Kolkata: In a dramatic turnaround ahead of the West Bengal Assembly bypolls, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress faction’s candidate for Rejinagar, has reversed his decision to withdraw from the contest and said he will now fight the election.

Chowdhury’s latest statement came just hours after he had announced his withdrawal from the Rejinagar bypoll, citing the failure to secure the party’s traditional ‘Twin Flowers’ election symbol.

The candidate has now said the decision to contest came after Mamata Banerjee instructed him to fight the election.

“There is only one reason for the U-turn: our leader Mamata Banerjee has instructed us to contest the election. We are Mamata Banerjee’s soldiers, so we will contest the election,” Chowdhury said.

The reversal turns what had appeared to be another candidate withdrawal for the Mamata-led faction into a fresh twist in the Rejinagar bypoll.