Trinamool versus Congress battle heats up in central Bengal

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a veteran Congress leader, faced repeated disruptions from Trinamool Congress supporters while campaigning for the Berhampore Assembly seat in West Bengal. Chowdhury insisted that these protests would not deter him from reaching voters despite opposition from the ruling party's workers. The election is a prestige fight for Chowdhury, who lost the Berhampore Lok Sabha seat to Yusuf Pathan in 2024. In Malda district, Mausam Benazir Noor, who previously served as a Rajya Sabha member nominated by the Trinamool Congress, has returned to the Congress and is contesting the Assembly election from the Malatipur seat. The Trinamool Congress chairperson, Mamata Banerjee, criticized Noor, accusing her of leaving the party for personal gain. The Congress remains a formidable force in its traditional strongholds of Malda and Murshidabad despite losing significant ground in recent years.