It is another setback for the Trinamool Congress faction headed by Mamata Banerjee, who saw its Rejinagar candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury drop out of the West Bengal Assembly bypolls scheduled for October 6. The change was effected one day after the faction’s Nandigram contender Sanchita Pradhan Dey too declined to stand.
Chowdhury who was elected as faction candidate to represent Rejinagar said problems of the party workers, and the time required to orient voters about the party’s newly allotted identity, posed problems. He claimed that workers were put under pressure and that many had gone elsewhere for work, a problem that impeded him from carrying out the campaign.
The development has resulted in the Mamata camp losing its two announced candidates, the Mamata’s in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
Nandigram Candidate Had Also Withdrawn
The declaration comes in the wake of Sanchita Pradhan Dey’s voluntary withdrawal from Nandigram bypoll on Friday. The Mamata wing-appointed teacher had gone to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariate prior to dropping her nod. It has not yet been made clear why she had to make the choice.
After Dey’s exit Mamata Banerjee announced her backing for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram. But then Pradhan, police and media sources quoted, got arrested for a murder case during the anti-land acquisition agitation of 2007.
TMC Name And Symbol Dispute
The developments follow a raging controversy over the organisational identity of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. It has temporarily suspended the current names and symbols of the political parties and each faction of these is temporarily given a different name, which will be used during the bypolls.
The Mamata Banerjee camp has been given the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and Football Player symbol. The hostilities will be given the name Democratic Trinamool Congress and Envelope symbol.
Mamata team has appealed Election Commission’s order before the Supreme Court. Voting and counting of results is marked October 6 and 9 respectively in the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls.