Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Claims Trinamool Disruption During Bengal Campaign
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Murshidabad, April 6 (NationPress) - Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused the Trinamool Congress of attempting to disrupt his election campaign in West Bengal on Monday. He asserted that local law enforcement failed to implement necessary safety protocols, despite prior notifications regarding the potential for disruption.
In his remarks to the press, Chowdhury stated, “During my campaign, individuals affiliated with the Trinamool Congress tried to hinder my efforts. The police on-site did not take any preventive actions, even though they were forewarned about the likelihood of such an occurrence.”
Discussing the political landscape of the state, Chowdhury added, “As long as Mamata Banerjee remains in power, I will never align with the BJP. It was Mamata Banerjee who facilitated the BJP's emergence in Bengal; she even served as a minister in a BJP-led administration. In reality, Mamata is their greatest ally.”
On April 4, the West Bengal Police initiated disciplinary measures against IC Berhampore and took legal actions against four Trinamool Congress members for interfering with Chowdhury's election campaign and nomination process, as reported by a police official on Saturday evening.
This action followed rising tensions in Berhampore, Murshidabad district, on Saturday morning during the Congress campaign. Adhir Chowdhury was actively campaigning with his supporters when he reportedly encountered resistance from the Trinamool Congress upon entering ward number 19.
On Sunday, Congress unveiled its roster of 284 candidates for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, featuring notable figures such as Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and former Lok Sabha member Mausam Benazir Noor.
The candidate list, published by All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary K.C. Venugopal in Delhi, includes 39 women candidates, along with 68 candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC) and 16 from Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Previously, the Congress and the Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), contested the 2021 Assembly elections as a coalition but did not secure any seats. In February, Congress general secretary for Bengal, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, declared the party's intention to contest all 294 seats independently this time.
Chowdhury, who has held the Berhampore Lok Sabha constituency seat in Murshidabad district five times since 1999, was defeated in 2024 by former cricketer Yusuf Pathan, the candidate for the Trinamool Congress.