Congress bastion faces Trinamool challenge

Published : Jan 30, 2019 13:02 IST

Mausam Benazir Noor after winning the North Malda seat in 2014.

Mausam Benazir Noor after winning the North Malda seat in 2014.

Malda district, one of few remaining bastions of the Congress in West Bengal, is fast crumbling under the ruling Trinamool Congress’s onslaught. The latest blow came on January 28 when Mausam Benazir Noor, the sitting Lok Sabha MP from Malda North constituency and niece of the late Congress heavyweight of the region, A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury, quit the Congress to join the Trinamool.

Mausam, who was also the Congress president of the district, made her announcement at Nabanna, the State secretariat, in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mausam. She said, “From today I will be working under the leadership of Didi. Everybody saw how all the leaders in the country came to the rally at the Brigade [Parade Grounds in Kolkata] on January 19 to lend their support to her in the fight against the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party]. I believe that she is our face, and it is because of her I joined the Trinamool…. I will do whatever I can to ensure that the BJP does not carry out its designs in West Bengal.”

With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, Mausam’s departure is bound to hit the Congress hard. For decades the voters of Malda had overwhelmingly supported Ghani Khan Chowdhury, affectionately known as Barkatda, making Malda an impregnable Congress fortress that even the CPI(M)-led Left Front could not breach in its 34 years in power.

Even after Ghani Khan died in 2006, his family members continued to enjoy the loyalty of the majority of the district’s electorate. In the circumstances, Mausam joining the Trinamool is a major setback for the Congress even though her decision was not entirely unexpected. “She can take whatever decision she wants, but Mausam betrayed our trust. She could have informed us,” said Somen Mitra, West Bengal Pradesh Congress president.

“Mausam had made up her mind to join the Trinamool long back because of her failure in her constituency and inability to carry forward the party’s organisational work. However, as a matter of strategy, in order to weaken the Congress organisation, they had delayed the announcement,” senior Congress leader Om Prakash Mishra told Frontline.

The State Congress leadership feels that by weakening the Congress, the Trinamool is only strengthening the position of the BJP. “By weakening Congress strongholds Mamata Banerjee is actually acting as an agent of the BJP. While the BJP is losing its clout everywhere else in the country, in Bengal, thanks to the Trinamool, it is able to project itself,” said Mishra.

The Congress has decided to field another member from Ghani Khan’s family to take on Mausam from Malda North: her cousin and Congress MLA from Shujapur, Isha Khan Chowdhuri. Irrespective of the outcome, Malda appears set for an interesting contest.

Sign in to Unlock member-only benefits!
  • Bookmark stories to read later.
  • Comment on stories to start conversations.
  • Subscribe to our newsletters.
  • Get notified about discounts and offers to our products.
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment