- Over 100 Trinamool workers joined Congress in Malda.
- Defectors joined Congress to effectively challenge the BJP.
- Congress seeks to rebuild its organizational network in Malda.
- Joining occurred amidst worker attack, election nomination disputes.
The Congress has received a boost in West Bengal’s Malda district, with more than 100 Trinamool Congress workers joining the party at a programme in the Mahishbathani area on Sunday. The joining event was held at Balrampur in Mahishbathani, where 13 TMC panchayat members, a panchayat samiti member, the local Trinamool regional president and a block vice president were among those who crossed over to the Congress, according to the party.
The new entrants were handed Congress flags by Malda District Congress President Isha Khan Chowdhury and Pradesh Congress Vice President and former MLA Bhupendranath Halder. A large gathering of Congress workers and supporters attended the programme.
Congress Targets Old Stronghold
The Congress leadership said Mahishbathani, in Old Malda, had previously been one of its organisational strongholds. The latest joining programme is being seen by the party as an attempt to rebuild its presence in an area where its organisational network had weakened over the years.
Former Manikchak MLA Mottakim Alam, Old Malda Block Congress President Gopal Sarkar, local Congress leader Uday Mandal and other party leaders were also present at the gathering.
Congress workers reportedly welcomed the new entrants with applause as they formally joined the party.
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TMC Leaders Cite BJP Challenge
Among those who joined the Congress was Sarafat Ali, who had been associated with the Trinamool Congress.
Explaining his decision, Ali said he believed the TMC, as a regional party, would not be able to effectively take on the BJP in the current political environment. He said he had joined the Congress to participate in the fight against the BJP.
The Congress has sought to use the joining programme to project renewed organisational activity in Mahishbathani, while the movement of local-level TMC representatives could give the party additional visibility in the area.
Congress Raises Worker Attack
The joining programme also comes against the backdrop of recent political tensions in parts of West Bengal.
The Congress had alleged that one of its workers was attacked in Murshidabad following a political dispute. The worker later died while undergoing treatment. Congress-linked accounts identified the deceased as Ziaur Rahman Pintu and alleged that he had faced threats because of his association with the party.
Raninagar MLA Zulfikar Ali visited Murshidabad Medical College following news of the worker’s death. Tensions were reported in the area following the death, while police began investigating the incident.
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Nandigram Nomination Row
Another issue cited by the Congress is the controversy surrounding its candidate for the Nandigram by-election.
Pradesh Congress General Secretary Subhasish Bhattacharya alleged that police pressured Congress candidate Milan Pradhan to withdraw his nomination. Bhattacharya further alleged that police took him and Pradhan away on the day of the incident.
The BJP, however, denied the Congress’s allegation that pressure was exerted on Pradhan to withdraw his nomination.
With the Congress attempting to rebuild its organisation in areas such as Mahishbathani, the latest defections from the TMC have provided the party with an opportunity to highlight its renewed grassroots mobilisation in Malda.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
