Congress names legislative party leader, deputy in West Bengal Assembly
Synopsis
With just two MLAs in a BJP-dominated West Bengal Assembly, Congress has formally named its legislative party leader and deputy — both first-timers from Murshidabad. It is a small but telling move by the AICC to preserve institutional presence in a state where the party's top names, including its own state president, were voted out.
Key Takeaways
The AICC on 20 June appointed Julfikar Ali (Raninagar) as leader and Motab Shaikh (Farakka) as deputy leader of the Congress legislative party in the West Bengal Assembly .
Both MLAs are first-time legislators and represent constituencies in Murshidabad district .
Congress won only 2 of 294 seats it contested in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election .
Congress state president Suvankar Sarkar and former state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were among those defeated.
The BJP won 208 seats , forming West Bengal's first BJP government since independence; TMC won 80 seats .
The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) on Saturday, 20 June formally appointed leaders for its two-member legislative group in the West Bengal Assembly, allotting the post of leader to Julfikar Ali and deputy leader to Motab Shaikh — the party's only two elected legislators in the house.
Who Got What
Julfikar Ali, who represents the Raninagar Assembly Constituency in minority-dominated Murshidabad district, has been designated leader of the Congress legislative party in West Bengal. Motab Shaikh, the party's MLA from Farakka in the same district, has been named deputy leader. Both are first-time legislators.
How Congress Fared in the 2026 West Bengal Polls
The AICC's appointments come in the wake of a bruising West Bengal Assembly election in which Congress contested all 294 constituencies independently — and emerged with just two seats. At Raninagar, Julfikar Ali edged out All India Trinamool Congress's (TMC) Abdul Soumik Hossain by a margin of fewer than 3,000 votes. At Farakka, Motab Shaikh defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sunil Chowdhury by a margin of fewer than 9,000 votes.
Notably, several Congress heavyweights failed to retain or win their seats. The party's current state president, Suvankar Sarkar, and former state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were both defeated.
The Wider Assembly Verdict
The 2026 West Bengal Assembly election marked a historic shift: the BJP formed its first government in the state since independence, winning 208 constituencies and ending the 15-year TMC regime. The Trinamool Congress was reduced to 80 seats. The Aam Janata Unnyaan Party (AJUP) — founded by former TMC legislator Humayun Kabir — also secured two seats, matching Congress's tally. The CPI(M) and the All India Secular Front (AISF) each won one seat.
This is a stark contrast to the 2021 election, when both Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left Front, despite a seat-sharing arrangement, failed to win a single constituency. In 2026, the Left Front and AISF continued their seat-sharing pact but managed only marginal gains.
What This Means for Congress in Bengal
With just two MLAs, Congress holds a minimal but symbolically significant presence in the new West Bengal Assembly. The formalisation of legislative party roles — even in a two-member group — signals the AICC's intent to maintain an organisational footprint in a state where the party has been largely marginalised for over a decade. How Ali and Shaikh navigate their roles as a micro-opposition bloc will be closely watched, particularly given the BJP's commanding majority.
Point of View
But the context makes it significant. Congress's near-total wipeout in West Bengal — including the defeat of its sitting state president — exposes how completely the party has lost its organisational base in a state it once dominated. The AICC's move to formalise even a minimal Assembly presence suggests it is playing a long game, but with Murshidabad as its only surviving foothold and no credible state-level face, the path back is far from clear. The real question is whether these two first-time MLAs can build a visible opposition identity inside a house dominated by a BJP supermajority.
NationPress
20 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has been appointed leader of the Congress legislative party in West Bengal?
Julfikar Ali, the MLA from Raninagar Assembly Constituency in Murshidabad district, has been appointed leader of the Congress legislative party in the West Bengal Assembly by the AICC on 20 June.
Who is the deputy leader of Congress's legislative party in West Bengal?
Motab Shaikh, the Congress MLA from Farakka in Murshidabad district, has been named deputy leader. Both he and Julfikar Ali are first-time legislators.
How many seats did Congress win in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election?
Congress won just two seats — Raninagar and Farakka — out of 294 constituencies it contested independently. Its top leaders, including state president Suvankar Sarkar and former state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, were defeated.
What was the overall result of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election?
The BJP won 208 seats, forming West Bengal's first BJP government since independence and ending 15 years of TMC rule. The TMC won 80 seats, while Congress, AJUP, CPI(M), and AISF each won between one and two seats.
Why does Congress need a legislative party leader with only two MLAs?
Under Assembly rules, even a two-member group can formally constitute a legislative party and designate a leader, giving it procedural standing to raise issues on the floor. The AICC's decision to formalise these roles signals its intent to maintain an institutional presence in West Bengal despite its drastically reduced numbers.
