Sonia names Abhijit for Jangipur by-poll

Approving West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee’s recommendation, Congress President Sonia Gandhi announced Abhijit as party candidate for the Jangipur seat in Murshidabad. By-election for the seat will be held on October 10 for the seat fell vacant after Pranab Mukherjee filed nomination for the President post. Notification for this by-poll is expected Saturday. The last date for filing of nomination is September 22 and result will be announced before Durgapuja, on October 13.

Heavyweight Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury had expressed his desire to elect Abhijit from this seat. Though, some other Congress leaders, including Atish Sinha, had expressed their willingness to contest from Jangipur.

If Abhijit wins the Jangipur seat, which is considered as a den of Congress, another by-election will be held for Nalhati Assembly seat in Birbhum from where Abhijit was elected for the first time in 2011 quitting corporate job. Pranab Mukherjee won the Jangipur seat with a margin of nearly 1,25,000 votes in the last Parliament election in 2009.

Meanwhile, CPI-M is preparing to give a tough challenge to Abhijit and Congress at Jangipur by announcing Muzaffar Hussain who unsuccessfully contested from Nabagram seat as Left Front nominated CPI-M candidate in 1996 Assembly election. Jangipur, being a predominantly Muslim-dominated constituency and CPI-M nominating a Muslim candidate, Congress and Abhijit will have to face odds.

Another obstacle for Abhijit is none other but partner in government Trinamool Congress. Since he was elected as MLA, Abhijit never enjoyed good relations with TMC. He refused Mamata Banerjee’s nomination as Chairman of a state PSU corporation, which led to resignation of several other Congress MLAs from such committees.  TMC has already threatened to snatch Nalhati, if Abhijit vacate it for Jangipur. Birbhum district president of TMC Anubrata Mondal announced earlier, “We left Nalhati seat for Abhijit only because he is Pranabbabu’s son. Since then, we have snatched Nalhati municipality from Congress. Our organizational base is stronger than Congress there.”

Now, after government’s decision to open FDI in retail and aviation, sharp hike in petro-products and further disinvestment of 4 PSUs, TMC is in a serious mood to withdraw support from UPA. If that happens, TMC may nominate its candidate also for Jangipur, which may tumble Abhijit’s dream to step into his father’s shoe.