Five-time WB MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to be Congress leader in Lok Sabha

Five-time Congress MP from West Bengal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, will be the party leader in the Lok Sabha, top party sources said Tuesday.

Chowdhury's name was cleared by the top party leadership after which a letter of his appointment was handed over to the Lok Sabha secretariat, they said.

The party, however, remained tight-lipped officially on his appointment.

Chaudhary too feigned ignorance about his appointment.

Asked about his appointment, he said the issue of who would lead the Congress in the Lower House of Parliament was not discussed in the party leaders' meeting at Sonia Gandhi's residence this morning.

Chowdhury was part of the top Congress leaders' meeting at Gandhi's residence.

The meeting was also attended by, among others, party leader K Suresh from Kerala, who too is likely to get an important role.

The Congress failed to secure the post of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha as it did not get the requisite 10 per cent seats in the House required for the post.

This is for the second time in a row that the Grand Old Party has failed to get the post.

Chowdhury is a five-time MP from West Bengal and has not lost the Lok Sabha election since 1999.

He currently represents the Berhampore Lok Sabha constituency in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

Chowdhury has also been a member of the West Bengal assembly from 1996 to 1999.

He has been the chief of the West Bengal Congress, besides also being the minister of state for railways between 2012 and 2014 during the UPA government.

Chowdhury's fighting spirit helped him win the party's confidence, said sources.

Mallikarjun Kharge was the leader of the Congress in the previous Lok Sabha but he lost the election this time, forcing the party to decide on another name.