Adhir Chowdhury in Behrampore on Friday Chayan Majumdar

The central leadership of the Congress on Friday appointed Somen Mitra — who is known for his political flexibility — as the chief of the party’s Bengal unit amid murmurs that the change of guard was aimed at sending out a signal to Mamata Banerjee ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

While the outgoing Congress president Adhir Chowdhury is known as a bete noir of the Trinamul supremo, Mitra, 76, is not as vehemently opposed to an alliance with Mamata as the Behrampore MP.

“Somen-da is a pragmatic leader and we need someone like him to retain the organisation in Bengal,” said a Congress leader.

Chowdhury has been made the chairman of the Congress’s campaign committee. He had been at the helm of the Congress since February 2014.

Two decades ago, Mamata’s friction with Mitra had resulted in the formation of Trinamul, which pushed the Congress into a phase of relentless decline. Mitra’s elevation assumes significance as the Congress is desperately trying to remain relevant in Bengal politics at a time the BJP is fast spreading its organisational network across the state.

“I told Rahul Gandhi clearly, if the party has to do well in the short term, it should go for an alliance with Trinamul. If it has to do well in the long term, it should form a truck with the CPM,” Mitra said on Friday.

“But I have no doubt the Congress had suffered immensely in the hands of Trinamul since the Assembly polls of 2016,” he added.

In a collective leadership structure, the Congress named Rajya Sabha member Pradip Bhattacharya as the chairman of the coordination committee and appointed four working presidents, Matigara-Naxalbari MLA Sankar Malakar, Baghmundi MLA Nepal Mahato, Malda South MP Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury and former MP Deepa Dasmunsi.

The overhaul resulted in elevation of some silent workers like Amitabha Chakraborty, who was made the chairman of outreach and communication of the Congress.

Asked about Mitra being made the party president, Chowdhury said: “The AICC did what It felt to be right. They have picked a senior who would work very well to take the party forward and I will extend full cooperation to him.”

“I had told Rahul if he thinks I am not able to deliver, he could appoint someone else,” he said in Behrampore.

He declined comment on his future amid murmurs of the possibility of his switch to the BJP. Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said his party’s doors were ajar for him.

Additional reporting by Alamgir Hossain in Behrampore