All eyes set on Sujapur

Statesman News Service
SUJAPUR (Malda), 5 NOV.: If you come to Sujapur now, you would understand an election is in the air and the Congress, which has traditionally retained the seat is dealing from a position of strength. But, one could wager against you to tell the name of the Congress candidate.
The Congress piled the constituency with campaign posters all projecting its former patriarch ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury with passing mention of his brother and candidate Mr. AN Khan Choudhury. It is an indication of how heavily dependent the Congress still is on Malda on the exploits of the former MP ABA Ghani Khan.
Congress workers and leaders are urging voters to cast vote in favour of Ghani Khan’s relative to take on the CPI-M candidate Mr. Esaruddin Mandal. Not even a die hard CPI-M supporter believes the CPI-M would win from Sujapur as the Congress retains the seat since 1962 and is strong enough to click again.
The Congress candidate Mr. Khan Choudhury, a good orator, has been promising development in Sujapur in the name of Ghani Khan during the by-election rallies, which has fetched oblique remarks from the CPI-ML (Liberation).
Liberation leader Mr. Nabakumar Biswas while campaigning for party candidate Mr. Ibrahim, said: “The Congress is doing a Ramayana here. In the Ramayana, Ram’s brothers projected his footwear as the sovereign symbol. The Congress is projecting Ghani Khan as its symbol here”.
Mr. Uttam Mandal, a resident of Jalalpur in the constituency and a CPI-M supporter probably summed up the general verdict.
“Despite being a CPI-M party member, I do not hope our candidate would win. Although many have assured to vote us, we fear they would cast their vote in favour of the Congress as, money matters here”, he said.
Others like Mahammad Alamgir, a student of Malda college, think differently,” We expect the CPI-M to put up a tough fight against the Congress”, he said.

IN THE FRAY
AN KHAN CHOUDHURY (Congress)
ESARUDDIN MANDAL (CPI-M)
EJARUDDIN (Muslim League)
IBRAHIM CPI-ML (Liberation)
MANJUR ELAHI MUNSI (Indian People’s Forward Bloc)
AJOY ROY (Independent)
MOHD SAMUL HAQUE (Independent)