Above: Twenty-eight-year-old Mausam Noor (also on top with uncle Abu Hashem in Kotwali) and CPM rival Sailen Sarkar on the Malda College grounds on Wednesday for a TV show on the general election. Sarkar was asked about his party’s slogan in 2004 — Taruner jhare jhore porbe shukno pata (the storm of youth will blow away the dry leaves) — when a 77-year-old A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury was pitted against the CPM’s 42-year-old Pranab Das. Sarkar, 68, declined comment. Pictures by Surajit Roy

Malda, April 1: The two Congress candidates from Malda today made an all-out effort to showcase that all was well with the Khan Chowdhurys of Kotwali by first appearing together in the garden outside their residence this morning, and chalking out campaign strategies later in the day.

A smiling district Congress president and candidate for Malda South Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury and his niece Mausam Noor, who has been fielded in Malda North, flashed the “V” sign from the verandah of their house and later took a walk, their arms linked.

In the afternoon, both of them were present at the hour-long meeting that started at 2.30pm in the party office in Hyat Bhavan here.

All block presidents of Malda North, Araidanga MLA Sabitri Mitra and Englishbazar Municipality chairman Narendranath Tewari attended the discussion along with the two general secretaries of the party in the district, Mostaq Alam and Hasan Ali Shah.

Yesterday, Mausam had skipped a joint meeting at the Town Hall, which she was supposed to address with her uncle. A stung Abu Hashem had then announced that today’s meeting had been “postponed”. However, not only was the meeting held this afternoon, it was attended by Congress leaders like Alam and Shah who had been emphasising that Abu Naser Khan Chowdhury’s name was the only one that had been sent to the AICC for the newly created Malda North seat.

According to party insiders, the afternoon interaction drew a lot of queries from the block leaders who wanted an explanation from Abu Hashem as to why his brother, Abu Naser, was not made the candidate.

“We had sent but one name to the AICC and it was that of Abu Naser. However, we were not told either by the AICC or by Mausam that she was also a contender. She should have informed us before going off to Delhi. This created the confusion and what am I to do if this takes place?” Abu Hashem told the gathering.

The sitting MP also said although he was comfortably placed, Malda North had to be organisationally strengthened. The CPM has fielded Sailen Sarkar in the new constituency. Being sharply critical of his niece in her presence, he said: “Mausam has been holding rallies and meetings in Malda North, but she should have informed the local leaders. However, this will not happen again.”

Mausam, after hearing out her uncle, told the Congress leaders that she wanted her uncle’s help to emerge victorious. “I have told Dalumama (Abu Hashem) that I need his help and that is why this meeting is taking place.”

Later, talking to reporters, Abu Hashem said the family would have to unite in the interests of the party. “There is tension among members in every family and we are no different. The AICC has come to a decision and we will have to unite. I will contact Lebuda in Delhi and ask him to return so that we can all campaign together,” he said.

Mausam told reporters that she would file her nomination on April 3. “I have been telling you from the beginning that everything would be resolved within the family,” she said.

Contacted in New Delhi, Abu Naser said over the phone that he would return to Kotwali on Friday “empty-handed”. “I do not want a position for power. I had wanted to do something for Malda and that was why the district Congress had sent my name. What can I do if the AICC did not chose me even after giving me its word,” Abu Naser said.

The Congress leadership choose Mausam over him after waiting for several days for a certificate that would have lifted a cloud of uncertainty over Naser’s citizenship. Both the brothers, Abu Hashem and Abu Naser, had not taken kindly to the AICC decision.