Adhir Chowdhury (top), Ghulam Nabi Azad. (Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya)

Sagardighi (Murshidabad), April 19: Local Congress strongman Adhir Chowdhury today once again campaigned for Independents, defying party high command strictures.

Adhir also skipped campaign meetings of Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee and Ghulam Nabi Azad who were in the district today.

Adhir today spoke at Ratanpur village in support of the suspended Congress rebel, Aminul Islam.

“Aminul is an Independent candidate till April 23 (the day of voting). After that, he will again be in the Congress as what he was earlier.... I will take him to Sonia madam after he wins and tell her that he won as an Independent but he is actually from the Congress family.”

He spent the rest of the day campaigning for two other Independents.

The Congress high command has not yet acted against Adhir and Raiganj MP Deepa Das Munshi, who has reportedly campaigned for three rebel candidates in North Dinajpur.

However, the Congress’s Bengal minder Shakeel Ahmed spoke out against Adhir.

“Adhirdji is a respectable leader and he should not do anything that harms the alliance. Our observers are camping in Murshidabad to maintain records on those who are backing the rebel candidates. Those backing the rebels will not be spared,” Ahmed said.

He is camping in Calcutta to oversee the party’s preparations for the polls.

Trinamul axe

Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee today expelled Nannu Hossain, a Trinamul rebel from Bhangar, for refusing to toe the party line.

Hossain had filed his nomination as an Independent candidate from Bhangar where the sitting Trinamul MLA, Arabul Islam, has been chosen by the party to contest.