Protests have erupted in the Congress in many Assembly constituencies in north Bengal against some candidates announced by the party.
The series of protests, internal divisions and violent incidents raised concerns about the Congress’s organisational strength in north Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls. Political observers believe that unless the leadership resolves the internal conflicts, the unrest could impact the party’s electoral performance in the region.
In Malda, demonstrations were witnessed in different areas soon after the Congress released its list of candidates for the 12 Assembly seats in the district on Sunday evening.
In Chanchal, supporters of Anzarul Haque, popularly known as Johnny, staged protests against the party’s decision to field former MLA Asif Mehbub from the seat.
The agitated workers burnt tyres and raised slogans, demanding the nominee’s change. They said Johnny, a former block Congress president and a local contractor, enjoyed a stronger support base.
“We will surely win if Johnny is fielded. The current candidate may have a political background, but lacks a connection with local workers. If our demand is not met, Johnny may contest as an Independent,” said Rubel Sheikh, a Congress worker.
On Monday, the protests continued in the Congress’s block office in Taraltala. Haque said the protests reflected the workers’ emotional attachment to the party.
Asif Mehbub, a former MLA elected in 2011 and 2016, pleaded for restraint. “The party’s decision is final, and disciplined workers should abide by it,” he said.
The discontent also surfaced in the Baishnabnagar constituency, where district youth Congress president Sarwar Jahan resigned from his post as well as the primary membership of the party in protest against the nomination of Mamoni Mandal.
Similar dissatisfaction was reported from the Gazole and Englishbazar constituencies. In Gazole, Congress activists opposed candidate Sanjay Sarkar, alleging his proximity to the Trinamool Congress. In Englishbazar, objections were raised against Masud Alam, citing that he was not a resident.
The protests prompted Isha Khan Choudhury, the district Congress president, to hold multiple meetings on Monday. “We are holding talks and hope to resolve the issues soon,” he said.
In Alipurduar district, agitated Congress workers vandalised the party office in Falakata over the selection of an “outsider” candidate. The unrest followed the nomination of Akshay Kumar Barman from Alipurduar as the Falakata candidate.
On Monday, two groups of Congress workers gathered at the Falakata office. They got into an altercation, and the situation soon turned violent, with one group attacking the office and damaging property.
A section of the Congress workers alleged that the district leadership had deliberately imposed an outsider candidate, warning that such decisions would weaken the party’s prospects in the constituency.
Mrinmoy Sarkar, the district Congress chief who is also from Falakata, was brief in his reaction.
“I have no clear information about the incident yet. I will inquire into what happened at the party office,” he said.
Vandalism
A group of Congress workers on Monday vandalised and locked up the district party office in East Burdwan to protest against the nomination of “inappropriate and incompetent” persons from multiple seats in the district. They claimed that candidates, who had been fielded from different Assembly segments, including Manteswar, Burdwan Dakshin, Burdwan Uttar and Khandaghosh, were associated with either Trinamool or the BJP.
Additional reporting by Snehamoy Chakraborty in Calcutta