Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the West Bengal Congress chief, issued a bold challenge to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, inviting her to contest against him from the Behrampore constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Chowdhury's declaration comes following the Trinamool Congress's decision to field former cricketer Yusuf Pathan from the Behrampore seat. Yusuf Pathan, a native of Vadodara in Gujarat and a former member of the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team, was nominated by the Trinamool Congress.
Expressing his views on Pathan's nomination, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury remarked, "Any Indian citizen has the right to contest from any part of the country. Mamata herself could have contested from Goa without any hindrance. I challenge Mamata Banerjee to stand against me or nominate 'Khokababu' (a reference to Abhishek Banerjee) against me."
In his criticism of the Trinamool's decision, Chowdhury suggested that if the party wished to honor Yusuf Pathan, they could have nominated him for the Rajya Sabha instead of fielding "outsiders" in Lok Sabha constituencies.
"If Mamata Banerjee genuinely cared for Yusuf Pathan's well-being, she would have requested the INDIA alliance for a seat for him in Gujarat. However, his selection as a candidate in West Bengal is aimed at polarizing the electorate and aiding the BJP to defeat the Congress," Chowdhury stated in an interview with news agency ANI.
Having represented Behrampore, a constituency with a predominantly Muslim population, since 1999, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asserted his readiness for any electoral challenge.
He further commented on Mamata Banerjee's political maneuvering, suggesting that her decision to contest independently in the elections was driven by fear of displeasing Prime Minister Modi within the INDIA alliance. By distancing herself from the alliance, Banerjee aimed to convey a message to the Prime Minister's Office that she was not opposing the BJP directly.
Trinamool Congress announced its candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal on March 10, opting for a solo approach after failed negotiations with the Congress over seat-sharing in the state. The party had attributed the breakdown in talks to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, labeling him as the "main obstacle" in the relationship between the two parties.
