Former trade minister Vasant Bharath will no longer contest the post of political leader of the United National Congress (UNC) at the party's internal elections on November 26.
Bharath announced his decision to drop out of the race this morning, after describing the election as a farce.
In October, Bharath told media he had the support of MPs and would contest the position, despite questions from other party members as to the legitimacy of the election.
Bharath lost a leadership fight to Persad-Bissessar in 2015. She obtained over 18,000 votes; UNC MP Roodal Moonilal got approximately 1,800 votes; and Bharath, 1,500.