Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge names Subhankar Sarkar as President of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, effective immediately. Sarkar has been named the party’s Bengal unit head, succeeding Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Aside from that, Congress stalwarts MK Bhardwaj and Bhanu Mahajan were named Acting Working Presidents of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee.
Sarkar, who formerly served as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary for Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Mizoram, will now lead the Congress in West Bengal. As part of the changeover, he was stripped of his role as AICC secretary.
Five-time member of the Lok Sabha, Chowdhury had resigned as head of the West Bengal Congress after the party’s poor showing in the Lok Sabha polls. Notably, Yusuf Pathan, a former Indian cricket player and candidate for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), defeated him for the Baharampur seat in the Murshidabad district. The party was divided after Chowdhury’s defeat and his outspoken opposition to establishing coalitions with the Trinamool Congress.
The Congress said in an official statement, “The party appreciates the contributions of the outgoing PCC President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.”
Congress Eyes Smoother Ties With TMC In Bengal?
Adhir Chowdhury’s opposition to the Trinamool Congress, both at the state and national levels, had been at odds with the Congress high command’s stance of maintaining a more cordial relationship with the TMC. Sarkar, on the other hand, may be deemed as someone who can maintain a more balanced approach towards the ruling TMC, which may further ease tensions and pave the way for smoother coordination between the two parties.
Chowdhury’s differences with the Congress command over the party’s ties with the TMC had been surfacing for some time. In fact, his remarks against the TMC and its supremo Mamata Banerjee were cited as the reason by Trinamool for seat-sharing talks with the Congress failing in Bengal.
Get the Latest News Updates and Stay Informed with FELA NEWS!
Source: ABP News
