Congress banks on Ghani

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Sept. 13: Riding high on the sentimental void created by the death of ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury, the Malda Congress enters the Lok Sabha bypoll two days later.The party has left no stone unturned to retain the seat by garnering support from the voters.Today, three senior Congress leaders ~ Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, Mr Adhir Choudhury and Mr Subrata Mukherjee ~ campaigned extensively in the district, urging the voters to keep faith on the Congress and make its candidate, Mr Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, brother of the late Ghani Khan Choudhury, victorious. A section of Congress leaders, on condition of anonymity, said the “Friday factor” would also work in favour of Mr AH Khan Choudhury. “Ghani Khan used to approach the people for vote, via leaders of different mosques, a day before the poll. Since the bypoll is scheduled for Saturday this year, the family members of Ghani Khan could follow the suit,” they said.Meanwhile, dozens of leaflets circulated by the CPI-M, “exposing” the bitter relations between Mr Ghani Khan Choudhury and Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, has to some extent worried the Congress leaders here.Since Mr Das Munshi has been assigned by the Congress chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to monitor the bypoll here, the Congress leaders apprehend that the “false campaign” launched by the CPI-M would harm the prospects of their candidate.“The CPI-M has been trying to malign the image of Mr Das Munshi in general and the Congress in particular. They, however, will not succeed in befooling the voters,” a senior Congress leader of Malda, said. The CPI-M leaders, however, are confident that Mr Sailen Sarkar will emerge victorious in the bypoll. “As a politician, Mr Sarkar is much more experienced than Mr Choudhury and he will definitely make a difference here this year in the absence of Ghani Khan Choudhury,” the LF chairman, Mr Biman Bose, said.

Mahajot of discord

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Sept 13: Though the Trinamul Congress supremo Miss Mamata Banerjee declared that her party would support the Congress in the Malda Lok Sabha by-poll scheduled for 16 September, no coordination between the Trinamul Congress and the Congress here is visible regarding poll campaign.

“No coordination exists between the Trinamul Congress and the Congress leaders here for the by-poll”, a senior Congress leader said.

The Union I&B minister, Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, however, is still upbeat about dislodging the Left Front in the state by 2011 on the basis of an understanding between the Trinamul Congress and the Congress here.

The Malda Trinamul Congress chief, Mr Dulal Sarkar, on the other hand, said: “We do not know what the future understanding between the Trinamul Congress and the Congress in Malda and in the state be like.

However, it is a fact that it is Malda Congress that has demoralised Trinamul Congress workers here politically.”

“Initially, we had planned to nominate our own candidate here. But now, we support neither the BJP nor the Congress. In fact, we have not even been approached by the Malda Congress leaders to support them in the by-poll campaign,” Mr Sarkar said.

Political observers beleive that a number of Trinamul Congress voters here may cast their vote in favour of the Malda Congress in the by-poll.#