The West Bengal by-elections have turned into a series of twists and turns, with the latest U-turn taking place on 19th September (Saturday), after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s candidate for the Rejinagar by-election, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, claimed to have changed his mind after he had declared to quit the political contest.
Interestingly, this shift in position happened after he talked to Mamata, as he expressed, “I am reversing my decision to withdraw my candidature at Mamata Banerjee’s behest. I will contest the election. I reconsidered my decision after Mamata Banerjee spoke to me.”
#Breaking: Fresh twist in nomination withdrawal of Mamata Banerjee’s #TMC’s candidate for Rejinagar bye elections, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury.
— Pooja Mehta (@pooja_news) September 19, 2026
After announcing his decision to withdraw nomination, in a major u-turn says he is no longer withdrawing his nomination. He has now decided… pic.twitter.com/lAj5xwXsxG
Chowdhury earlier asserted to have taken the decision to withdraw his candidature after the party could not retain its original “Twin Flowers” symbol. He alleged, “At this moment, the party lacks an official symbol. Party workers are being harassed in various ways, and most of them have left the area for work. With whom am I supposed to contest the election? Given the pressure being exerted by the administration, the workers say they cannot remain in the electoral fray. That is precisely why I have decided to withdraw my nomination.”
Notably, Mamata’s Nandigram bypoll candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey (or De) has already stepped away from the race after a meeting with current Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday. The development transpired after Mamata lost her party name and symbol. Her faction has been allotted the name “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” with the “football player” as the symbol.
Mamata had announced support for Nandigram Congress candidate Milan Pradhan; however, he has been arrested in connection with a murder case dating back to the 2007 Nandigram land-acquisition protests. He has been named in several cases arising from the agitation.
The bypolls in the districts of Nandigram in East Medinipur and Rejinagar in Murshidabad are scheduled for 6th October, and the results will be announced a few days later on 9th October.
