CPM bid to snatch MP seat

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 5: Malda CPI-M district leaders are gearing up organisational branch committee workers to snatch the local MP seat of the late Congress stalwart, ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury. The CPI-M workers were informed that the Malda by-poll would be held on 8 July, tentatively. The CPI-M has not yet announced its candidate officially, but it was learnt that the present state parliamentary minister, Mr Sailen Sarkar, would contest for the MP seat here. CPI-M district leaders are trying to gauge the workers’ opinion about the possible CPI-M candidate, Mr Sarkar. Party leaders said only Mr Sarkar could take on the Congress candidate and undertake responsibility for Malda’s development as Ghani Khan Choudhury’s substitute here. Mr Sarkar was defeated several times by Khan Choudhury. Finally, during the last election, CPI-M nominated Mr Pranab Das alias Lalu, against the veteran leader. But even Mr Das was defeated by over one-lakh votes by Khan Choudhury After Khan Choudhury’s death, family members announced the name of his brother, Mr Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, as the candidate for the Malda by-poll. They are awaiting the central leadership’s verdict on the issue. District Congress president Mrs Rubi Noor had already declared this before the Press on the day of the funeral of the late MP. This information was let out to the media to win people’s sentiments for the respected leader in order to retain the Malda MP seat. Malda BJP leaders have asked for the state leaders’ approval to appoint a local as their by-poll candidate.This is for the first time that the Malda BJP leaders want to nominate an active local leader from the district, who has contributed greatly in gearing up BJP voters in the Malda parliamentary segment. The district BJP president, Mr Dinesh Basak, said: “We have decided to nominate a local BJP leader for the Malda by-poll.