OTTAWA — Former Liberal cabinet minister Martin Cauchon will get the chance to make a political comeback in his old riding after all.

Party insiders say Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has decided to allow an open nomination contest in the prized Montreal riding of Outremont.

Earlier this week, Ignatieff declared that the riding had been reserved for businesswoman Nathalie Le Prohon.

Ignatieff made that decision despite Cauchon's expressed interest in making a comeback in the riding he represented for 11 years before retiring from politics in 2004.

But insiders say Ignatieff relented in the face of a fierce party backlash and decided to give Le Prohon another Montreal riding -- Jeanne-Le Ber.

Outremont was a longtime Liberal fortress until it was snatched away by New Democrat Thomas Mulcair in a stunning 2007 byelection upset.