Mamata Banerjee suffers fresh blow as Rejinagar bypoll candidate withdraws

Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, the candidate backed by Mamata Banerjee's faction in the Rejinagar bypoll, has withdrawn from the race. The announcement came a day after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the faction's candidate in Nandigram, also withdrew her nomination without publicly explaining her decision.

Pradhan Dey had met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari with her husband before stepping back. Following her withdrawal, Mamata's faction subsequently backed Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram. The successive withdrawals represent setbacks for Banerjee's political positioning in the byelections.