Chowdhury said he had decided to withdraw his nomination because the party's new election symbol was difficult to establish among voters and workers were facing pressure. He said party workers were not ready to enter the electoral contest. According to Chowdhury, he had also spoken to Mamata Banerjee about the matter.
The decision in Rejinagar came a day after Mamata Trinamool candidate Sanchita Pradhan De withdrew her nomination from Nandigram on Friday. Following her withdrawal, Mamata Banerjee said the party would support the Congress candidate in Nandigram.
On Rejinagar, Banerjee had said a decision would be taken later. Speculation had since grown that Chowdhury could withdraw his nomination. He announced the decision on Saturday, the final day for withdrawing nominations.
The Election Commission has currently suspended the Trinamool Congress name and its 'grass-flower' symbol. Following this, the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress was allotted the name 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress' and the 'footballer' symbol.
Candidates of the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress have withdrawn their nominations from both seats, citing difficulties in contesting with the new symbol. As a result, Mamata Trinamool will have no candidate in either of the two Assembly by-elections.
A symbol-related issue has also emerged in Rejinagar for Golam Nabi Azad Rabin, son of Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir. Rabin wants to contest the election using his father's old 'flute' symbol, but the Election Commission has clarified that symbols are not reserved in advance for by-elections.
With Chowdhury's withdrawal, the Rejinagar by-election has also joined Nandigram in a sequence of nomination withdrawals linked to the party's new name and election symbol.
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