TMC’s Re‑election Twist: Rabiul Alam Chowdhury Pulls Back, Then Promises a New Symbol for Rejinagar

West Bengal’s political theater got another surprise on Saturday. Rabiul Alam Chowdhury – the man the Mamata Banerjee‑led faction of the Trinamool Congress had put forward for the Rejinagar assembly bypoll – announced a withdrawal, only to reverse course a few hours later.

Chowdhury’s name first appeared on the party’s roster on 13 September, when the faction also declared Sanchita Pradhan (Dey) as its pick for the neighboring Nandigram seat. Both announcements were framed as moves under the “guidance and inspiration” of the TMC chief herself.

On Saturday morning, a short statement from Chowdhury said he was stepping back from the Rejinagar race. The tone was modest, almost apologetic: “I am not doing anything beyond the instructions of Mamata Banerjee,” he wrote.

But the story didn’t end there. By midday, the same candidate resurfaced, this time promising to contest “with a new symbol.” He added, “Earlier, I thought we would decide on a new symbol and other matters. Now, I will go to the people with a new symbol.” The flip‑flop left supporters scratching their heads, while political observers noted how the move mirrors the recent Nandigram development.

Just a day earlier, Sanchita Pradhan had withdrawn her nomination after a meeting with West Bengal’s chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari, at the Nabanna secretariat. Following her exit, Mamata Banerjee announced that her faction would not field a candidate in Nandigram, opting instead to back Congress’s Milan Pradhan. The decision was presented as a gesture to strengthen the broader “INDIA” alliance.

The bypolls for both Rejinagar and Nandigram are slated for 6 October, with vote counting scheduled for 9 October. In Rejinagar, the opposition field includes Congress’s Mohd. Abdullahil Kafi and CPI(M)’s advocate Sayeed Asad Ali. Nandigram sees the CPI’s Shanti Gopal Giri contesting.

The backdrop to these twists is the Election Commission’s recent split of the Trinamool Congress into two factions. The original name and the iconic “flowers & grass” symbol were frozen, and new identities were handed out: the Mamata‑led group became “Mamata All India Trinamool Congress” with the “football players” emblem, while the rival faction, headed by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, adopted “Democratic Trinamool Congress” and the “envelope” symbol.

Whether Chowdhury’s promise of a new symbol will translate into a fresh ballot design or simply a re‑branding of his campaign remains to be seen. One thing is clear, though – West Bengal’s electorate will have another puzzle piece to consider as the October bypolls approach.