New Delhi, April 14 (NationPress) The decision of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to kick off his party's campaign in Malda district this Tuesday, as the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal approach, signals an effort to regain a foothold in a region where the party's influence has significantly dwindled over the past decade.

Malda holds significant importance for Congress, having once been a stronghold, but the political landscape has transformed over the years. Congress is optimistic that it can reverse some of this trend, drawing on the legacy of party icon Abu Barkat Ghani Khan Choudhury, who is still remembered two decades after his passing on this date.

Affectionately referred to as “Barkatda,” he is revered in Malda, with local folklore suggesting that nearly every family in the area has benefited from his generosity. Residents reminisce about how he would personally resolve local disputes, secure employment, or facilitate train tickets for those in need. His ministerial influence was pivotal in attracting central government initiatives to Malda, resulting in job creation and upgrading local infrastructure while promoting educational institutions.

The political fabric of Malda is greatly influenced by its demographics, with the 2011 Census indicating that Muslims comprised 51.27% and Hindus 47.99% of the populace, making it the second-most Muslim-majority district in West Bengal, following Murshidabad. The rural population is predominant, accounting for 86.42% of the district's residents. Malda has witnessed political violence in recent years, including the Kaliachak riots in 2016 and electoral clashes in 2018 and 2021, alongside a recent attack on judicial officers in Mothabari. These incidents highlight the district's political instability and vulnerability.

The historical Malda Lok Sabha constituency was held by Barkat Ghani Khan Choudhury for eight terms since 1980, even amidst the Left's dominance, until his death in 2006. Subsequently, his brother Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, a former Union Minister of State in the Manmohan Singh administration, took over. Following the 2009 delimitation, Congress has represented both the Maldaha Uttar and Dakshin seats, where Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury won in 2009, 2014, and 2019, and later, his son Isha Khan Choudhury in 2024.

In the Maldaha Uttar Lok Sabha constituency, Isha's cousin, Mausam Noor, was victorious in 2009 and 2014 as a Congress candidate but lost to BJP's Khagen Murmu in 2019 while contesting on a Trinamool Congress ticket. She was later appointed to the Rajya Sabha by the Trinamool but recently returned to Congress.

Meanwhile, Murmu, a former communist leader, successfully retained his seat for the BJP in 2024. Noor will now contest from the Malatipur Assembly segment for Congress, where the party anticipates a resurgence against the sitting Trinamool MLA Abdur Rahim Boxi. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Trinamool secured three other seats while Congress managed to reclaim ground in all four segments for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Maldaha Uttar. The BJP emerged victorious in the remaining three segments, maintaining its lead in 2024.

In the Maldaha Dakshin Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP won only one Assembly segment in 2021, with the Trinamool winning the rest, including two Vidhan Sabha seats in Murshidabad. Thus, in the recent parliamentary elections, both the BJP and Congress led in six out of the twelve Assembly segments in Malda district, leaving none for the Trinamool. Congress also topped the other two Assembly segments in Murshidabad.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, Congress secured eight seats, Trinamool three, and BJP one.

The forthcoming elections may witness a multi-faceted contest, with the Left Front-Indian Secular Front alliance, AIMIM, and the newly established Janata Unnayan Party also in the fray. This, combined with the presence of candidates from the Trinamool and Congress, could potentially fragment the Muslim vote, thereby giving the BJP a possible advantage. Polling in the district is scheduled for April 23 in Phase 1, with results to be announced on May 4.