The late P V Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister and the late Jyoti Basu was the Chief Minister of West Bengal when veteran Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury unsuccessfully contested his first Assembly election in 1991.
Three-and-a-half decades later — after five consecutive terms as an MP and two year since his Lok Sabha defeat — Chowdhury has returned to state politics and will be the Congress’s candidate for the Baharampur Assembly seat, which goes to polls in the first phase on April 23.
“I contested my first Assembly election from Nabagram, which is just a little away from my city. Such was the Left’s hold there that it was proudly referred to as the ‘Vietnam of Murshidabad’. Despite massive booth rigging, I lost by only 1,300 votes,” Chowdhury said, adding that it was the blessings of Baharampur’s voters that secured his victory five years later.
Asked why he agreed to contest Assembly polls after a long parliamentary stint, Chowdhury said, “I lost the Baharampur seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party leadership then asked me to contest the West Bengal polls. Being a soldier of the Congress, I accepted. Now, I am starting from scratch.”
Though speculation had been rife about his candidature, Chowdhury’s supporters seemed well-prepared, with cut-outs, banners, festoons, and posters already stacked in his office.
Since the Congress officially announced his candidature on Sunday, activity has intensified at his residence in the Gora Bazar area as well as at the party office, often referred to as “Adhir da’s office” and adorned with his pictures. “We were prepared even before Dada’s name was officially announced. This is a make-or-break battle for us,” said a young Congress worker who was visibly elated.
Chowdhury’s close aides also appear enthusiastic about his candidature. One of them, Leader of the Opposition in the Murshidabad Zila Parishad, Md Abdullahil Kafi, said, “One may support the TMC or the BJP, but everyone in Baharampur will vote for our Adhir da. He has been serving the district for the last four decades, and people have immense faith in him.”
Two of Chowdhury’s long-time associates, Ashok Kumar Sarkar and Sunil Biswas, echoed similar sentiments. “A number of TMC candidates started their political careers under Adhir da. Even the sitting BJP MLA here (Subrata Maitra) was once a Congress councillor from the ward that encompasses Adhir da’s house,” Sarkar said.
Biswas, who has been associated with Chowdhury since 1988 and is now the Congress president of the Bhakuri-II area, recalled how many leaders had switched parties while Chowdhury remained loyal to Congress. “He is never alone and never short of followers in Murshidabad. We need such leaders to revive the party in Bengal. I will always stand by him,” he said.
Clash with former allies
Chowdhury’s comeback will see him pitted against former party colleagues and aides Narugopal Mukherjee, chairman of the Baharampur municipality and a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, and sitting BJP MLA Subrata Maitra. However, the CPI(M), which had earlier contested Assembly polls in alliance with the Congress but has since parted ways ahead of the polls, has not yet fielded a candidate against him.
“We have yet to announce candidates for all seats. We are fighting against the TMC and the BJP and are working to unite secular and democratic forces. The Congress has decided to contest alone. Only time will tell what happens in the future,” said CPI(M) Central Committee member Sujan Chakraborty.
A senior CPI(M) leader from Murshidabad said many in the party want Chowdhury to win. “The Congress’s decision not to ally with the Left Front will affect his prospects. However, it would be unfortunate if a leader like him is defeated in the Assembly polls,” the leader added.
While the CPI (M-L) Liberation has named Abdul Kasem Sheikh as its candidate for Baharampur, CPI(M) sources said the party had requested him not to file his nomination papers.
Rocky electoral history
Chowdhury lost the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Baharampur, largely seen as a result of polarisation in the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district. However, he managed to secure a lead of over 7,000 votes in the Baharampur Assembly segment, one of the seven that make up the Lok Sabha constituency.
Although the Congress held the seat from 2006 to 2016, its former MLA Manoj Chakraborty finished third behind the BJP and the CPI(M) in the 2021 Assembly polls. “Chowdhury is a factor in Baharampur. You will not find a single family here that has not benefited from his development work. He has ensured development in every corner of Baharampur and Murshidabad district,” Chakraborty said.
Campaign heats up
Reacting to Chowdhury’s entry into the Baharampur contest, Maitra claimed that voters owed him nothing, while TMC’s Mukherjee said the former MP was “finished” and no longer a factor.
“I am my own nearest rival. I have to increase my 2021 victory margin. While the TMC is not a factor here, what will Baharampur gain if Chowdhury wins? He will neither be in power nor in the Opposition,” Maitra said.
Mukherjee said his work as chairman of the Baharampur municipality would work in his favour. “We are available round the clock for people, including in times of crisis,” he said.
Chowdhury, however, emphasised his deep roots in Baharampur. “While the BJP candidate speaks of the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, and the TMC nominee talks about the blessings of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, I have the blessings of God. The people of Baharampur have never let me return empty-handed,” he said.