New Delhi, Jan 3 (NationPress) As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections approach, the Trinamool Congress faced weeks of uncertainty regarding the absence of their Rajya Sabha MP Mausam Benazir Noor, a prominent figure in Malda who embodies the legacy of Bengal's esteemed Congress leader Abu Barkat Ghani Khan Chaudhury.

Relief washed over the party when she returned ahead of the polls for the two Malda Lok Sabha seats.

She clarified that her absence was due to a bout of viral fever while attending to personal matters in Delhi. The Trinamool had put forth Prasun Banerjee for the Maldaha Uttar seat and Shahnawaz Ali Raihan for Maldaha Dakshin.

Her lack of presence had ramifications for the party, as some supporters, who felt close to Noor, expressed discontent over her exclusion from the candidate list.

Despite losing to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in 2019 for the Maldaha Uttar seat, Noor was appointed to the Rajya Sabha by the Trinamool within a year.

Her timely return to the campaign trail reassured leaders and supporters, although underlying discontent simmered, echoing the same concerns that prompted her departure from the Congress family seven years prior.

In January 2019, Mausam Noor left the Congress, feeling marginalized in leadership roles, and joined the Trinamool. She defended the Maldaha Uttar seat she previously won in 2014 as a Congress candidate but lost to BJP's Khagen Murmu.

Reports indicate dissatisfaction within her ranks began the moment she became a Rajya Sabha member, as many believed she was unable to uphold Ghani Khan's legacy or assist the people of Malda effectively.

In an interesting turn of events, Trinamool candidates faced defeat in both Maldaha regions, with Noor's cousin Isha Khan Choudhury winning Dakshin for Congress and Murmu retaining Uttar.

Her resignation from the Rajya Sabha is perceived as a strategic move for the forthcoming Assembly elections, where sources suggest she may be nominated for the Congress’s stronghold of Sujapur constituency.

She previously won a by-election in 2009 for Sujapur following the death of her mother, Rubi Noor, but later vacated to join the Parliament from Maldaha Uttar.

For over a year, her family and state Congress leaders have urged her to return, invoking the Ghani Khan legacy. Noor’s return to Congress signifies more than just a political shift; it heralds a revival of her family’s historic legacy in Malda.

Prior to delimitation and the establishment of two Parliamentary constituencies in 2009, Ghani Khan consistently represented the Malda Lok Sabha constituency from 1980 to 2006.

Known affectionately as Barkat-da, Ghani Khan (1927–2006) was a monumental Congress leader who reshaped Malda’s political and developmental landscape.

He served as the Union Railway Minister in the 1980s and is credited with enhancing rail connectivity, educational institutions, and infrastructure projects in Malda, earning lasting popularity.

His legacy continues to influence the district’s political fabric, with family members inheriting both his influence and duty.

After his passing, his brother, Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, won a by-election for Congress in Malda in September 2006.

Many residents still regard Ghani Khan as their family benefactor, assisting them in both prosperous and challenging times, and even securing jobs for those in need.

His accessibility and grassroots connections made the Congress synonymous with Malda politics for decades.

Mausam Noor's return is significant, as Malda remains one of the few districts in Bengal where the Congress has retained influence despite the ascendancy of the ruling Trinamool and the state’s principal opposition, the BJP.

Noor's decision is expected to solidify the Ghani Khan family's hold on the district’s minority-dominated electorate.