Murshidabad: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday alleged that during his election campaign in West Bengal, some miscreants associated with the Trinamool Congress attempted to stop him. He also claimed that the local police present at the spot failed to take adequate precautionary measures despite prior information about the possibility of such an incident.
Speaking to reporters, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “During the campaign, some miscreants from the Trinamool Congress tried to stop me. The local police present there did not take any precautionary measures, even though they had been informed in advance about the possibility of such an incident.”
Commenting on the political scenario in the state, Chowdhury further stated, “As long as Mamata Banerjee is there… I will never go to the BJP. It was Mamata Banerjee who, in fact, brought the BJP into Bengal. Not only that, she was once a minister in a BJP-led government. According to political dynamics, Mamata Banerjee herself is their biggest ally.”
Meanwhile, on April 4, West Bengal Police had initiated disciplinary action against IC Berhampore and taken lawful action against four accused Trinamool Congress members for unlawful obstruction during the election campaign and filing of nomination by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, an official of Bengal Police, said on Saturday evening.
The action was taken after tensions flared in Berhampore, Murshidabad district, on Saturday morning over the Congress’s election campaign. Congress candidate Adhir Chowdhury from that constituency was out campaigning with his workers and supporters. He allegedly faced obstacles from the Trinamool Congress as soon as he entered ward number 19 of the city.
On Sunday, the Congress announced its list of 284 candidates for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly. The party has fielded prominent leaders, including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and former Lok Sabha member Mausam Benazir Noor.
The list, released by All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary K.C. Venugopal in Delhi, includes 39 women candidates, 68 Scheduled Caste (SC) nominees, and 16 Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates.
The Congress and the Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), had contested the 2021 Assembly elections as allies but failed to win any seats. In February, Congress general secretary in charge of Bengal, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, announced that the party would contest all 294 seats independently this time.
Chowdhury, who represented the Berhampore Lok Sabha constituency in Murshidabad district five times since 1999, was defeated in 2024 by former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan, who was fielded by the Trinamool Congress.
(IANS)
