Ghani Khan Chowdhury’s niece: ‘SIR is designed to polarise Bengal elections like NRC did in 2021’
Congress candidate from Malda, Mausam Benazir Noor flags Muslim concerns over SIR deletions, OBC category changes and Waqf law; says voters have “seen through both TMC and BJP”
Mausam Noor Congress candidate from Malatipur assembly constituency in Malda district. at her ancestral house in Kotwali, Malda. (Express photo by Partha Paul) Much of the grandeur of Kotwali, once the residence of late Union minister and Congress stalwart A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury, in Malda town has faded away with time.
What endures is his political legacy, now carried forward by his niece, Mausam Benazir Noor, a former MP, and his nephew Isha Khan Chowdhury, the lone Congress MP from Bengal.
Noor, who had earlier crossed over to the TMC, has now returned to the Congress and is currently contesting from the Malatipur Assembly seat in Malda district, hoping to revive the party’s fortunes in a state where it currently does not have any MLA.
Explaining her switch to the TMC in an interview with The Indian Express, Noor, who had served as a Rajya Sabha MP with the TMC and a Lok Sabha MP with the Congress, said: “I felt that to stop BJP, Congress should have allied with Trinamool in 2019. When that didn’t happen, I chose to join TMC. But votes got split as my cousin Isha Khan Chowdhury contested against me, and ultimately, the BJP benefited.”
Mausam Noor Congress candidate from Malatipur assembly constituency in Malda district. at her ancestral house in Kotwali, Malda. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
She acknowledged the strain it caused in her family. “There was tension within the family, and Congress supporters were hurt because people see the Ghani Khan Chowdhury family as guardians. While the Trinamool gave me responsibility and respect, we eventually decided to reunite to carry forward Barkat da’s legacy. Congress is in our blood.”
Ghani Khan Chowdhury was popularly known as “Barkat da”. He had been a minister in the Siddhartha Shankar Ray government in Bengal before serving as a Union minister in the Cabinets of Indira Gandhi as well as Rajiv Gandhi,
handling key portfolios such as coal and railways. An eight-time MP, he passed away in 2006 but continues to loom large in Malda’s political memory.
Recalling his influence, a 60-year-old Congress worker said, “Every morning, hundreds would line up to meet him. Barkat da could be strict, but people knew he would get their work done. That is why his legacy still resonates.” He added, “Until his death, communal tensions were rare in Malda — everyone, Hindu or Muslim, listened to him.”
Mausam Noor Congress candidate from Malatipur assembly constituency in Malda district. at her ancestral house in Kotwali, Malda. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
Noor echoed this sentiment, saying, “Ghani Khan Chowdhury was loved for his work and his thinking — secular, development-oriented and focused on peace. People expect me to live up to that. I may not have had the same opportunities yet, but my approach remains the same. We also take pride in being a family which is not associated with corruption.”
On the emergence of parties like Humayun Kabir’s AJUP and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM in the district, Noor said, “In a multi-party system, different parties appeal to different groups. We are reaching out to everyone and focusing on overall well-being. The rest is up to the people.”
Flagging Muslim concerns, she said, “There is frustration and a sense of exclusion among them. Changes in OBC categorisation and dissatisfaction over the amended Waqf law have added to this. Many expected stronger opposition from the state government to the Waqf law.”
She also criticised the Election Commission (EC)’s Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming it added to the problems faced by Muslims in the state. Malda, in particular, saw a high number of voter deletions with its two constituencies being among the top 10 seats with the highest number of deletions after adjudication.
Mausam Noor Congress candidate from Malatipur assembly constituency in Malda district. at her ancestral house in Kotwali, Malda. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
“Over 60 lakh people have been put under adjudication, including 8.5 lakh in Malda alone, many from the minority community. Several of these areas — Sujapur, Chanchal, Malatipur, Ratua and Mothabari — are where Congress performed well in the Lok Sabha elections. We feel this thing is a scripted plan. It’s a drama. Because the honourable Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) went to the Supreme Court, all that drama took place and just after that 60 lakh names went under adjudication. We believe this process is not transparent,” Noor claimed.
She said, “There are instances of genuine voters being flagged, while the names of deceased individuals remain on rolls. The situation is chaotic. It appears designed to create a polarised atmosphere similar to 2021, when the NRC (National Register of Citizens) became a key issue. At that time, many backed the Trinamool to counter it, but now voters have seen through both the TMC and BJP.”
On the Congress’s move to contest the polls without forging an alliance with the CPI(M), Noor said, “We have partnered with the CPI(M) before, but this time the party wants to assess its independent strength. While alliances have benefits, they also limit our ability to field candidates, which can weaken the organisation. We are hopeful of emerging stronger after these elections.”
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