Amid TMC surge in Bengal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stares at defeat in Baharampur

The state Congress chief, one of Mamata Banerjee’s vociferous critics, is trailing former cricketer Yusuf Pathan of the TMC by over 34,000 votes.

Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. (Express File Photo)

As the Trinamool Congress (TMC) looks set to stamp its dominance in West Bengal politics, leading in 30 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha constituencies, and the BJP’s tally looks set to reduce, one of the major results is coming from Baharampur where state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is trailing TMC candidate and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan.

Adhir, a five-time MP, has been winning the constituency since 1999 and was the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha in the outgoing Parliament. In the state, he is among the most vociferous critics of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The CM has blamed Adhir for the INDIA alliance not contesting together in Bengal. While the TMC is part of the alliance nationally, in the state contested on its own.

On the campaign trail for Yusuf, TMC MP from Diamond Harbour and the party’s second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee had blamed Adhir for the “breakdown of the INDIA bloc” in Bengal. “Whenever Congress’s central leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were holding meetings with Didi (Mamata) to defeat the BJP, Adhir was busy addressing a press conference in Bengal to slam the TMC and Didi,” he said.

After counting began at 8 am Adhir, who won Baharampur by 80,737 votes in 2019, took the lead but BJP candidate Nirmal Saha slowly cut down his lead and later Yusuf Pathan surged ahead. At 3.30 pm, he was leading Adhr by more than 34,000 votes. With Adhir looking likely to lose the constituency, the party’s Malda Dakshin candidate Isha Khan Choudhury, whose uncle A B A Ghani Khan Choudhury was a Union Minister and cousin Mausam Noor is a TMC MP in the Rajya Sabha, is the only Congress candidate who is currently in the lead in Bengal.

Ravik Bhattacharya

Ravik Bhattacharya is a highly experienced and award-winning journalist currently serving as the Chief of Bureau of The Indian Express, Kolkata. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, Ravik possesses deep expertise across a wide range of critical subjects and geographical areas. Experience & Authority Current Role: Chief of Bureau, The Indian Express, Kolkata. Expertise: Extensive reporting across West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and the Andaman Nicobar Islands. Ravik specializes in politics, crime, major incidents and issues, and investigative stories, demonstrating a robust command of complex and sensitive subjects. Experience: His long and distinguished career includes key reporting roles at several prestigious publications, including The Asian Age, The Statesman, The Telegraph, and The Hindustan Times. Ravik's current role marks his second stint with The Indian Express, having previously served as a Principal Correspondent in the Kolkata bureau from 2005 to 2010. Major Award: Ravik's authority and quality of work are substantiated by his winning of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2007 for Political Reporting. Education: His strong academic foundation includes a Bachelor's degree with English Honours from Scottish Church College under Calcutta University, and a PG Diploma in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Ravik Bhattacharya's extensive tenure, specialized beat coverage, and notable award confirm his status as a trusted and authoritative voice in Indian journalism, particularly for stories emanating from Eastern India. ... Read More