Rebel hurdle for Congress in Bengal

In the first phase of West Bengal elections in North Bengal, more than the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPIM), it is the rebels who are causing headache for the Trinamool Congress-Congress alliance.

Both the parties are getting fierce competition from rebel candidates with backing from the Congress heavyweights like Adhir Chowdhury, Member of Parliament from Baharampur and Congress District Committee president from Murshidabad, and Deepa Dasmunshi, MP from Raiganj and wife of Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi.

Chowdhury is supporting the rebel Congress candidates from all the four constituencies--Bhagabangola, Sagardighi, Hariharpara and Jalangi -- being fought by Trinamool in the district. The district has 22 assembly seats, three more than last time due to delimitation. In the 2006, the Congress had won five seats and the Left the rest.

“I was unhappy with the seat sharing and even came out in public against the one-sided approach by Banerjee. Congress had won the three seats in the district in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2008 panchayat elections, the Congress had won 154 of the 254 gram panchayats here while Trinamool won only four. So, why should we play a second fiddle in our stronghold. This is for the Congress and these leaders will rejoin the party if they win the elections,” Chowdhury said.

On the other hand, Deepa Dasmunshi is backing independents in Islampur and Hemtabad. Though the Congress suspended 12 rebel candidates -- including three sitting legislators -- who defied the party line and filed nominations as independents, North Bengal will not be a cake walk for the alliance.

“It is possible that some party workers are dissatisfied over the terms on which the alliance was reached or the number of seats that were allotted to the Congress. But, individual opinion is not more important than that of the party,” West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Manas Bhunia had said.

The expelled leaders including Fazle Haque in Dinhata, Hamidul Rehman in Chopra, Kanaiyalal Agarawal in Islampur, Chittaranjan Roy in Hemtabad, Albiruni in Malatipur and Shehnaz Quadri in Mothabari were from North Bengal, which is going to polls today. Quadri is a close relative of the Congress MP and the Youth Congress president Mausam Benazir Noor.

“Even the Trinamool has fielded rebel candidates in constituencies like Berhampore and Bharatpur. The district wing is supporting the rebel candidates because they are senior leaders and trinamool has not even waited for the Congress chief to come back from abroad before announcing the candidate list,” Chowdhury added.

Meanwhile, training guns on Chowdhury in Murshidabad, Banerjee said that the rebels are strengthening Marxists which may allow them to continue for another term.

However, rebels too seemed confident about their chances. “I am confident about my chances in this election and is fighting it for the Congress only,” said Saied Alamgir, a rebel candidate from Bhagwangola.

When asked about this, people seemed like backing behind their leaders. “Our local leaders, backed by Chowdhury will win, not the Trinamool candidates. This is the land of Congress and Trinamool should stay back,” said Hassan Sheikh, a Congress worker from Farakka in Murshidabad.