

What the desk checked (5)

Rejinagar candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury announced withdrawal, then retracted hours later saying he will contest the October 6 bypoll. — Supported by direct quotes from Chowdhury at two press interactions in the source.
Chowdhury said police at Beldanga police station assured him and his cadre of security after Banerjee's intervention. — Attributed to Chowdhury; no independent police confirmation in source.
The Election Commission allotted the 'footballer' symbol and name 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress' to the Mamata faction, and 'envelope' and 'Democratic Trinamool Congress' to the Arup Roy faction. — Stated as fact in source, attributed to the Election Commission; figures and names appear in source.
Nandigram nominee Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari; Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was later arrested in 2007-related cases. — Reported in source; reasons for withdrawal explicitly described as not immediately clear.
Banerjee's camp accused the BJP government of authoritarianism; Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar rejected the charge. — Both are attributed political statements, not verified claims.

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Analysts’ view opinion

AI Political Analyst

The withdraw-and-retract inside a few hours in Rejinagar is more than one candidate's wobble; it is a signal of how much pressure Mamata Banerjee's faction is under at the grassroots in a split Trinamool. Chowdhury's first statement bundled two problems together — an unfamiliar new 'footballer' symbol and alleged harassment of workers — both of which erode candidate morale. His reversal after the supremo's intervention shows Banerjee still commands her cadre, but the fact that such intervention was needed is itself a sign of strain. The Nandigram candidate's exit and the subsequent backing of the Congress nominee underline the same squeeze.

After the dispute over the party name and the 'flowers-and-grass' symbol, selling a brand-new symbol to voters in a short window is the faction's real organisational hurdle in these bypolls.
A public announcement followed by a public retraction risks confusing booth-level workers and hands rivals a ready 'party in disarray' narrative.
Chowdhury crediting the supremo's direction for his U-turn shows decision-making still runs through a single centre — at once a source of discipline and a vulnerability.
Calling the Congress a 'sister party' and backing its Nandigram candidate was a gap-filling move, but framing it as strengthening the INDIA bloc is politically shrewd packaging.
The claim-and-counterclaim between Banerjee's camp and the BJP over security and arrests could turn the campaign into a contest of 'crushing dissent' versus 'one-person-centred party'.

What to watch — Watch whether Chowdhury actually campaigns at full strength up to October 6, and whether similar withdrawals surface in other seats.

The story does not establish the truth of the harassment allegations, the actual reasons for the Nandigram candidate's exit, or whether the arrest was politically motivated.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 8 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

West Bengal is heading into by-elections on October 6 in seats including Rejinagar (Murshidabad) and Nandigram (Purba Medinipur). The Trinamool Congress has split into two factions, with the Election Commission awarding the Mamata Banerjee-led group the name 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress' and the 'footballer' symbol, while a rebel group led by Arup Roy got the name 'Democratic Trinamool Congress' and the 'envelope' symbol. Suvendu Adhikari is Chief Minister, per the source. Against this backdrop, Mamata's candidates in both seats have faced withdrawal drama in successive days.

Key facts

Rejinagar by-election candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, a former TMC MLA, announced withdrawal on Saturday and retracted it hours later, saying he would contest the October 6 bypoll.
Chowdhury cited regular harassment of grassroots workers and the difficulty of familiarising voters with the new 'footballer' symbol in a short time.
He said he was assured security by police after Mamata Banerjee intervened, and met officers of Beldanga police station who assured security for him and his cadre during campaigning.
The Election Commission allotted the 'footballer' symbol and the name 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress' to the Mamata faction.
The rival faction led by Arup Roy was given the name 'Democratic Trinamool Congress' and the 'envelope' symbol.
Nandigram nominee Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew her nomination on Friday, a day ahead of the deadline, after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Nabanna with her husband Satyajit.
Sanchita Pradhan Dey had lost her job due to a teacher recruitment scam.
Banerjee backed Congress's Nandigram candidate Milan Pradhan, calling Congress a 'sister party'; hours later Pradhan was arrested over criminal cases from the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram.

Timeline

2007Criminal cases were lodged against Milan Pradhan during the anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram, Purba Medinipur district.
After the 2021 assembly pollsBJP leader Sukanta Majumdar alleges Mamata's activists carried out attacks on the then opposition BJP.
FridayNandigram nominee Sanchita Pradhan Dey met CM Suvendu Adhikari at Nabanna and withdrew her nomination, a day before the deadline.
Friday (after the vacancy)Banerjee announced support for Congress's Nandigram candidate Milan Pradhan to strengthen the INDIA bloc; hours later he was arrested.
Friday nightChowdhury says he informed 'Mamata di' of his decision not to contest.
Saturday (earlier in the day)Chowdhury told reporters at his Murshidabad home that he was pulling out of the Rejinagar contest.
Saturday (hours later)At a hurriedly convened press meet, Chowdhury retracted and said he would contest after the party chief directed him not to quit.
October 6By-elections scheduled, including Rejinagar and Nandigram.

Who has a stake

Rabiul Alam Chowdhury — Former TMC MLA and Rejinagar candidate; his withdrawal-and-retraction tests his ability to campaign with a new symbol and protect his workers.
Mamata Banerjee — Party supremo whose intervention reversed the withdrawal; faces candidate attrition and the challenge of popularising the new 'footballer' symbol.
Mamata All India Trinamool Congress — Newly named faction contesting on an unfamiliar symbol in the October 6 bypolls.
Democratic Trinamool Congress (Arup Roy faction) — Rival grouping awarded the 'envelope' symbol amid the feud over the party name and 'flowers-and-grass' symbol.
Election Commission — Arbiter that allotted names and symbols to the two rival factions.
Sanchita Pradhan Dey — Nandigram nominee who lost her job in a teacher recruitment scam and withdrew her nomination after meeting the CM.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and the BJP government — Accused by Banerjee's camp of authoritarianism to crush dissent; BJP's Sukanta Majumdar rejected the charge.
Congress / Milan Pradhan — Received Banerjee's backing in Nandigram as an INDIA bloc ally; Pradhan was arrested hours later.

Why it matters

A candidate publicly quitting and un-quitting within hours, alongside another nominee's withdrawal and an allied candidate's arrest, signals how fraught the October 6 bypolls have become for the Mamata faction. The fight over the party name and symbol means voter recognition itself is at stake, not just votes. Allegations of harassment and counter-allegations between Banerjee's camp and the BJP government make policing and a level playing field central to the contest's credibility.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

By-elections including Rejinagar (Murshidabad) and Nandigram (Purba Medinipur) are scheduled for October 6.
EC allotted 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress' the 'footballer' symbol; 'Democratic Trinamool Congress' (Arup Roy faction) got the 'envelope' symbol.
The disputed original party identity involved the Trinamool name and the 'flowers-and-grass' symbol.
Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, former TMC MLA, is the Rejinagar candidate; Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew in Nandigram.
Nabanna is the West Bengal state secretariat; Suvendu Adhikari is Chief Minister as per the source.
Milan Pradhan, Congress's Nandigram candidate backed by Banerjee, was arrested over 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition cases.

Mains framing

The Rejinagar episode compresses several stresses of competitive electoral politics into a single day: a split party fighting on a newly allotted symbol, candidates citing harassment of grassroots workers, and reliance on the state police for campaign security. The Election Commission's allocation of separate names and symbols to the Mamata and Arup Roy factions resolves the legal dispute but transfers the burden to voters, who must be re-educated about a 'footballer' symbol within weeks — a recognition problem that disproportionately hurts the faction that lost the legacy symbol. Simultaneously, the withdrawal of the Nandigram nominee after a meeting with the Chief Minister, and the arrest of the Congress candidate Banerjee endorsed hours after her announcement, have produced competing narratives: the opposition alleges authoritarian suppression of dissent to inflate victory margins, while the ruling BJP counters by invoking post-2021 political violence. The way forward lies in institutional neutrality — credible and documented police protection for all candidates and cadres, transparency in the timing of arrests during the campaign period, and EC-led voter awareness on newly allotted symbols so that intra-party splits do not translate into voter disenfranchisement.

Key terms

Bypoll (by-election): An election held to fill a vacancy in a single constituency between general elections; here scheduled for October 6.
'Footballer' symbol: The poll symbol allotted by the Election Commission to the Mamata-led faction, named 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress'.
Democratic Trinamool Congress: The rebel faction led by Arup Roy, allotted the 'envelope' symbol by the Election Commission.
Nabanna: The West Bengal state secretariat, where the Nandigram nominee met the Chief Minister before withdrawing.
INDIA bloc: Opposition alliance which Banerjee cited while backing Congress's Nandigram candidate, calling Congress a 'sister party'.
Teacher recruitment scam: The case cited in the source as the reason Nandigram nominee Sanchita Pradhan Dey lost her job.

Practice questions

Party splits often lead to disputes over names and symbols. Examine the Election Commission's role in resolving such disputes and the consequences for voters, using the Trinamool factional feud as an example.
How do allegations of harassment of party workers and the timing of arrests during campaigns affect the credibility of a free and fair election? Discuss with reference to the October 6 West Bengal bypolls.
Critically assess the challenges a political faction faces when it must contest an election on a newly allotted poll symbol within a short campaign window.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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