Malda, Nov. 10: Abu Naser Khan Chowdhury had plenty of reasons to smile today. Not only had he successfully contested in an election, he also managed to set a record of sorts by winning the Sujapur byelection by the highest margin by a Congress candidate from there.

The win in Sujapur ensured that the stamp of the Kotwali family continued over the seat from where the late A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury had first won in 1952. Abu Naser’s winning margin of over 33,000 votes is the highest ever.

Abu Naser had earlier failed to contest the Lok Sabha polls over the issue of his citizenship. He had returned from Switzerland and had failed to prove his Indian citizenship in time, paving the way for Mausam Noor to successfully lobby the North Malda seat which she won.

The opportunity to contest the Sujapur seat, left vacant by Mausam, was also a chance that nearly passed Abu Naser by. He had deleted his name from the electoral rolls in Malda and had got it included in Delhi, where he frequently lives. It is imperative for an Assembly election contestant to be the voter of the same state. Abu Naser’s name was cleared by election officials here a day before the last date of filing nominations.

But these are events that the newly elected MLA would not wish to look back upon. Standing beside the grave of elder brother Ghani Khan Chowdhury, Abu Naser dedicated his victory to his memory. “I have to tread the path of my departed brother. During my campaign, I felt that Sujapur was one of the least developed among the constituencies of the district…. However, the Assembly elections are just over a year away and I will try my best to do something during that period,” he said.